Clinton Car Crash Attorney Assists Injured Columbia Motorists Recover Compensation for Losses After a Collision
Listen to any South Carolina car accident lawyer describe the steps you need to take following a car accident and each attorney is likely to recommend that you “take pictures of the accident scene.” The fact that many attorneys indicate that you take this step should convince you of its importance, but the reason why this step is so crucial may not be readily apparent. After all, one might reasonably assume that South Carolina law enforcement officers who appear on scene will take pictures of the crash (and they usually do). Why, then, would you as an injury victim need to take your own pictures?
The Purposes of Pictures in a Myrtle Beach Car Crash
After a car crash, law enforcement officers are primarily concerned with attempting to discover how the accident occurred and who may be to blame for causing the crash so that criminal or administrative action can be taken against the at-fault driver. Law enforcement officers are not primarily concerned with the extent of your injuries or the total amount of harm you suffered as a result of the crash (to be certain, emergency responders will determine whether you need emergency medical care; however, they will not be concerned with preserving evidence of your injuries or the amount of expenses you will incur in having those injuries treated). Instead, documenting evidence of the extent of your injuries and losses falls primarily to you, the injury victim.
Taking Photographs of Your Charleston Car Crash May Also Serve as a “Failsafe” Measure
There is another benefit to taking your own photographs following your car crash: It provides you with another set of photographs in the event that any photographs taken by law enforcement officers are lost or are otherwise not available to you for use in your case. Not only this, but the photographs you take may provide a better view of the accident scene than the photographs taken by law enforcement. While not all photographs you take may be useful or beneficial in your car crash lawsuit, there is never such a thing as having too many photographs that are available for use by your South Carolina car crash lawyer.
Tips for Taking Good Photographs of Your Columbia Accident Scene
When taking photographs, keep the following tips in mind:
- First, make sure that you are using your own device or a device that you will have access to after the crash. There is nothing quite so frustrating for a car crash lawyer as having to track down the owner of the cellphone a victim used to take photographs of the accident scene and gain this person’s cooperation.
- Next, take various photographs of the scene. Wide-angle shots are ideal for photographs of the entire accident scene or for capturing where your vehicle and the other vehicle(s) involved ended up in relation to one another after the collision. Close-up shots are perfect for capturing damage done to the various parts of the vehicles involved as well as for injuries you suffered. Use both types of pictures to document the scene of the crash: the resting places of the vehicles involved, specific areas of damage to each of the vehicles involved, road signs or traffic control signals near the scene of the crash, weather and road conditions, and your injuries.
- Finally, make backup copies of all photographs you take in the event your camera device is lost, stolen, or experiences problems with its digital memory. You will never get another opportunity to take photographs of your accident scene, so you will want to take every precaution to ensure you have copies of your photographs available.
A Caveat: Do Not Take Pictures of Your South Carolina Car Accident If It is Unsafe to Do So
Always remain safe and do not jeopardize your health in order to take pictures of your crash scene. If taking photographs of the accident scene would require you to place yourself in harm’s way or could cause you to experience additional injury, do not attempt to take any pictures.
As soon as possible after your crash, contact your South Carolina car crash attorneys at Joye Law Firm. Our experienced legal team has nearly 250 years of combined litigation experience helping South Carolina car accident injury victims recover the compensation they need. Call our offices today, or use our firm’s online contact form to reach out and discuss your car accident details and your legal rights with us.
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