An Accident Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Taking accident pictures should be automatic these days. No matter what other evidence you collect, not much can say more than a photo of the accident scene. It's one of the easiest ways to convince an insurance adjuster of what actually happened. Also, in case of a serious accident, a few dramatic photos can greatly improve your chances of collecting punitive damages.

Photos are helpful in almost all forms of accidents. If you slipped or tripped on something, you can preserve the dangerous setting in a photograph. It's one thing to say there was a spill on the floor, but to show how drastic it was in an accident picture is much more powerful. If the spill was more subtle a picture can still help because it'll show how hard it was for you to see it and avoid it - helping clear you of negligence.

A more common situation where pictures come in handy is in a car accident. Car accident photos can be an essential part of your case. The pictures will show how the accident actually happened and how the damages were caused. Your accident pictures could clear you of fault if the other person decides to file a claim against you.

Accident photos can also reveal details you didn't notice when you were at the scene. That'll help you later to recreate things in words. It's easy to argue against a written statement, but it's hard to argue against a photograph. At the very least, photos will impress the insurance adjuster by showing that you're organized and prepared.

Accident pictures aren't always easy to come by. Accident scenes are usually cleaned up pretty quickly. If you don't have a camera with you, you might be out of luck. One thing to remember is that nowadays almost all cell phones come with a built-in camera. So, if a camera phone is all you have, use it.

When processing your claim without the aid of a photo, drawing a picture of the accident can be an advantage. In fact, you might come across an accident form (usually given out by your insurance company) that actually asks you to draw an accident picture. This is a great way to express something that's often difficult to put into words.