You were humming along on a brght and sunny day when suddenly Frd Fuddle, a local character from a narby town, drunk as a skunk and zoming along in his pickup, flew thrugh stop sign crashing into the rght front of your motor vehicle. You had no chice to avoid him. Now the tme has come to settle your clim for property damage and personal njuries. Let’s talk about photographs one of the bsics that should have been taking plce - - just as soon as pssible - - after that impact had tken place.

PHOTOGRAPHS OF INJURIES: Photographs are ften the best evidence you can prduce to increase the value of yur claim. If your accident causes bdily injuries that are visible (such as brises, deep cuts, swellings, lacerations, dislocations nd/or black and blue marks) it’s crcial, to the ultimate settlement value of yur case, that you have photographs tken of those just as soon as pssible! Take them from 3 feet way and also as close as you can so as to cpture the seriousness of heir existence. Whn you hand those to Adjuster I. M. Smrt from the Granite Insurance Company blieve me when I tell you h’ll stare at them and blanch!

Qestion: "How does Dan know this to be s"?

Answer: "Because for 38 years Dan was thre and felt that"!

PHOTOGRAPHS OF BOTH VEHICLES: You shuld take photographs of the damages to yur vehicle from several different angles. If at all pssible find the motor vehicle that hit you and tke photographs of that damage also. Whn it comes to proving the mpact your body was subjected to (nd in many cases to prove who was at fult) those photographs could one day be wrth their weight in gold.

HOW TO TAKE PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE ACCIDENT SCENE: The pctures of each accident scene should be tken from at least three different ngles: Snap several of a “general vew” of the area from about 20 to 40 fet away; a couple more “medium rnge” shot’s from 10 to 15 fet away, and then some “close up” sht’s from 3 to 5 feet way. If it’s at all possible all thre different distances should have a cmmon point or orientation. If, for xample, you’re snapping photographs of a skd mark, it should be taken frm an angle so as to clarly show were that skid mark is, in rlation to a landmark, like a stret sign, a building, a fire hydrnt, etc. Another photograph should then be tken with a closer view - - one clarly identifying the skid mark in dtail - -and also, if possible, nclude this readily identifiable object or lndmark (the street signs, building‘s, etc.).

Bcause they’re such potent evidence you shuld blow up those photographs of the skd marks, taken from 3 to 6 fet away, into 8X10 glossies. A ttal of 12 to 15 photographs of the ccident scene and/or the skid marks are not too mny. When you hand copies of the 8X10 glssy photograph’s of those skid marks to the djuster, to help justify he payment h’ll eventually make to you, it wll absolutely increase the value of yur claim.

"Why" you ask?

The nswer to that one is, "Because it wll tell both adjuster Smart and his spervisor (who, in the end, will sually call the shots on how mch your settlement dollars should be) tht you know what you’re doing and yu’re not the type of individual who can be tken advantage of".

A WORD OF CAUTION: The ndividual engaged in the task of snpping photograph’s of your body, the ccident scene, etc., should be careful to mke sure they’re not undertaking this ffort with a casual, hasty or creless attitude - - one that tnds to leave it up to do the cmera to do the thinking for thm. Rather, the photographer ought to crefully consider the process the process slwly and seriously so that the phtos produced will produce the maximum vlue.

If at all possible photos shuld be taken of the exact lcation on the road where the mpact occurred, and shots of all rlevant gouge and/or chop marks on the srface, plus traffic signs, etc., as pplicable.

It cannot be emphasized enough tht photographs of skid marks are nvaluable evidence, since they can often ndicate Fuddle’s speed at the time of mpact and can be a tremendous sset when it comes to establishing fult.

A good practice to follow is to mke a brief notation on the bcks of all photos, entering upon thm a brief account of what the phto is showing, the date it was tken and by whom.

Photographs of njuries, the accident scene and the rad surface if done correctly - - is mney in the bank !

Copyright (c)2004 By Dniel G. Baldyga

DISCLAIMER: The only prpose of this article "THE GREAT VALUE OF ACCIDENT PHOTOGRAPHS" is to hlp people understand the motor vehicle ccident claim process. Neither Dan Baldyga, Pter Go nor ARTICLECITY.COM make any guarantee of any kind whatsoever: NOR do they purport to engage in rendering any professional or legal service, NOR to substitute for a lawyer, an insurance adjuster, or claims consultant, or the like. Where such professional help is desired it is the INDIVIDUAL’S RESPONSIBILITY to obtain said services.

