It’s true: a picture is worth a thousand words. When seeking compensation for your injuries after a car accident, a picture could be worth thousands towards your settlement! Visual evidence, such as photographs and videos, can increase the value of your personal injury claim after a car accident. An experienced car accident attorney in Orlando, FL, like Brett M. Bressler, can help determine how the pictures from your accident could impact your case. Here’s how pictures can affect the compensation you’re entitled to if you’ve been injured in a car accident.
Show Accident Severity
Reports, eyewitness accounts, and oral statements can only go so far when determining the accident’s severity. Pictures and videos are the only way to truthfully show the physical damage the accident caused. Pictures often tell a more compelling story than scans and medical reports.f
In one particular case, our car accident attorney in Orlando, FL, utilized a client’s accident photos to triple the value of her case. Our client was in an auto accident caused by another driver. In addition to suffering new injuries, the force of the accident aggravated her pre-existing injuries. She faced the challenge of proving which injuries were caused by the accident, as she had similar medical records before and after the accident. Once our client sent us pictures of the accident and the severity of the impact, they provided the excellent proof we needed to convince the insurance company to pay three times what it had previously offered.
Support Official Accident Report
Insurance companies try to find inconsistencies and inaccuracies in accident narratives to pay as little as possible for the accident claim. They may speculate that your injuries aren’t as serious as you claim or that your account of the accident is inaccurate. Having pictures of the accident scene immediately after it happened will help prove how the events unfolded and who was at fault.
Preserve the Accident Scene
Taking pictures of the accident scene as soon as possible forever freezes the moment and conditions in which the accident occurred. Even minutes after the accident, weather, traffic, and debris can change, impacting how the accident is perceived. As time progresses, physical evidence can be altered further. Even the simple act of trimming a tree could affect an investigation into the accident. Taking a picture within minutes of the accident assures you preserve the scene as much as possible and can help you prove the factors that led to the accident.
Prove Property Damage
Pictures can help you show how the accident impacted the surrounding area, such as damaging landscaping, trees, signs, or local businesses. It can also help account for additional damages you may want compensation for, such as personal belongings that were damaged or that you could not recover due to the accident damage.
Build an Accurate Timeline
Pictures can help build an accurate timeline of the events leading up to the accident. Ensure your photos are timestamped to prevent an insurance company from arguing that the damage happened before the accident. Include pictures of your car’s appearance before the accident, which can also help show the contrast before and after the accident.
What Pictures Should be Taken?
When photographing the accident scene, you should follow a few guidelines. First, avoid cropping, editing, or altering the accident photos in any way—including adding a filter to them. You want original, unedited versions to help prove your case. Here are the types of pictures you should take after an accident:
Vehicle Damage
Pictures of vehicle damage are the most valuable. Photograph all the vehicles involved in the accident, providing close-up and long-distance angles. Showing car damage helps experts determine details about the accident, such as speed, distractions, and whether a driver acted recklessly. Don’t forget to take pictures of your car’s interior. The car’s interior can show the placement of deployed airbags, damage to the electronic equipment, and damage to personal belongings.
Accident Scene
In addition to car damage, you’ll also want to take pictures of the entire accident scene. This includes road conditions, landmarks, traffic signs and signals, nearby trees, and buildings. Take photos from about 10 to 20 feet away for a full scope of the accident scene. This will help provide context of where and how the accident took place.
Your Injuries
Take a picture of your injuries immediately after the accident and every few days throughout your recovery. This will show your healing process and indicate how long it took to recuperate fully.
Road Conditions
Getting pictures of the road conditions may help determine the factors that led to the accident and what caused it. Even seemingly unimportant elements such as broken glass on the ground or skid marks can help determine what happened and who’s at fault. For instance, skid marks indicate how fast the cars involved were going before the crash and whether they attempted to brake or swerve to avoid the accident.
Brett M. Bressler: Car Accident Attorney in Orlando, FL
Our Orlando car accident attorney can help increase the value of your case by using photo evidence to prove the circumstances surrounding your accident and the injuries you suffered. Our firm has a successful history of using photographs to increase claim values and fight against false claims from insurance companies. Call us today at 407-599-2002 for a free case evaluation and see how we can help you get the compensation you’re entitled to for your accident.
