Building a Car Accident Case: Photographs and Damage Reports

It's a common saying - "A picture says a thousand words!" You can talk about your car accident all day, but you've got to take photos of any and all vehicle damage to make your point. Describing a horrific accident is fine, but showing an insurance adjuster your unrecognizable, now totaled vehicle goes much further to persuading an adjuster to pay more than a minimal offer. Sometimes, if you show someone a picture of a car accident, they cringe. The reason they cringe is because they "feel" the accident simply by looking at the car damage. It's a very easy way to get someone to empathize with your accident.

Get Photographs of All Involved

However, beyond simply taking photos of your car, you must try to take pictures of all the vehicles involved in the accident. Many times, the damage to your car may not seem that bad but the damage to the vehicle at fault is tremendous. Well, if you only show people the relatively slight damage to your vehicle, they won't understand the severity of the impact until they see the damage to the other vehicle.

Even Cell Phone Cameras Work

If you don't have a camera with you at the scene of an accident, don't forget that many cell phones have the ability to take pictures. If you call a family member or friend to the scene of the accident, ask them to bring a digital camera to the scene and take lots of pictures. You can't have too many photos. If they don't have a camera, ask them to buy a cheap camera from a local store on their way to the scene.

Damage Estimate to Establish Impact

On an ancillary note, I always encourage my clients to obtain a property damage estimate for their vehicle....even if it's obviously a total loss. The reason is that it's important to review exactly what parts of the vehicle were damaged in the accident. Sometimes, damage photos don't really show the whole story, but an itemized property damage estimate can reveal much more. One of the most important things I look for when reviewing a property damage estimate is whether or not there was any frame damage to the vehicle. If an accident can bend a car frame, imagine what effect it can have on the human body.

Capture Injuries

Finally, with respect to photos, please take pictures of any injuries you might have. Again, you can talk about scrapes, cuts and bruises all day but you've got to document your injuries by taking photos of them so you can make sure people really understand what you've been through. Remember that you have to persuade an insurance adjuster of your injuries. If you show people your injuries, they can better understand the extent of your injuries. Also, remember to take pictures of the injuries once per week to show the progression of your injuries.

You Need Evidence for a Strong Personal Injury Case

The point of this article is that you must document your injuries and damages with photos. I cannot overstate how important it is to proving your personal injury case. If you need a personal injury lawyer in Southern California, please call my office for a free consultation at 661-414-7100.

From the author: Santa Clarita, CA Car Accident Attorney

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