What Photos to Take After a Car Accident

The photos to take after a car accident fall into five groups: the vehicles, the scene, the road, the people, and the paperwork. Most people get the first group and stop. The claim usually turns on the other four. A photograph of your crumpled bumper proves your bumper was crumpled. A photograph of the other car’s position in the intersection, the traffic signal, and the skid marks proves who ran the light. Take the photos before anything moves, if it’s safe, and take more than you think you need.

Group one: both vehicles, from every angle

Shoot all four sides of each car, then close-ups of every point of damage. Include the license plates in at least one frame per car. Photograph the interior if airbags deployed or anything broke inside. Get the odometer and the dashboard warning lights. Capture pre-existing damage on the other car too, since it will be blamed on the crash otherwise. If a car has a dashcam, photograph it so the footage can be requested later.

Group two: the scene before it changes

Before the cars are moved, photograph where they came to rest relative to each other and to the road. Step back far enough to show the whole layout. Then photograph the debris field, glass, fluids, and any parts on the pavement. Debris tells a reconstructionist where the impact happened. Once the tow truck sweeps it, that information is gone.

Group three: the road, the signs, and the conditions

Photograph traffic signals, stop signs, yield signs, lane markings, and any obstruction that blocked a view. Shoot from each driver’s approach so the images show what each could see. Photograph skid marks with something for scale, and follow them back to where they start. Capture weather, lighting, standing water, construction, and potholes. If the sun was in someone’s eyes, photograph the sun’s position.

Group four: the people and their injuries

Photograph visible injuries at the scene and again over the following days as bruising develops. Photograph the other driver, their passengers, and any witnesses, with their consent where practical, so they can be identified later. If the other driver appears impaired, note it and photograph anything visible like open containers. Don’t stage anything and don’t provoke anyone. The camera is there to record, not to argue.

Group five: the paperwork that proves who was there

Photograph the other driver’s license, registration, and insurance card rather than copying numbers by hand. Do the same with any commercial vehicle’s DOT number and company name. Photograph the responding officer’s name and badge number, the police report number if given, and the tow company’s information. These are the details that fill in a claim form and the ones people most often get wrong from memory.

What to do with the photos to take after a car accident

Back them up the same day. Phones get lost and photos get deleted. Don’t edit or filter them, because altered images invite a dispute about authenticity. Keep the originals with their metadata, which records the time and location. Don’t post them online. Provide them to your own insurer and your lawyer. The other driver’s insurer will ask; you’re not required to send them anything before you’ve decided how to handle the claim.

The bottom line

The photos to take after a car accident are the ones that will be impossible to take an hour later: the positions, the debris, the signals, the witnesses. The damage to your car will still be there tomorrow. The evidence of how it happened won’t. A thorough set of photos doesn’t win a claim on its own, but a missing set is often what loses one.

Keep reading: Truck accident evidence · Evidence spoliation in personal injury cases · What to do after a car accident in Phoenix

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This article is general information about accident documentation and evidence and is not legal advice. Laws differ by state and change over time, and the facts of your situation matter. For guidance on your own circumstances, consult a licensed attorney in your state.