How Dashcam Footage Can Impact a Car Accident Case
Few inventions have changed the world of auto insurance like the dashcam. Available with a range of features, quality levels, and storage options, dashcams provide undeniable proof about what really happens before, during, and after a car accident.
If you’ve been in a car accident and you or the other party has a dashcam, you might wonder how this will affect your claim. A lot depends on who has the dashcam, who’s really at fault for the accident, and how clear the footage is.
You have several options available to you when you’re involved in an accident in Alabama. We can help you explore all of them. Call Hedge Copeland at 251-432-8844 to schedule a consultation with our team now.
Location Matters
The location of the dashcam matters. While a camera at the front or back of the car can support your retelling of an accident, it is best to have clear footage of the crash itself.
For example, imagine you are rear-ended by someone at a stoplight. When the police arrive, they say that you were actually backing up to change lanes and you caused the crash. A dashcam on your front dashboard could show that you weren’t moving backward at the time of the crash, so that could strengthen your claim.
It would be even better to have a dashcam at the back of your vehicle to show the other car striking you. however. For that reason, a growing number of people now have dashcams in both locations.
Prompt Recovery of Footage
The quality of your footage doesn’t matter if you don’t recover it in time. This is true whether the footage is in your car or the other driver’s car. Many dashcams save the footage for a set amount of time before automatically deleting it to save space on the cloud or the physical drive for new footage. If you do not back it up during the available timeframe, it may be lost forever.
If the other driver has a dashcam and you believe their footage could help your claim, you’re in an even more precarious situation. When they realize they’re in possession of footage that hurts their case, they will rush to delete it if they haven’t been ordered to save it by an attorney or their insurance company. That’s one reason you need to contact a car accident attorney as soon as possible after being hurt in an accident as they can ensure that important evidence is preserved.
The Dashcam Favors No One
Above all, remember that the dashcam has no loyalty. The footage on your own dashcam can sell you out just as easily as footage from another driver’s dashcam. That’s why it’s extremely important to tell nothing but the truth to the police when they respond to the scene of an accident.
Lying to an officer can land you in serious legal trouble and hurt your insurance claim. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use dashcam footage in your claim. Just be ready for whatever the dashcam might show.
If it captures you talking on the phone in the 30 seconds before the accident, that could hurt your claim and show that you contributed to the crash. If you are speeding or driving erratically in the footage leading up to the crash, that could also harm your case.
Using Dashcam Footage to Your Advantage
How do you use dashcam footage to help your personal injury case? First of all, you want to make the footage available to your attorney. Video footage can go either way in a personal injury claim, and your attorney will know what to look for in the footage and how to use it.
It’s especially important to let your attorney know right away if the other driver has a dashcam. This gives them the chance to get a copy of the footage before it gets deleted. If the dashcam footage is from your car, make a physical backup and a cloud backup.
Get Your Injury Claim Started with Hedge Copeland
Car accidents can leave you with mental trauma, physical injuries, and financial issues. If the accident was not your fault, you can hire the team at Hedge Copeland and fight for the compensation you are owed. Take the first step and set up a consultation now. You can fill out our online contact form or call us at 251-432-8844 to get started.
