How to Take Truck Accident Photos to Use as Evidence in Your Claim

Truck accidents often lead to severe, sometimes fatal, injuries that devastate victims and their families. In just one year, 4,119 people died in large truck crashes in the United States alone. Although the trucking industry is essential to our transportation of goods, these trucks often weigh 20-30 times as much as the average passenger vehicle. With their heavier weight and higher ground clearance, passenger cars are left vulnerable when sharing the roadways with the colossal trucks. Photos that document the scene of the crash could help demonstrate another driver’s fault if you need to file a personal injury claim for your damages.

Tips for Taking Evidence Photos of Truck Accidents

Evidence is one of the most important components when presenting a claim, and truck accidents are no exception. In order for truck accident victims or their grieving families to take legal action, evidence will need to be collected to build a case. One of the best ways to start gathering evidence is to take photos at the scene.

• Take as many photos as possible. Every piece of evidence you can gather is important, so the scene of an accident is not the time to worry about your phone’s storage capabilities. Take photos of everything you can think of, and don’t worry about going overboard.
• Thoroughly document any damages. All vehicles involved in the accident will need to be photographed, including your own. Multiple photos of each vehicle, along with closeups of the damages, will need to be taken. Just remember that your safety comes first and to never put yourself in harm’s way to take a photo.
• Photograph vehicle and driver information. Instead of writing down any license plate numbers, employee badges, or license information, try snapping a photo. Taking clear pictures of these documents is quicker than writing and allows you to obtain all of the information provided on the card, plate, or report, including any ID photos.
• Document traffic signs or signals. Photograph all traffic signs or signals around the site of the accident. Do not put your safety at risk to do this. If any signage is facing away from you or hard to document from where you are, just take a photo of the back of the sign, and your lawyer can identify it later if needed.
• Record the entire scene and surrounding vicinity. Photos of the bigger picture will help recreate what happened during the crash. Information like weather and road conditions, skid marks, and other details like glass and other debris are extremely helpful in determining any possible contributing factors in a truck accident.
• Keep your evidence safe. Your truck crash evidence photos are incredibly valuable, so make sure they remain protected during the process. Do not delete any pictures or post them on social media. Store the photos in more than one place, like an external hard drive or cloud storage, and only share them with your attorney.

If you wait until clean-up crews arrive, valuable evidence could be lost, so it is imperative that you do your best to photograph the scene and any damages as soon as you are safely able to do so. Accidents are distressing, and emotions tend to run high, so be sure not to cause any confrontations while you are taking photos of the scene.