personal injury suffered in a hospital

Posted on: 22 October 2018

If you are in a traffic accident, your smartphone can become a valuable tool. Naturally, you need to ask if anybody needs medical assistance, so your first priority will be an emergency 911 call if needed. Many accidents, however, only result in property damage, or if there are injuries, they consist of minor cuts and bruises. If this is the case, you need to begin using your smartphone to document what happened. The following are among the most important things you should do.

1. Take pictures of the damage to each vehicle

Make sure you get photos of all sides of each vehicle, so the damaged areas of the car are easy to see and understand. Take photos that include the entire car as well as a close up of the damage. This type of information can be critical because property damage has a way of multiplying when insurance claims are involved. If someone is filing a claim against your policy, your insurance provider will appreciate this information. If possible, try to include the license plate in at least one photo, so there is no debate over whose car it is.

2. Take pictures of critical documents

There are only two absolutely critical copies of information and the driver's license and insurance card that they are required to carry. Although you can write down this information, it is often a good idea to take a photo of them as well. Make sure to take a photo of both sides of the license and insurance cards. If a driver claims not to have the insurance card, let any police officer on the scene know this. Not having an insurance card could easily mean the vehicle is being driven without insurance.

3. Take pictures of any injuries

You don't want to be intrusive about this, but anything that is obvious will be easy to photograph. And other drivers or passengers will likely want a photo of any injuries as well. Ask someone else to take a photo of any injuries you may have. This way, the pictures will be better than anything you will be able to take yourself.

4. Record video of drivers and passengers after the accident

You are only looking to get a sense of how injured someone may be. Many injuries are internal, so they won't show up in a photo. However, if someone is walking after the accident without any problem and later they are in a wheelchair, this may be suspicious to an insurance company. You can also use your smartphone to record statements from witnesses, but don't expect everyone to want to be recorded.

The more you are able to use your smartphone after an accident, the better a car accident attorney will be able to help you or your insurance company can defend you.