Short Answer

Preserve original photographs of the scene, vehicles, visible injuries, damaged property, and recovery over time, along with medical records, diagnostic images, wage documents, witness information, and insurance correspondence. Act quickly because surveillance video, vehicle data, physical marks, and witness memories may disappear. In North Carolina, evidence concerning your own conduct is also important because contributory negligence may be raised as a defense.

Which Photographs Should You Keep?

Photographs can help connect the collision, your injuries, and your losses. Keep the original digital files rather than only screenshots, printed copies, or images downloaded from social media. Original files may contain dates and other information showing when and how the photographs were created.

The collision scene

If photographs can be taken safely, useful scene images may include:

• The overall roadway and location from several directions.
• Traffic signals, signs, lane markings, crosswalks, and nearby entrances.
• Sightlines from the direction each person or vehicle approached.
• Skid marks, debris, fluid, damaged barriers, and marks on the road.
• Lighting, weather, construction, vegetation, or other visibility conditions.
• Nearby businesses, homes, buses, or traffic cameras that may have recorded the event.

Conditions can change quickly. Debris gets cleared, marks fade, construction moves, and vegetation may be trimmed. If you return later, record the date and do not suggest that later photographs show conditions exactly as they appeared at the time of the collision.

The vehicles and damaged property

Keep wide and close photographs of every involved vehicle, the points of impact, license plates, interior damage, deployed airbags, and damaged personal property. Preserve repair estimates, total-loss documents, towing records, and storage information. Do not repair, dispose of, or allow important property to be destroyed before it has been adequately documented when inspection may be necessary.

Injuries and physical changes

Photograph visible injuries at reasonable intervals, including bruising, swelling, wounds, surgical sites, and scars. Use consistent lighting when possible, take both full-area and close views, and record the date. Do not alter images, use filters, exaggerate limitations, or recreate an event.

Images should supplement—not replace—medical documentation. Keep records and bills from each provider, visit summaries, written work restrictions, operative records, diagnostic imaging reports, and copies of the actual imaging files when available. Documentation concerning a planned procedure should come from the treating provider rather than from an estimate made by the injured person.

Other Evidence That May Support a Durham Injury Claim

Time-sensitive collision evidence

Some evidence may be controlled by someone else and may not be kept for long. Potential examples include:

• Business or residential surveillance recordings.
• Dash-camera, traffic-camera, or body-camera footage.
• 911 recordings and dispatch records.
• The investigating officer's photographs, measurements, diagrams, and notes.
• Vehicle event-data, airbag-module information, and onboard diagnostic data.
• Maintenance and inspection records when vehicle condition may be disputed.

A written preservation request may be needed before a business, vehicle owner, insurer, or another party deletes or changes evidence. Vehicle data should be handled through an appropriate inspection process; an injured person should not access, move, or alter another person's vehicle or electronic systems.

Witness and identity information

Save the names, telephone numbers, email addresses, and brief identifying details of witnesses. Preserve the crash report, citations, photographs exchanged at the scene, and communications with the driver or vehicle owner. Witness memories can become less precise over time, so early identification matters.

When the driver did not own the vehicle, keep separate information for the driver and owner. Useful records may include the vehicle registration, insurance cards, claim numbers, coverage letters, and communications concerning who had permission to use the vehicle. These documents do not establish that coverage exists, but they may help identify which policies and facts require review.

Medical and daily-impact records

Keep medical bills, payment records, explanation-of-benefits forms, prescription receipts, travel receipts, and written instructions from providers. A simple dated journal may also record symptoms, missed activities, assistance received, and the practical effect of the injuries. Entries should be accurate and should not speculate about diagnoses or future medical outcomes.

Family members or coworkers may be able to describe specific changes they personally observed, such as assistance with daily tasks or changes in work duties. Save their contact information rather than asking them to embellish what happened.

Lost income and overtime

A lost-wage claim is stronger when it is supported by employer records rather than only the injured person's calculation. Preserve:

• Pay stubs from before and after the collision.
• Time sheets, attendance records, and payroll summaries.
• Tax forms and other reliable income records.
• Written work restrictions and return-to-work documents.
• An employer statement confirming dates missed, wage rate, hours, and unpaid leave.
• Records showing a regular history of overtime when overtime loss is claimed.

If a wage form contains an error, do not quietly edit or replace it. Preserve the original, identify the mistake in writing, explain the corrected calculation, and submit supporting payroll or employer records. A clear correction usually creates a better record than allowing inconsistent figures to remain unexplained.

Why Evidence About Fault Matters in North Carolina

North Carolina permits contributory negligence as a defense. If the defense proves that the injured person's own negligence helped cause the injury, it can create serious problems for the claim. Under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1-139, the party raising contributory negligence generally has the burden of proving it.

For that reason, preserve evidence showing both what the driver did and why the injured person's actions were reasonable. Scene photographs, signal timing, sightlines, clothing, witness accounts, video, and phone records may become important if conduct is disputed.

How This Applies Here

Where a person was struck by a vehicle and suffered head, leg, shoulder, and arm injuries requiring surgery, the existing photographs and imaging should be backed up without changing their filenames or contents. Operative records, imaging reports and files, follow-up records, bills, work restrictions, and documentation of the additional planned procedure should also be organized by date.

Because the driver was not the vehicle owner, preserve information about both people, the vehicle, permission to drive, all known policies, and every coverage communication. While coverage is being verified, do not assume the investigation will protect legal deadlines.

The wage-calculation error should be addressed promptly with a corrected employer-supported statement. Regular pay and overtime should be listed separately and supported with historical payroll records showing whether overtime was actually worked with reasonable consistency.

Preserve Evidence Without Creating New Problems

1. Back up original files in at least two secure locations.
2. Keep unedited originals even if you create labeled working copies.
3. Do not delete texts, emails, call logs, posts, or photographs related to the event.
4. Avoid posting about the collision, injuries, activities, or claim on social media.
5. Keep a dated log of insurer communications and save every letter or email.
6. Do not sign broad releases or discard damaged items without understanding the effect.
7. Ask promptly whether formal preservation notices should be sent to people or businesses holding video, vehicles, or electronic data.

Many North Carolina personal injury actions are subject to a three-year filing period under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1-52, although the correct deadline depends on the claim and circumstances. Insurance discussions and coverage verification do not automatically extend the time for filing a lawsuit.

When Wallace Pierce Law May Be Able to Help

Wallace Pierce Law may help identify missing evidence, organize medical and wage documentation, request available reports, and determine whether preservation notices should be sent for video, vehicle data, or other records. The firm may also review the corrected wage calculation and communications involving the driver, vehicle owner, and insurers without assuming that a particular policy applies.

An early review can help separate evidence you already control from evidence that may require a prompt request. No review can guarantee that evidence remains available or determine the outcome of a claim.

Talk to a Personal Injury Attorney in Durham

If your question involves injuries, insurance, fault, medical documentation, settlement paperwork, or a possible deadline, speaking with a licensed North Carolina attorney can help clarify your options. Call 919-313-2737 to discuss what happened and what steps may make sense next.

Disclaimer: This article provides general information about North Carolina personal injury law based on the single question stated above. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. It is not medical advice, tax advice, or insurance policy interpretation. Laws, procedures, and local practice can change and may vary by county. If there may be a deadline, act promptly and speak with a licensed North Carolina attorney.