Because car accidents happen at an almost alarming rate in California, you may not be able to avoid one forever. If you sustain a serious injury in a collision, though, you may be able to pursue financial compensation from the driver who caused the crash.
To boost your odds of recovering completely, you should take four critical steps after any motor vehicle accident. An important one of these is photographing the crash and its effects. To receive full benefit from your photographic evidence, be certain to take three types of photos.
1. The entire scene
After a car accident, it is a good idea to call 911. The responding officer should investigate the crash and write a report. Assuming you can do so without endangering yourself or others, take some photographs of the accident scene to supplement the official report.
When photographing the accident scene, capture the following:
- Traffic patterns
- Signs and lights
- Weather conditions
- Road hazards
2. The damage to vehicles and property
Even though the officer’s report may describe vehicle and property damage, it may not tell the full story. Taking photographs of vehicle and property damage helps to describe how the accident happened. Likewise, photos of damage put the severity of the accident into a context anyone can understand.
3. Your injuries
Finally, as soon after the accident as possible, you should photograph your injuries. During the healing process, you may also want to use your camera to capture home modifications, medical devices and other injury-related subjects.
Because your injuries may heal eventually, the photograph you take of them may serve as valuable proof of the tremendous physical impact the accident had on you.