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When something happens at the scene, shoot the whole scene first, then the positions, and last the damage and injuries; don't delete the original photos and videos

  • High value
  • Evidence C
  • Saves money
  • Free
  • Takes minutes
  • No willpower

In plain words

If you shoot only a close-up of a scratch on a car or an object on the ground, a few days later no one knows where it was. First shoot a wide view that takes in the intersection, the house number, the cars, the people and the surroundings, then shoot how things sit relative to each other, and the details last. If you have to move something or a vehicle, shoot first whenever you can. Keep the original photos and videos on your phone, and don't keep only a copy that has passed through a chat app.

Cost

Free. Use your phone to shoot continuously for a few dozen seconds to a few minutes. Make sure you are safe first, and don't delay rescue and handling.

What you get

Article 66 of the Civil Procedure Law (民事诉讼法) lists physical evidence, audio-visual materials and electronic data as evidence. Article 14 of the Supreme People's Court's provisions on evidence lists pictures, audio and video as electronic data. Article 15 requires submitting the original of electronic data, and a video submitted as evidence must be given on its original carrier. Photos and video can preserve the scene as it is, before it changes, and be matched against police records, repair records, medical records and witness accounts. The order "whole scene, positions, details" is practical experience and not provided by law (China)

Notes

The beneficiary is you and your family. This is graded C because the shooting order is only experience, and the legal provisions only say that photos and videos can serve as evidence and the original must be submitted. If someone is hurt, or there is fire, a gas leak or other danger, rescue and get away first, and don't let photographing delay it. For what to do at the scene of a traffic accident, see §8.1 (stop, help the injured and call the police after a traffic accident).

Evidence grade
C : The author's experience or common practice, without direct literature.
Sources
  1. 全国人大常委会 (2023 年修正，2024 年 1 月 1 日施行). 民事诉讼法（第六十六条）. 上海市发展和改革委员会转载全文 https://fgw.sh.gov.cn/ys-syjf-zc-2.4.1-h5/20240408/073febdb2b04464390546232d4089f51.html
  2. 最高人民法院 (2019 年修正). 关于民事诉讼证据的若干规定（第十四、十五条）. https://www.court.gov.cn/zixun/xiangqing/212721.html

Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 8, tip 42. This section describes legal rules, mostly mainland China’s. It is general information, not legal advice; for your own case, talk to a lawyer. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer