When it comes to a motor vehicle accident, a smartphone is often thought to be the enemy; the very reason for the circumstances. These devices aren't all bad. In the moments after an accident, your smartphone can prove to be a valuable tool, if you know how to use it.
Capture Images
Your smartphone is a great tool for capturing images after an accident. You can use your phone to take pictures of important things like any visible injuries you might have and damage to any of the vehicles involved in the incident. However, you can also use it to capture other images that you deem to be important.
For instance, if you hit a car because there was shrub protruding out into the road, obstructing your view, having an image of this can prove to be valuable when arguing fault and negligence.
Collect Contact Information
It doesn't matter how small of an accident you are involved in; your nerves will be on edge. Accidents happen when you least expect it, sending even the calmest person into a bit of panic. In this state, it's easy to suffer from wobbly-hand syndrome and write down some information incorrectly or even forget to ask important information about the driver.
When you have your smartphone, you can easily capture an image of their license plate, driver's license, insurance information and any other pertinent documents. Just make sure you save them to your cloud so that in the event something happens to your phone, these images will be protected.
Record Witness Testimony
In the days and weeks after an accident, it is not unheard of for people to forget exactly what happened. Your smartphone can offer you help with combating this problem. If you have some witnesses, ask them if they mind recording a brief statement about what they saw. You can then make a memo of their contact information.
If you want, you can also record your own statement about what you remember. Once you've collected this information, keep it to yourself. If you're contacted by the other party's insurance or legal representation before you retain your own attorney, don't mention these recordings. Allow your attorney to view these recordings first to see if they should just be used as a personal reference or as evidence.
Whatever you do, don't use your smartphone while driving. However, if you're involved in an accident, don't overlook this valuable tool for collecting data.
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