The pics, obtained by TMZ, show where the 'Real Housewives' star swerved off the road in Potomac, MD -- leaving lots of skids and torn-up grass before slamming into a tree ... taking a big chunk of the bark with her. We've confirmed these were taken at the specific location mentioned in the court docket that laid out all of Karen's charges and traffic violations.

The photos and video we got give a clear indication of how serious the wreck was -- honing in on the point of contact where Karen went off the roadway -- which she says she did to avoid an oncoming car -- this after having a very emotional dinner with a friend of hers.

Police however tell a different tale ... with Montgomery County PD now offering another update on what they say went down after Karen had her accident.

As we reported ... cops had told us Karen hit the median and a street sign late Tuesday night while driving her 2017 Maserati -- and we're now told a security guard in the neighborhood saw the whole thing and called the police.

A MCPD rep says fire rescue and police officers responded to the call with an ambulance ... but, police say Huger refused to go to the hospital or be evaluated.

We're told KH was then taken into custody and transported to a district station ... with police telling us she was actually arrested and cited for DUI that evening ... but wasn't booked into their jail. Instead, they tell us she was released to her husband, Raymond.

Karen was also cited for other traffic violations before being released.

Huger hasn't addressed the DUI/DWI charges yet ... the only thing she mentioned to us Wednesday was a car going straight for her while she was driving ... which she says caused her to swerve to dodge it -- explaining she miraculously walked away without injuries.