Should I Take Photos or Videos of the Accident Scene?

After an accident, you should follow the direction of emergency personnel. Your priority is to stay safe. Once you’re certain that the accident scene is secure and you aren’t in any danger, you can begin documenting the scene.

You probably feel a little upset, uncertain and uneasy following a car accident. While you might not feel injured at the moment, adrenaline might be helping you avoid feeling the full extent of your injuries to provide you a surge of energy to get through the aftermath of the accident.

Photos and videos of the accident scene will help your Virginia car accident attorney prove your case. So once emergency personnel allow you to, you should capture visual evidence of the scene. Here’s a guide to what you should take photos and videos of post-accident.

What to Take Photos of After a Virginia Car Accident

Experiencing a car accident is generally something that individuals deal with rarely. As such, it’s challenging to remember what to do after an accident. Take a moment to gather your thoughts and then review this list of photos to capture after the accident.

• Damage to the vehicles
• Images of the road and road conditions
• Street signs
• Traffic signals
• The area surrounding the accident scene
• Weather conditions
• Pedestrian distractions
• Scenery
• Nearby advertisements
• Broken glass
• Skid marks
• Property damage 
• Physical injuries

These images will help your attorney recreate the accident scene to evaluate who was at fault. The emergency personnel will evaluate this information at the time of the accident as well. But having photos that show the scene exactly how it was at the time of the accident will help demonstrate these conditions during settlement negotiations or in the courtroom.

Take more photos than you think you’ll need. You can always place a copy of them on a thumb drive to share with your attorney.

When Video Evidence of an Accident Scene Can Be Helpful

Photos are the primary form of evidence from an accident scene. But videos can help an attorney understand the relationship between photos and set the entire scene.

Some accidents are complicated and involve a large accident area. Or they take place at complicated intersections that require more than a simple image to demonstrate how and where the accident took place.

Additionally, capturing a full video of the scene can help you catalog information you might not realize is important. Again, after the accident, you might feel a little overwhelmed and unsure of what happens next. Shooting a video from every angle of the scene can allow your attorney and the courts to zoom in where they need to for gathering additional details.

What Role Do Photos and Videos Play in Car Accident Cases?

Photos help preserve evidence that will otherwise be cleaned up and removed after the accident. The images become crucial pieces of evidence in your case and can aid you in pursuing damages against the at-fault party.

Damages you can pursue from the at-fault party after a car accident include:

• Medical care for injuries resulting from the car accident
• Future medical expenses
• Lost wages
• Diminished earning capacity
• Pain and suffering

The images will corroborate your story, the testimony of any witnesses, and the evidence from expert witnesses, such as your medical provider.

Following a car accident, you should seek counsel from an attorney as soon as possible. Geoff McDonald & Associates offers a free consultation to get to know you, review your evidence and offer advice on the best next steps in your case. Schedule your consultation now to get started.