How Photos and Video Can Strengthen Your Car Accident Claim

Greenstein & Pittari, LLP | New York City Car Accident Lawyers

A serious car crash in New York City happens in an instant. The consequences can last months, years, or even the rest of your life. Medical treatment, lost wages, insurance calls, and constant pain can quickly feel overwhelming.

One simple step can make a significant difference in how your New York car accident claim is treated:

Could you take photos and video of the scene, the vehicles, and your injuries, if it is safe to do so?

At Greenstein & Pittari, LLP, our New York City car accident lawyers regularly use photos, video, and dashcam footage to prove fault, fight back against insurance companies, and maximize compensation for injured people throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, Staten Island, Yonkers, and Nassau County.

Injured in a NYC car accident?
Call 1-800-VICTIM2 (1-800-842-8462) now or contact us online for a free consultation with a New York City car accident lawyer.
You do not pay us unless we are successful.

Why Photos and Video Matter in a New York City Car Accident Claim

Insurance companies are trained to question you. You may hear things like:

• “Are you sure the light was green?”
• “Are you sure the other driver caused it?”
• “Your injuries do not match the damage to the car.”

Without visual evidence, you are often forced to rely on memory. Memory naturally fades and can be influenced by stress, trauma, and time. Insurance carriers try to exploit that.

Photos and video help your NYC car accident attorney:

• Preserve facts instead of impressions
• Show the real conditions at the time of the crash
• Support your version of events when the other driver changes their story
• Demonstrate the severity of the impact and your injuries

Clear visuals can be the difference between an unfairly low offer and a settlement that truly reflects your medical bills, lost income, and pain.

How Photos and Video Help Prove Fault Under New York Law

In every New York City car accident case, the key question is: Who was at fault? Under New York negligence law, the driver or parties who caused the crash can be held responsible for:

• Hospital bills and future medical care
• Lost wages and loss of earning capacity
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Property damage

New York uses a system called comparative negligence. That means your compensation can be reduced if the insurance company convinces a jury or claims adjuster that you were partly to blame. Good photographs and video make it much harder for them to shift fault onto you.

Visual evidence can show:

• How the vehicles were positioned right after the crash
• Skid marks, debris, and the path of travel
• Traffic lights, stop signs, lane markings, and crosswalks
• Obstructed or missing signs and dangerous road design
• Weather and lighting conditions at the time of impact
• Reckless or negligent conduct

• Speeding
• Tailgating
• Cell phone use or texting
• Unsafe lane changes
• Running a red light or stop sign

When a fault is disputed, photos and videos help turn a “word versus word” situation into a fact-based, visual explanation that supports your New York car accident claim.

Your Smartphone Is a Powerful Legal Tool

Most people in New York City carry a smartphone. That device is often one of the strongest tools your car accident lawyer can use in your case.

Smartphones usually record:

• Date
• Time
• GPS location

This digital fingerprint makes your images and recordings more reliable and harder for an insurance company to dismiss. Even a few seconds of shaky video can show:

• A driver running a red light on Atlantic Avenue or Queens Boulevard
• A vehicle speeding or failing to brake on the FDR Drive or Brooklyn-Queens Expressway
• A rideshare driver is looking at a phone instead of the road
• A blocked or malfunctioning traffic signal at a Manhattan intersection
• Dangerous conditions from unmarked construction, double-parked cars, or potholes

This kind of evidence can transform a contested New York City car accident case into a much clearer claim for liability and compensation.

What to Photograph or Record After a NYC Car Accident

If you are physically able and it is safe, try to document as much as possible before vehicles are moved if you cannot, ask a passenger, trusted bystander, or family member to help.

Your health comes first. Always call 911 and seek medical attention right away if you are injured.

1. The Accident Scene

Take both wide and close shots of:

• The overall scene on the street or highway
• Positions of all vehicles after the collision
• Traffic lights, stop signs, yield signs, one-way signs, and crosswalks
• Lane markings, turn lanes, bike lanes, bus lanes, and medians
• Road conditions

• Wet or icy pavement
• Potholes or broken asphalt
• Oil, gravel, or debris
• Weather conditions
• Rain, fog, snow, sun glare, or darkness

• Construction zones, lane closures, cones, scaffolding, or barriers
• Skid marks, shattered glass, car parts, and scattered belongings

Could you take several photos from different angles and distances so your New York City car accident lawyer can understand how the crash occurred?

