When you are involved in a car accident, one of the most important tasks is to collect your evidence afterward to prepare your case. A major part of your evidence is pictures. Pictures can help you document damage, accurately depict the accident scene, show your injuries, and so on. The following are some things you need to know when you take pictures for your car accident claim:

How Many Pictures Should You Take?

When it comes to the number of pictures, there is no set number. Ideally, you should take as many as possible, particularly when it comes to scenes where you only have a limited time to access them. For example, take as many pictures of the accident scene as you can, since it will be cleaned up rather quickly. Take a lot of pictures of your injuries right after the accident. You will not get an accurate depiction if you wait too long. As you take pictures, take several shots of the same things from a variety of distances and angles to provide a clearer depiction of the circumstances of the accident.

What Should You Get Specific Pictures Of?

It is easy to say "get pictures of everything after an accident," but this may be confusing for some. You do not want to miss out on some of the most important information and evidence to support your case.

You need to take pictures of your vehicle from each side. Include pictures of both the damaged and the undamaged sides of the vehicle. You should also take pictures of your license plate and the license plate of the vehicle that hit you. If the inside of your vehicle has damage, take pictures of that as well.

You should take pictures of the scene of the accident. This includes traffic lights, road signs, broken debris in the road, skid marks from tires, and anything else that may be helpful. You should also document the weather. For example, if it is raining or foggy, try to get pictures of the conditions if you can.

What Else Should You Know?

There are some additional things you should know as you photograph evidence for your case. You should only use a flash if there is not enough natural light. The only time you should use a flash is to document detailed damage. The flash otherwise may distort the pictures and not paint an accurate picture of your evidence. Also, be sure each photo has a timestamp on it. Although your smartphone or tablet should do this automatically, double-check before you begin taking pictures. If you are using a digital camera, be sure to turn on the feature for time stamping.

For more tips, contact resources like Wolfe  Jones Wolfe Hancock Daniel & South LLC.