Documenting the damage

Ok, the collision is over, now what? If you are like most people you will want to get the car repaired as soon as possible. All you can think of is to get a tow truck and get the car to a repair shop. Unfortunely by doing only this you will have denied an investigator the best chance of determining how the collision happened, how fast the cars were going, fault, direction of travel and liability. Police don't always document the scene well. Rarely do they take pictures. That falls on you. As soon as possible take pictures of the cars while still on the road. Take picture of the road way, where gouge marks were, the length of skid marks, the specific damage to the cars, the insides of the cars, condition of the occupants, and where the cars came to rest. Film in this digital age is cheap so take as many pictures from as many differnt angles as possible. You never know when one of the pictures will reveal something important to an investigator or accident reconstructionist. Its too late after the car has been handled by the tow truck operator or repaired at the shop. Investigators are not brought in until days or week later and by then the evidence will be gone.