The scene of your motor vehicle collision could have a major impact on what compensation you receive from insurance or even a civil lawsuit. The placement of the vehicles, the extent of damage to your vehicle and other details from the scene of the crash can influence how much responsibility each party has for the collision.
Proper documentation of a collision is of the utmost importance if you believe you will have extensive property damage or medical loss claims to make against the other driver. Documentation can also be important to protect you from claims made by someone else after a crash. How do you properly document a collision in the immediate aftermath of the wreck?
Your phone is a crucial tool for documenting the scene of a crash
Even if your phone doesn’t have the fanciest, highest-megapixel camera possible, it will still be able to take accurate images of the collision and your vehicles. Once you have exited your own vehicle and assessed others for injuries, you will want to take a few moments to take photographs and record video.
A video that shows the entire scene of the crash from multiple angles can help provide perspective. Photographs both of the damage to your vehicle and the position of all the vehicles involved is also important. It’s better to err on the side of caution by taking too many photos and multiple videos than it is to not take enough. It’s also important that you document the vehicles’ positions before you attempt to move vehicles after the collision.
What makes photos of a crash useful?
Getting a few close-up images of actual damage or injuries is valuable, but perspective and scope is also important.
Taking a picture of just the dent in your bumper won’t give the viewer an idea of how big it is. Capturing most of the vehicle in a shot that also shows the damage will give a better idea about the extent of the damage your vehicle incurred. Taking shots and videos from multiple angles, possibly circling the scene of the crash, will provide a more thorough record than just taking a few images from the same position.
Documenting the crash will put you in a better position to ask for financial compensation because of the property damage and injuries you suffered in a motor vehicle collision.
