In any car accident case, you would need to prove negligence as a prerequisite to potentially receiving financial compensation for your injuries. Your car accident lawyer may gather evidence from a number of sources because you are the one who must meet your own burden of proof. Of course, eyewitness testimony may be a readily available and persuasive form of evidence for your case. You may also turn to other sources of proof if you want to supplement the evidence, or if you do not have witnesses or other things to help your case.
Dashcam evidence could be used to either help or undercut your case. You may have had a dashcam mounted in your own vehicle. Alternatively, another driver who was in the vicinity may have had one, and they captured footage of the crash. This footage could be used as a source of proof, either to present to the insurance company with your claim or to a jury with your lawsuit.
Dashcam Footage Can Be Used to Prove Negligence
Having actual footage of the crash can serve as persuasive evidence of what really happened. Assuming that the video evidence can be authenticated, it can be very difficult for the insurance company or a jury to reach a conclusion different from what they can see very clearly in front of them on video. Dashcam footage can be a primary source of proof of liability. It could also break a tie in your favor in what may be a close call. You could also use dashcam evidence to disprove any allegations made against you if the insurance company claims that you were partially to blame for the accident.
Dashcam footage can be a double-edged sword in a car accident case. There may be footage of your actions in the circumstances leading up to the accident. If you may have been partially to blame for the crash, it can be proven through the use of dashcam footage. If the camera captured your own actions, it can present difficulties for your case.
You Must Preserve All Dashcam Evidence
No matter what the footage may show, it is vital that you take steps to preserve it. If it comes out that you had a dashcam and you are found to have deleted the footage, you would have committed spoliation of evidence, and it could make your case very difficult. You may have adverse inferences drawn against you, and you could even be found liable for the accident.
Accordingly, you should take steps to preserve the evidence that you have as soon as possible after the accident. You may need to do this quickly before the footage gets overwritten, as some dashcams are programmed to do so over time. Make sure to make a copy of the footage and give it to your car accident lawyer for safekeeping as soon as you hire them.
If another party recorded the dashcam footage, it can still help your case. You may have received contact information from witnesses, and someone may have told you that they recorded the accident. Try to follow up with them as soon as possible after the crash and ask them to provide the footage. There is even a chance that your car accident lawyer could subpoena the footage if another party will not cooperate, but that is a long shot. Thus, you need to hire a car accident lawyer as soon as possible, while the evidence that can prove your case is still available to you.
Contact the Cherry Hill Car Accident Lawyers at Pressman, Doyle, Bloom, & York if You Have Been Injured in a Car Accident and Are Seeking Compensation
The Cherry Hill car accident lawyers at Pressman, Doyle, Bloom, & York will fight for your legal rights if you have been injured in a motor vehicle crash. For a free consultation, call us today at 856-843-8990 or submit our online form. With office locations in Milmont Park, Pennsylvania, and Cherry Hill, New Jersey, we proudly serve clients across New Jersey and Pennsylvania.