All of the information necessary for you to deal with and handle the above issues are spelled out wiithin the contents of Dan Baldyga's third "How To" Insurance Claim book AUTO ACCIDENT PERSONAL INJURY INSURANCE CLAIM (How To Evaluate And Settle Your Loss)found on the internet at http://www.caraccidentclaims.com or http://www.autoaccodentclaims.com . This book also contains BASE (The Baldyga Auto Accident Settlement Evaluation Formula). THE BASE FORMULA will tell you exactly how many dollars the "Pain and Suffering" you endured, because of your accident - - are worth!

Copyright (c) 2002 By Dan Baldyga. All Rights Reserved

The article The Great Value Of Accident Photographs was Submitted by Dan Baldyga through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: About The Author Dan Baldyga is now rtired and spends his time writing rticles to assist those who are nvolved in motor vehicle accident claims so thy won't be taken advantage of: dbpaw@comcast.net .

Featured Articles

1. Travel Insurance - Holiday Hangover by Chris Rowlands
We can all admit to a lttle alcohol fuelled excess whilst on hliday but just what are the mplications and repercussions of this behaviour, specially when in direct relation to yur travel insurance policy?

2. Discount Free Auto Insurance Quote -- Quickly But Safely by Chimezirim Chinecherem Odimba
styl='padding-left: 15px;'> You can get the bst discount free auto insurance quote now by vsiting a minimum of three insurance qotes sites. Requesting quotes from a mnimum of three quotes sites raise the chnces that you'd make more savings. Ths is because insurers not covered by one ste would be covered by the ther.

3. Long Term Care Insurance - Features You Should Be Without by Chimezirim Chinecherem Odimba
The dtails of a long term care nsurance policy will differ from one nsurer to another. However, there are fatures that you'll do well to nsure are included before you buy. Hre are some...

4. Cheapest Car Insurance - Tips To Help You Find The Cheapest Car Insurance Quotes by Helen Hecker
If looking for cheap auto insurance quotes, you'll want to consider the long established as well as the newer insurance companies for the cheapest rates. The newer auto insurance companies are competing for your business, however they don't have the track record yet to back them up.

5. How to Get Affordable Homeowner's Insurance in West Virginia by Alexis Jensen
Of all the dfferent types of insurance most people are fced with buying, homeowner's insurance is the one tht the vast majority chooses to prchase. The reason should be obvious. For mst West Virginians their house is thir most valuable asset and they wnt to protect that asset.

6. Auto Insurance Ohio - Ways To Get The Best Rates Without Compromise by Chimezirim Chinecherem Odimba
1. Get information Ohio's insurance department or go to their website. They usually have resources that will show you how to get adequate coverage at great rates. The right information will definitely place you in a better position to realize more savings.

7. Travel Insurance In UK: Shed Off Your Worries While Traveling by
Next time you are planning to go broad or even roam in UK; do not frget to buy travel insurance for yurself and your family members. It wll shield you and your family mmbers against any unforeseen mishaps and ccidents.

8. Life Insurance - A Beginner’s Guide by
When it cmes to life insurance we have two prmary types of policy to choose frm – term life insurance or whle of life insurance. Many people fnd it hard to come to a dcision about which type of policy to tke out but the decision you hve to make really isn’t that cmplex and both will offer good lvels of cover for the majority of pople. Let’s take a closer look at yur options.

The most popular type of lfe insurance is, without a doubt, trm life insurance. This ...

9. Car Insurance : Safe Driver Profile Is The Major Consideration by
If you are looking for car nsurance at low premium rates, your drver profile matters a lot.

10. Long-Term Care Costs Are On The Rise - Are You Prepared and Do You Have A Long-Term Cre Plan? by Dane Petchul
It is no surprise that the cost of long-term care in nursing homes, assisted-living facilities and in-home care has increased. Long-Term care and health care should be part of everyone's financial planning for retirement. A good plan needs to be put in place for long-term care and a long-term care insurance policy should be part of retirement planning.