A Picture’s Worth

Shortly after Maria had a near fatal car accident with a cow that had wandered onto the road at night, the farmer who owned the cow removed the old fence and installed a new one.  The farmer claimed that the old fence was adequate to contain his cows and he simply upgraded to a newer electrified fence to be even more cautious.Unfortunately for the farmer, Maria’s family had taken pictures of the old fence at the scene of the accident.  The pictures showed a deteriorated stretch of fencing that was barely knee high and overgrown with weeds.  Many posts were missing or rotted through.In Maria’s case, her sons’ pictures provided the necessary evidence to show the farmer’s insurance carrier the true condition of the fence and establish the negligence of their insured.In another case, a very young girl suffered a broken collarbone in a car accident.  Months later, she still had a highly visible bump on her collarbone where the bones were unevenly healing together.  Her parents had taken pictures of her bruises and cuts after the accident and also of the continuing visible signs of her injuries.Although the child’s medical bills were very small, the insurance carrier paid out the policy limits based primarily on the pictures the parents had taken.With high quality cameras in practically every cell phone, it is easy to create a photographic record following an accident.   It is important to take pictures of the scene of an accident, especially if the accident occurred in a store or other business where the scene will be immediately cleaned up and changed.  It is also important to take pictures of any bruises, cuts, or burns that are caused by the accident.Pictures of the scene of an accident can solidify a case in your favor when the other side disputes liability by saying it did nothing wrong.  Pictures can also vividly tell the story of your pain and recovery in a way that words cannot.