Documenting the scene of a car accident can help make sure you aren’t held responsible for an accident that wasn’t your fault.
When you are in a car accident in Missouri, the party who is responsible for paying for any damages and injuries is the driver, or drivers, who are deemed negligent.
Missouri is a comparative negligence state, which means that it might be possible for more than one, or, in some instances, multiple drivers to be held liable in an auto accident depending on what their “portion” of negligence in the accident was.
What Is Negligence?
Negligence is a legal term that states that whoever acts in such a way to cause the accident is responsible for paying for their portion. It might also be that someone fails to respond when it is appropriate and that failure to act, is directly responsible for the accident happening.
There are accidents where the fault of an individual or individuals is easy to determine. If someone receives a ticket for running a red light and hits another car, it is usually straightforward who is negligent. However, there are also times when determining who is at-fault is not so simple.
The best way to make sure that you aren’t left holding the liability bag for an accident that wasn’t your fault is to make sure to document everything to prove what role, if any, you played in an accident.
Why Photos Are so Important
Not many people think about taking pictures at the scene of a car accident, but they are a critical part of lending credence to the claims that the parties in an accident assert. By showing the aftermath of a crash, it can sometimes be apparent who’s story is most accurate.
How to Take the Best Photos
It isn’t always enough to take pictures of a car involved in the accident. Although the police report will help to support your case, it is an excellent idea to film:
- Different views and perspectives of the accident scene. Make sure to get photos from different angles, so that a judge and jury can see the full extent of the car accident
- Get all cars that were involved in the crash. If there are multiple cars and one sped off out of sight, make sure to include it too, even if it didn’t directly hit your car. You will want to make sure to get all automobiles involved
- Signs and traffic lights. It is important to show the positioning of the street signs and lights to prove whether or not they were obscured or in plain sight. If someone claims they didn’t see a sign, you will want to provide evidence that either they did or they didn’t see it due to the placement of the sign
- Weather conditions. Weather conditions can severely impact someone’s ability to control their car. If there was a rainstorm that made things more difficult to see or ice that made the roads slippery, then those are all things you will want to document on film
If you are in an accident, it is an excellent idea to be proactive about recording the events of what happened both before and after. You will be glad that you recorded the events if fault comes into question. To help your St. Louis car accident lawyer defend you to the best of their ability, be sure to document everything you experienced in the car accident carefully.
