Using Your Smart Phone at the Accident Scene

by Personal Injury Attorney Mark Wolfe, mark@bfw-lawyers.com

After you have notified authorities of the accident you can use your smart phone to document important details about the accident. This information can be critical and is often not adequately captured by a simple written accident report.

Photograph the Following at the Scene: -Property damage, including interior photos of deployed airbags or other interior damage such as structural damage to a seat. Take lots of photos from multiple angles.smartphone image – Other driver’s proof of insurance card, registration and driver’s license. This is much easier than trying write down the information! – The accident scene including where the vehicles ended up after the collision and any skid marks or road gouge marks. Also, if there is a traffic sign such as a stop sign that is important, i.e., the other driver ran a stop sign, get a photo or two of it also. – Take photos of your injuries.

Video the Following at the Scene: – Video statements from witnesses. Make sure they give their full name, address and telephone number in addition to stating what they observed. If they are camera shy, ask them if they’ll at least give you a recorded statement via the audio recorder on your phone. – If a traffic light is part of the accident scene, you may want to video the sequence of the traffic light to show it was functioning correctly. – If the other driver is acting strange or suspicious at the scene or you suspect they have been drinking or under the influence, you may want to capture video of them at the scene. WARNING: Use good judgment with this suggestion. You do not want to elevate an already stressful situation into a confrontation with the other driver.

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Alabama Rule of Professional Conduct 7.2: No representation is made that the quality of legal service to be performed is greater than the services provided by other lawyers. The Mississippi Supreme Court advises that a decision on legal services is important and should not be based solely on advertisements. Free background information is available upon request to a Mississippi attorney. The listing of any area of practice by a Mississippi attorney does not indicate any certification of expertise therein. See Mississippi Rules of Professional Conduct Rule 7.2(d), Rule 7.4(a), Rule 7.6(a) (1997). General Disclaimer: This information is posted for general information purposes to help those interested parties or persons with potential civil claims better understand their rights and potential causes of action. If readers are currently represented by an attorney on the subject matter of this post then they are encouraged to continue with said representation. No attorney-client relationship is established by this post.