2. Vehicle Damage

Please document all vehicles involved, not just your own. Capture:

• All sides of each car, SUV, taxi, truck, bus, or motorcycle
• Crumpled panels, dents, and crushed bumpers
• Broken headlights, taillights, windows, and mirrors
• Deployed airbags
• Tire damage or blowouts
• Interior damage such as fractured dashboards, bent steering wheels, damaged seats, or visible blood

Also, look for property damage in the area:

• Hit guardrails, lamp posts, fences, parked cars, or storefronts

Crash damage patterns often help accident reconstruction experts estimate speed, angle of impact, and force, which supports your New York car accident claim.

3. Your Injuries

If you can do so safely and without needing emergency care, could you take photographs of your injuries? Continue doing this throughout your recovery. Capture:

• Cuts, bruises, abrasions, and swelling
• Bandages, stitches, casts, splints, and surgical incisions
• Neck braces, slings, crutches, walkers, wheelchairs, or canes

Update your photos every few days or weeks as bruises change color, swelling increases or decreases, or scars develop. These images help show:

• How long were you in pain
• How your appearance changed
• How serious your injuries really were

Some injuries, such as concussions, herniated discs, spinal cord injuries, and internal organ damage, cannot be seen in a photo. That is why consistent medical care and diagnostic imaging are so critical. Together, your medical records and images can strongly support your New York personal injury case.

4. Key Identifying Information

To avoid losing important details, photograph:

• License plates of every involved vehicle
• Driver’s licenses
• Insurance cards
• Vehicle registration cards

Images are faster and more precise than writing information down in a stressful moment.

5. If You Only Have a Few Minutes

If you are being placed in an ambulance or the police need to clear the scene quickly, focus on:

1. Vehicle positions
2. Visible damage to each vehicle
3. Road conditions, skid marks, and debris
4. Any visible injuries

Even a handful of photos taken in a rush is far better than none.

How to Take Clear, Useful Photos and Video

You do not need to be a professional photographer. These simple steps can make your images more valuable to a New York City car accident attorney:

• Keep your hand steady. Brace your arm on a car, signpost, or guardrail.
• Use good lighting. Use your phone’s flash at night or in dim garages.
• Take wide shots for context, medium shots for each vehicle, and close-ups for specific damage or injuries.
• Take more photos than you think you need. You can delete extras later, but you cannot recreate the scene.
• Make sure your phone’s date, time, and GPS settings are accurate.
• Do not apply filters, crop, or edit your original images. If you want to mark something up, copy the file and edit the copy only.

If you are not sure whether a photo or video will help, keep it. Your lawyer can decide later what is useful.

Using Video as Powerful Evidence in NYC Car Accident Cases

Video is often one of the strongest forms of evidence in a New York car accident claim, especially in a city with so many cameras.

Video can:

• Show exactly how the crash unfolded in real time
• Capture the other driver speeding, weaving, tailgating, or running a red light
• Show whether brake lights were used
• Reveal dangerous lane changes, illegal U-turns, or sudden stops
• Record what you and others said immediately after the crash

Courts, juries, and claims adjusters often give significant weight to reliable video footage because it leaves less room for interpretation.

How to Record a Helpful Video

If it is safe to record:

1. Start with the big picture

1. Slowly pan across the entire scene
2. Include vehicles, road markings, traffic lights, and surrounding buildings
3. Narrate calmly

2. State the date, approximate time, and location
3. Describe the weather and road conditions
4. Briefly describe what you were doing before the crash and what you see now
5. Ask willing witnesses if they will speak briefly on video
6. A short, calm statement about what they saw may be stronger than a rushed handwritten note
7. Always put safety first
8. Do not stand in a traffic lane, argue with an angry driver, or endanger yourself to record video

Common Mistakes That Hurt New York Car Accident Claims

Many accident victims in New York unintentionally weaken their cases because they:

• Only take close-up photos and forget to capture the overall scene
• Forget to photograph road conditions, traffic signals, or signs
• Do not get pictures of license plates, insurance cards, or IDs
• Rely entirely on memory and do not document anything
• Fail to back up photos and lose them when a phone is lost or replaced
• Edit, filter, or crop original images
• Post accident photos or videos on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, or other social media

Insurance adjusters and defense lawyers scour social media looking for ways to attack your claim. The safest choice while your case is pending is to avoid posting about the accident or your physical condition.

