It’s important to think about documenting evidence right after an accident. Why? Because it can be useful:
- for insurance claims
- to build a legal case
- to protect yourself from false claims
- to refresh your own memory later on
And as it turns out, your phone can help you do this.
What Specific Pieces of Evidence You Should Capture
So what exactly should you photograph or take video of with your smartphone? Getting as much useful evidence as possible right away is key.
Important evidence can easily change or disappear from an accident scene very quickly. Plus, your memory will be sharpest immediately after the collision while everything is still fresh in your mind. And so the longer you wait to record things, the less evidence you may have to work with.
Here are the top things to document:
Images of the Damage
Take several photos of the damage done to each car or vehicles involved. The more angles the better!
Get wide shots showing the whole vehicle plus close-ups of dented areas and any broken parts. Also photograph damage to any other property, like trees, fences, buildings, etc.
Road and Weather Conditions
Take photos or video of the road you were driving on and the conditions when the crash occurred. For example, capture any sharp curves, low visibility areas, slippery icy spots, construction work, potholes, no turn signs, or poorly placed traffic lights. Also, photograph the sky and weather elements like rain or snow falling if they were a factor.
Skid Marks and Debris
Skid marks can help show the movements of vehicles leading up to the collision. Take photos of any long tire track marks left on the pavement. Also photograph any debris like vehicle parts, broken glass, plastic, or metal pieces scattered around the crash area. Get shots of everything you see landed near all the vehicles.
Injuries
If anyone got injured in the crash, take photos of visible cuts, bleeding, swelling or bruising. Keep a respectful distance and don’t include faces. But make sure to capture injuries that were directly caused by the accident, like cut hands from airbags opening. This is especially important when it comes to justifying your claim when filing a claim or before a court of law – click here for more information about the best way to collect evidence to support your claim or lawsuit.
The License Plates
Take clear, close-up shots showing the state, plate numbers and any registration stickers. Also, photograph the entire back and front view of each car.
Helpful Tips for Using Your Phone’s Camera
Smartphones have excellent cameras these days, but you still want to capture the evidence at an accident scene the right way:
Do a Walkaround of the Scene First
Before simply snapping random photos, do a full 360° walk around the entire crash area first. Pay attention to everything around you. Look high, low, and on all sides. Get a mental picture. Note important evidence to focus on like debris fields, skid marks leading towards point of impact, any property damage, and all vehicle damage areas.
Document Right Away
Start taking photos as soon as possible while at the accident location. Important evidence could change quickly, so documenting things quickly is key. Plus, details will also be fresher in your mind very soon after the crash while your memory and senses are heightened.
Take Lots of Photos
Don’t be shy about taking tons of pictures!
It’s easy to delete extras later but important not to miss photographing something that could turn out to be useful evidence later. Take multiple angles and close-ups of damaged areas. Move yourself around and get shots from every side. Also, photograph reference points like street names and landmarks which will document the exact accident location.
Get Good Lighting
Try to take pictures with the sun or other light source at your back. This puts the best lighting on your photo’s subject while reducing shadowing. Change position around damaged areas and vehicles to put the light behind you as you snap shots from all important angles. If the light is getting too low, use your phone’s flash to properly expose the images.
Mark the Time
Phones automatically tag pictures with the exact time and date they were taken. But it can also help to manually note the time in photographs too. For example, you could snap a shot of your watch to record the exact post-crash time, or even say it out loud and capture that in a video. This further documents exactly when evidence was collected.
Take a Video Walkthrough
Video can provide helpful visual context that photographs lack. Consider taking a “video walkthrough” of the crash scene in addition to still shots. Start by slowly panning from a wide view, gradually getting closer while describing out loud what the camera sees. For example, note car models/makes, identifiers like license plates, overall damage areas, debris locations, skid marks, weather conditions, road surface qualities, etc.
Use Grid Lines
Turn on viewfinder grid lines to help align shots and give the best overall perspective of damage to vehicles/property. Grid lines divide space geometrically according to the “rule of thirds” – where items intersect along that grid is most pleasing to the eye.
What NOT to Do When Using Your Phone’s Camera
It’s just as important to know what you shouldn’t do when collecting photographic evidence at an accident scene:
Don’t Trespass
Never enter private property or climb over barriers to access any part of an accident site. This could possibly get you in legal trouble or contaminate evidence. Stay in public areas like roadsides.
Don’t Risk Your Safety
Be very careful walking on busy roads with moving traffic around the scene. Wear reflective gear if possible. Getting more photos is not worth endangering yourself or disrupting investigators assessing the situation.
Don’t Move Anything
Never move debris, vehicles, or anything else around the accident area.
Don’t Delete Photos
It can be tempting to delete shots that have bad lighting or angles, but don’t! Less “perfect” pictures can also contain little hidden details, so keep everything. Keep memory space in mind before photographing and don’t run out halfway through documentation.
Don’t Enhance or Edit Shots
Avoid using any filters, editing tools or enhancements on accident photos that alter them from their original look. Keep all images as originally captured to avoid credibility issues later. Let investigators examine the authentic materials only.
Should You Gather Any Other Evidence Beyond Photos/Video?
Photographs and videos are the most helpful pieces of physical evidence from an accident scene. But certain documents may also be important to gather right away:
Witness Contact Info
If there are any third-party eyewitnesses to the crash, ask for their full names and contact information including phone number and address. Also, make notes about where they viewed the accident from.
Police Report Number
When officers arrive to write up a crash report, be sure to get the record number they assign to the incident. This identifies the exact police report related to the accident later on.
Insurance Information
Take snapshots showing insurance card details for every driver involved. This proves they had active insurance policies at the time and starts a record of what coverage applies.
Driver’s Licenses
Similarly, photograph all licenses for the drivers in the accident. Make sure to capture the ID number, home address, license class (regular, CDL, etc), endorsements and expiration.
Storing Your Photos and Videos Securely
It’s extremely important to store evidence photos and videos in a very secure way immediately after gathering them so they stay safe and don’t get lost.
Here are good ways to keep your materials protected:
Backup Battery Packs
Bring along extra backup batteries and charging packs when driving. You may take lots of photos and videos which drains power quickly. Running out at a key moment could mean losing key evidence.
The Cloud
Back up everything into secured cloud storage immediately. Good platforms are Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, Dropbox, iCloud and Amazon Photos. Just be sure your account has super strong password protection enabled, including two-factor authentication if available.
External Drives
Keep a removable backup drive in your car to transfer phone images over to it occasionally. Store that drive in a very safe location like a home safe, bank safe deposit box or locked fireproof file cabinet. Only connect the external drive to trusted personal computers.
Tell Your Lawyer
Right after finding a good lawyer near you, you need to inform them that you have important photographic evidence to share. Follow their instructions about securely transferring materials to the law firm and filling out necessary evidence intake paperwork.
Final Thoughts
The evidence you collect after an accident could save you time, expenses, and the hassle of dealing with insurance companies and courts down the road. It may also support any insurance or legal claims if damages and liability questions arise from the crash.
So do your best not to panic, and act safely above all else at the scene, but also be strategic in utilizing your phone’s camera to your benefit. Follow protocols for getting good shots, recording helpful notes, and keeping all materials secured.
Treating evidence gathering seriously and being meticulous about it while at the accident site can have a huge impact later on.