Pretty much everyone with a driver’s license these days has some form of a smartphone. With these devices, we can surf the internet, check our email and use GPS to navigate around town in addition to sending text messages and making phone calls. But what you may not have guessed is that your smartphone has all the tools you need for documenting important information and gathering evidence at the scene following your car accident.
After a car accident, your vehicle may very well be a mess with debris and glass all over the place, items dumped all over the inside of your car and maybe your drink has even spilled everywhere. Not to mention, you may be in shock, stressed and even agitated. Under these circumstances, you probably cannot locate a pen and/or paper, you’re frazzled and need to figure out what to do next. First, take a deep breath and check to make sure you and your passengers are okay. Then, grab your smartphone.
Use the camera and video camera functions of your phone to your advantage. Snap pictures of your car and the other driver’s car. Try to get a picture of both cars together in a single frame, preferable including any landmarks at the scene. Take a picture of the debris in the road and its proximity to the vehicles. In fact, with a video, you can capture all of these things in one shot. These pictures and/or video(s) can be great evidence of the damages caused by the accident as well as what happened in or caused the accident itself. They will also help with reconstructing the accident if that needs to be done in the future.
Furthermore, you can use your smartphone’s recording function to document important information and testimony. After an accident, you should always exchange your contact and insurance information with other drivers involved. When talking with these individuals, press the record button, state the date and time, and say that you cannot find pen or paper and then ask them if you can record the conversation. Ask them to state their name, contact information, driver’s license number and insurance information. Then, ask them if they caused the accident, if they think they were at fault or if they think you did anything wrong. You will be more likely to elicit helpful information at the scene of the accident, then later after the other driver(s) has spoken to their insurance company and/or lawyer and the story begins to change.
All of the information and evidence you can gather on your smartphone will be necessary and extremely useful when dealing with the insurance company and attempting to obtain damages caused by the car accident.
You should always hire a personal injury attorney that knows the law in your jurisdiction to handle your car accident case. The experienced personal injury attorneys at Murphy & Garner, LLC, offer free consultations to all injured people and their families. Our attorneys will evaluate your case, and let you know what your legal options are – whether that means a negotiated settlement or a personal injury lawsuit.
Call us today for a free consultation at 678-563-1584, or visit us online