Preserving Evidence So It Can Be Used in Court

For photos and videos to help your New York City car accident lawyer, they must be:

• Authentic: They accurately show what they claim to show
• Unaltered: The original files are intact, without filters, cropping, or enhancement
• Preserved: They are stored safely and not lost or corrupted

Good practices include:

• Keeping the original files on your phone until they are backed up
• Saving copies to a secure cloud account or external drive
• Emailing or securely sharing them with your attorney
• Keeping track of where your images are stored

Avoid:

• Deleting original files and only keeping screenshots
• Using “beauty” filters, color overlays, or heavy editing on the originals
• Posting your evidence publicly where it can be misinterpreted or taken out of context

Your lawyer can then use this clean, preserved evidence effectively during negotiations or in court.

What If You Could Not Take Photos or Video at the Scene

Many injured New Yorkers are unable to take pictures or record anything at the scene. You may have been:

• Taken away by ambulance
• In shock or unable to move
• On a highway, bridge, or tunnel where it was not safe to walk around
• Alone, without a passenger to help

Your case is not ruined. A strong New York City car accident claim can still be built using:

• Police reports and any photos taken by officers
• 911 recordings and dispatch logs
• Traffic camera and security camera footage
• Photos taken later by witnesses, tow yards, repair shops, or insurance adjusters
• Vehicle “black box” data
• Medical records, imaging studies, and expert testimony

At Greenstein & Pittari, LLP, we handle this investigation for you. You focus on medical care while we focus on gathering and preserving evidence.

How Greenstein & Pittari, LLP Uses Visual Evidence in NYC Car Accident Cases

We treat your photos and videos with the same attention to detail as accident reconstruction experts. When you hire our firm, we:

• Review every image and clip you provide
• Compare visuals to police reports, crash diagrams, and witness statements
• Analyze road design, signage, and visibility issues in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, Staten Island, or Long Island suburbs
• Coordinate with experts when necessary to reconstruct the crash
• Search for additional footage, such as dashcam, building surveillance, traffic cameras, or MTA recordings
• Use visual evidence to challenge “low impact” arguments and claims that you were partly at fault
• Prepare clear exhibits for negotiation, mediation, arbitration, or trial

Our job is to transform your evidence into a clear, persuasive story that demands full and fair compensation under New York personal injury law.

Do you have crash photos or video on your phone?
Call 1-800-VICTIM2 (1-800-842-8462) for a free case evaluation with a New York City car accident attorney.

FAQ: Photos, Video, and New York City Car Accident Claims

1. Do I need photos or video to have a valid car accident case in New York City?

No. You can still have a strong case without photos or video. Police reports, medical records, witness testimony, and expert analysis can all support your claim.

That said, visual evidence often makes your case stronger, harder to dispute, and more persuasive to an insurance company, judge, or jury. If you have any photos or recordings, bring them to your NYC car accident lawyer.

2. I was too injured to take pictures at the scene. Do you know if my claim is weaker?

Your health is the top priority. It is very common for seriously injured crash victims not to take any photos at the scene. You can still have a powerful claim.

Your attorney may obtain:

• Police photographs
• Traffic camera and surveillance footage
• Photos taken by tow yards, repair shops, or insurance appraisers
• Witness photos or videos
• Medical imaging and documentation

A skilled New York car accident lawyer can often reconstruct what happened even without your own pictures.

3. Can I use photos or videos taken by someone else?

Yes. Photos and videos from passengers, bystanders, nearby residents, other drivers, or local businesses can be essential.

If someone shares images or footage with you:

• Save the original files
• Ask for their full name and contact information if possible
• Send everything to your lawyer

Your attorney can handle permissions and follow up if that person is needed as a witness.

4. The damage to my car looks minor, but I am in severe pain. Do my photos still help?

Yes. Many severe neck, back, and joint injuries occur in crashes that do not look dramatic in photos. Insurance companies like to argue that “small damage means small injuries.” That is not always medically accurate.

Photos of your vehicle can help experts:

• Explain how the direction of impact caused your injury
• Connect visible damage to whiplash, joint injuries, or aggravated pre-existing conditions
• Demonstrate that even a “minor” impact involved significant force

Never assume your injuries do not matter just because the car does not look totaled.

5. How long should I keep photographing my injuries?

It is usually helpful to:

• Photograph visible injuries as soon as possible after the crash
• Take follow-up pictures every few days or once a week
• Continue until bruises resolve, scars mature, or your doctor says your condition has stabilized

Your New York personal injury lawyer may also suggest documenting key stages, such as before and after surgery, during physical therapy, or when you must use assistive devices.

