Photographs of the damage to the vehicles involved and of your injuries can play an outsize importance in how your case is resolved. This is what you need to know
Photos of Vehicles
Obviously, if the damage to either car is extensive, this can be helpful in getting your case settled on favorable terms. Therefore, we recommend that when this is the case that you get several photos of the vehicles involved if at all possible.
However, when there is less readily visible damage to the vehicles, you should be more careful about how photos are handled.
Many of the main-line auto carriers have what are known as MIST (Minor Impact, Soft Tissue) units. When your case is assigned to a MIST unit, the odds of getting a fair settlement is minimal. The main trigger for a case being sent to the MIST unit is a low dollar figure for the amount of property damage to the vehicle.
It is our belief that when you submit photos of a car showing minimal property damage to the on-line property damage adjustment portals that many insurance carriers have, you will get an artificially low estimate of the property damage. This in turn increases the likelihood of your case being sent to the MIST unit which in turn decreases the chances of you being treated fairly.
When the photos do not show much damage, we recommend that you take your car to an independent body shop of your choosing to get your own estimate and evaluation of the amount of the property damage because a trained body shop estimator will be better able to accurately assess the full extent of the damage to your vehicle, especially when it is not readily apparent through photographs.
Photos of Injuries
If you have visible injuries – cuts, bruises, abrasions, swelling, and the like – we strongly recommend that you take photos of your injuries.
There are a number of reasons that these photos will be helpful. They help show the full extent of your injuries and the violence of the accident you were in. Just as importantly, we know that most insurance carriers place an outsize importance on so-called “objective injuries” that can be seen and this tends to drive up the value of settlements, especially since many doctors do a poor job of documenting injuries which are not of immediate concern to them.
When you take photos of your injuries, you should be as modest as possible – no inappropriate exposure of your self. You want to get a perspective shot taken from further away so that people know what they are looking at and that the photo is of you. Photos should be taken in good lighting conditions so that things can be seen clearly. Finally, if a flash is used, you want to be careful that the flash is not aimed directly at the subject of your photo as that can “wash out” some of the detail that may otherwise be shown there.
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We are happy to discuss your case and understanding how the evidence can and should be gathered to maximize the outcome of your case. Please call us at (312) 263-1080 for your free, no-obligation consultation.
