If you have been in an accident, the first thing to do is to make sure that you and anyone else involved are safe and to seek medical attention immediately. However, it is also very important to document your accident for any future claims you may make. It is easy to forget when you are in the moment, but it is important to document any information about the injury and the responsible party when it comes time to file an insurance claim. Make sure to document the following if you are ever involved in an accident:
Pictures
One of the easiest ways that you can document your injury is to take pictures of everything! You can never have enough pictures of the scene of the accident or your injuries. Leave no stone unturned — or unphotographed.
If you were in a car accident, make sure to get pictures of every vehicle involved in the accident, including all of the damage from multiple angles and the license plates. If you can, take a picture of the other driver(s) as well. If the other driver(s) will let you, take a picture of their insurance cards and driver’s licenses.
If you are involved in a slip and fall or workplace accident, make sure to get photos of whatever caused your injury. Make sure to take photos of any other dangers or negligence nearby. If you can, take pictures of every employee you encounter including their name tags. If the property owner will let you, take a picture of any incident or accident reports that are completed. If it is a home, and if the homeowner will let you, take a photo of their homeowner’s insurance policy.
If you were attacked by an animal, make sure to get a picture of the animal that attacked you. Take several pictures of your surroundings showing where you were. If you can, take a picture of the animal’s home, including the street and house number if it is a pet. If the owner of the animal will let you, take a picture of their homeowner’s insurance policy and any paperwork they have for their animal.
For all cases, make sure to get photos of your injuries. Try to get photos of anyone else’s injuries if you can.
The best time to take pictures is immediately after your injury. Photos from right after the accident will be the most compelling. However, many people are not able to take pictures right away, especially if their injuries are severe or if their cell phone was damaged in the accident. If you are not able to take pictures, ask someone to take them for you, and send an email or text them to yourself. If you can, try to follow up soon after the injury and take your own photos. Do not trust that the responsible party will take good photos that will help your case.
Video
In some instances, your injury may have been caught on camera. In many situations, the video footage will belong to someone else. Don’t be shy about asking to have a copy of the footage, or to at least look at it for yourself — the worst they can do is say no!
If you are involved in a slip and fall or workplace accident, ask if the property owner will let you have a copy of the security footage, but don’t be surprised if they say no. You can also ask if they will let you view the footage — if they say yes, and if they let you, you can take of video of the footage yourself using your phone. If you were outside, there may be other cameras that caught the injury. Make sure to ask around at any other nearby homes or businesses that may have a camera that looks out onto the street and see if they will let you have a copy of the security footage.
If you were in a car accident, check to see if any of the cars have cameras. Nowadays, more cars have on-board cameras, and many drivers have dashboard cameras for recording accidents. If your car has an on-board camera, do everything you can to get the footage. Depending on where the accident happened, there may be other cameras that caught the accident, such as a nearby home or business. Ask around at any homes or businesses that may have a camera that looks out onto the street and see if they will let you have a copy of the security footage. Make sure to also check with the city to see if there were any public security cameras near the accident and ask if you can have a copy of the footage.
If you were attacked by an animal, check to see if there may have been a camera nearby that caught the attack. If it was at a home, ask the homeowner if they have any security cameras and if you can have a copy of the footage. If it was in a public space, ask around at any nearby homes or businesses that may have a camera that caught the attack and see if they will let you have a copy of the security footage. Make sure to also check with the city to see if there were any public security cameras near the accident and ask if you can have a copy of the footage.
Information about the Responsible Party
It is critical that you have as much information as possible about the responsible party — your attorney can’t sue anyone if they don’t know who is to blame!
If you were in a car accident, make sure to get the name of the responsible driver and the name of their insurance carrier. Make sure to write down their license plate number as well. If they will let you, you should write down their driver’s license number, phone number, email address, home address, date of birth, auto insurance policy number, and vehicle’s VIN. Ask them if they own the vehicle, and if not, get as much information as you can about the vehicle’s owner.
If you were in a slip and fall or workplace accident, make sure to get the names and contact information for any employees you encounter, including any managers present. Make sure to ask for the property owner’s insurance information, including the name of their insurance carrier, a phone number, and their policy number. Make sure to get as much information as you can about whatever caused your injury. If they will let you, you should get a copy of any incident or accident reports that are completed.
If you were attacked by an animal, and you know who owns the animal, get as much information as you can from the owner. Make sure to get the owner’s name and home address, phone number, email address, and their homeowner’s insurance carrier and policy number. Get as much information as you can about the animal, including the animal’s name, breed, age, and vaccine status. Ask the owner if the animal has a history of aggression or if they have ever attacked anyone else, but don’t expect an honest answer.
Witnesses
If anyone witnessed the accident, make sure to get their contact information as well, including their name, phone number, email address, and home address. Ask them about what they saw and if they would be willing to testify about it if needed. If you can, get a recording or a written statement from any witnesses stating what they saw.
Police
If the police investigated the accident, make sure to get as much information from them as possible. Make sure to get the name and badge number of all officers that respond to the scene, as well as any incident or crash report numbers. If the responsible party won’t talk to you, ask the police if they can give you any information regarding the responsible party, such as their name, contact information, and insurance information. If a report was filed, make sure to follow up with the police to get a copy of the report.
So, to summarize:
- Take pictures of everything
- Get copies of any camera footage
- Get contact information from the responsible party
- Get the contact information for the responsible party’s insurance
- Get contact information from all witnesses
- Get copies of any incident reports or police reports
Follow up with an attorney
After you have completed documenting your accident, make sure to follow up with an attorney, like a personal injury lawyer from a law firm like Brandy Austin Law Firm, PLLC, who can review your documentation. Thoroughly documenting your accident will help your attorney to determine the best path forward for pursuing your claim.