6. Are smartphone photos and videos admissible in New York courts?

In most cases, yes. As long as the images:

• Are authentic and not altered
• Are relevant to the accident or your injuries
• Can be properly introduced through testimony

Smartphone photos and videos can be used as evidence in New York car accident trials and settlement negotiations. Your lawyer will handle the legal steps needed to admit them.

7. Should I send my photos directly to the insurance adjuster?

It is safer to speak with a lawyer first.

Once you send images to the insurance company, you lose control over how they are interpreted or used. Adjusters may:

• Focus on photos that seem to help them, not you
• Take images out of context
• Use them to argue that your injuries are not serious

Let your New York City car accident attorney review your photos and decide if, when, and how to release them strategically.

8. Can photos or video contradict the police report?

Yes, and sometimes they need to.

Police officers are human and may miss details, rely on incomplete statements, or make assumptions. Clear pictures or video can:

• Show that a sign was blocked or a signal malfunctioned
• Reveal skid marks or debris not mentioned in the report
• Demonstrate that vehicle positions were different than those described

Your attorney can use these visuals to challenge or clarify inaccuracies in the police report.

9. What if my photos are blurry or my video is shaky?

Could you not delete them? Even imperfect images can still be helpful. They may:

• Confirm weather, lighting, and traffic conditions
• Show approximate vehicle positions
• Capture sounds, comments, or admissions made at the scene
• Prove the date, time, and location of the crash

Your lawyer can review everything and decide how best to use it.

10. Can photos and video increase my settlement in a New York car accident case?

They often can. Strong visual evidence can:

• Make it more complicated for insurers to deny fault
• Support your claims of severe injuries and pain
• Reduce disputes about how the collision happened
• Strengthen your credibility if the other driver tells a different story

All of these factors increase your leverage in settlement negotiations and can lead to a higher recovery.

11. Is it legal to record at a crash scene in New York City?

Generally, you are allowed to photograph and film in public places in New York, including streets and sidewalks, as long as you do not interfere with police, paramedics, or firefighters and comply with all laws.

Audio recording may involve additional privacy rules, so it is usually better to focus on filming the scene, vehicles, and surroundings rather than recording every conversation.

12. When should I contact a New York City car accident lawyer about my photos or video?

Please let me know as soon as possible.

Early involvement allows your lawyer to:

• Move quickly to obtain traffic camera and security footage before it is overwritten
• Advise you on what to document as your injuries progress
• Protect you from common insurance company tactics
• Make sure your claim is filed within all New York legal deadlines

If you have already taken photos or video, or if you are not sure what to do next, speak with an experienced NYC car accident attorney right away.

Do Not Be a Victim Twice – Call 1-800-VICTIM2

At Greenstein & Pittari, LLP, we focus exclusively on personal injury law. Our New York City car accident attorneys have a proven track record of results, responsiveness, and relentless advocacy for crash victims.

Our firm motto says it clearly: “Don’t Be a Victim Twice.”

If you were injured in a car accident involving a reckless driver, a rideshare vehicle, a commercial truck, or an uninsured or underinsured motorist, you deserve a law firm that knows how to use evidence and is not afraid to fight.

Why Injured New Yorkers Choose Greenstein & Pittari, LLP

• Exclusive focus on personal injury and car accident claims
• Free consultations with an experienced NYC car accident lawyer
• Contingency fee representation

• You do not pay us unless we are successful
• This is our Fee Guarantee: No Fee Unless Successful

• Aggressive negotiation and litigation against insurance companies
• Personal, client-focused service and regular communication

Convenient New York Locations

We are proud to serve clients throughout New York City and the surrounding region, with offices in:

• Harlem
• Bronx
• Brooklyn
• Queens
• Staten Island
• Yonkers
• Nassau County

Wherever your accident happened in NYC or nearby, help is close and accessible.

Take the Next Step Toward Justice and Compensation

If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident in New York City, your photos and videos may be critical to your recovery. Even if you have no images, our team knows how to investigate, build, and fight for your case.

• The call is free
• The consultation is free
• You do not pay us unless we are successful

Do not be a victim twice.

You can call 1-800-VICTIM2 (1-800-842-8462) today or contact Greenstein & Pittari, LLP online to schedule your free consultation with a New York City car accident lawyer and take the first step toward the compensation and justice you deserve.