Memphis Injury Law Blog : Memphis Personal Injury Lawyer & Attorney : James Ferrell Law Firm : Tennessee, Mississippi

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If you have been in a car accident one of the best pieces of evidence that you can obtain is pictures of the wreck! These photos are very often the most substantial proof of the damage that occurred in the accident. Photos can help prove that you were innocent and that the other person was at fault. They can also help increase the value of your personal injury claim.

A well-taken photo of an accident scene can do the following:

1.      Helps show details of the accident that may not have been initially noticed.

2.      Give an accurate depiction of the accident scene as it was immediately after the wreck occurred. There is no doubting what the scene looked like. You have an image of it frozen in time.

3.      Pictures are powerful! They show want you want to be seen and do so much better than you ever could by testifying to a jury.

4.      Pictures can’t be denied. It’s impossible for the insurance adjuster or defendant to deny what happened when you have a picture of it.

5.      Photos always impress adjusters. They show the adjuster that you mean business and are not going away.

If you, or someone else that you know, can take pictures of the accident scene immediately after the car wreck always do so. If photos can’t be taken immediately then come back as soon as possible and take them. You should try to take the pictures at roughly the same time of day as when the accident occurs in order to get the most accurate depiction possible.

What should you take pictures of? Anything and everything that you feel is important. But make sure to snap pics of any skid marks, hidden traffic signs, damage to your vehicle and etc. Get a good overall picture of the accident scene taken from 30-40 feet away so that the adjuster and your lawyer can have a good view of the scene. Then step in about half that distance to get a closer view, and finally take close up shots of the damage both cars and any property that might have been damaged.

If you aren’t sure on how many to take just snap away! The more pictures that we have to choose from the better it will be to help make your case. If you choose to handle your claim on your own you should immediately develop the photos. If you choose to have our law firm handle your case just bring us your camera’s memory card and we’ll download everything for you.

Remember, car wrecks can be very life changing. Many times you aren’t fully aware of the damage done to either you or your vehicle for many weeks or even months. Be sure to document everything you can as soon as the accident occurs. This will help you have a stronger case and a better chance at a fair recovery!

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Because we are a personal injury and car wreck law firm we got hundreds of calls a year asking about situations in which people where involved in some type of car accident. We don't always have time to answere these questions on the phone due to our current caseload so here on the Memphis Injury Law Blog I'll try to answer some of our most frequently asked questions.

Question: I was in a small accident where my car crashed into someone else's car while we were both in a parking lot. There wasn't much damage to either of our cars and noone in the other car seemed to be hurt. I don't want to report the accident and have my car insurance rates go up. Do you recommend just settling with the other drive and not reporting this to my insurance company?

Answer: It might be tempting to just attempt to settle everything on your own and not report this to your insurance company, especially if this isn't your first accident. But NOT reporting the accident to your insurance company could be a really BAD idea.

We all make mistakes. And each of us pays an insurance premium, in part, so that we don't have to deal with the headach of the mistake and claim ourself. If you don't report the claim immediately what could happen is that in a few months the guy you hit might find out that his injuries were much worse than both of you previously thought, and his back is still hurting. Because you didn't report the claim to your insurance company you're going to be defending the claim all by yourself.

If you had reported this to your insurance company months ago then his claim would have been handled by your insurance company.  But if it has been months since the insurance and you never notified your insurance company then they are probably going to deny the claim because of "late notice." (Insurance policies typically require you to give "prompt notice" of any claim.  Not notifying them because you were scared your premiums would go up is not a valid reason to not report the claim.)

Now you're stuck with a claim that you're going to have to pay for, and that you're going to have to personally hire a lawyer to defend. If you would have reported the claim to begin with none of this would have happened.

Bottom Line: Report the claim.