Often times the ability to bring a successful bodily injury claim against the person responsible for an injured officer’s accident and injuries depends upon key facts and evidence. The person injured, who witnessed what happened and experiences the injury, figures that everyone will view the accident and understand the severity of his or her injuries as he or she does. Unfortunately, judges, jurors and especially insurance companies have vastly different perspectives.

Police officers injured at work can take a few simple steps at the time of their accident to enhance their chances of a positive outcome on a claim. [Many times the severity of an injury is not readily apparent and even a few days later the opportunity to collect vital evidence has past.

A picture is worth a thousand words:
Photographs are the key to proving a case, with respect to both who is responsible and the extent of the injuries sustained, whether it is a motor vehicle, motorcycle and premises trip and fall accident. Consider carrying a “throw-a-way” camera in your cruiser. The camera can be used to photograph skid marks that will soon fade or road defects such as sand or slippery liquid substances that may not be there in a day or two, or the position of the vehicles after a collision to show that the other driver crossed the double yellow line.

Photos can also show property damage to both the cruiser and other vehicles. Since cruisers are designed to absorb the impact with little visible damage, photographs of the other vehicle depicting extensive damage can help show the impact was much harder than appears by merely looking at the damage to the cruiser alone. Photos of the cruiser while at the mechanic on a lift show hidden damage to the frame or under carriage. And always remember to photograph your injuries and clothing when damaged.

Other situations to use photographs:
Photographs are even more important for premises slip or trip and fall cases. Broken steps and railings should be photographed right after the accident before they are fixed. Take pictures of dark porches, hallways or stairwells, as well as burnt out light bulbs which caused you to trip and fall. If you slip and fall on ice, take photos not only of the ice, but also of the surrounding area to show that the ice formed by an unnatural means, such as from melting snow on a roof with no gutter or a broken drain pipe.

These are just a handful of situations where photographs can be the difference in a case. Remember that even in the most routine accidents, you must still prove your case.