If you are someone who has been injured in a car accident due to another motorist’s negligence, you are within your rights to take legal action against that party to seek monetary compensation for your damages. However, before you can collect compensation for your losses stemming from the accident, you must satisfy the burden of proof. Essentially, you must prove that the other party’s negligence directly caused your damages. Therefore, it is critical to gather pertinent evidence that supports your claim. This may include photographs of the scene of the accident, witness statements, and even dashcam footage. In today’s society, a significant amount of motorists drive with a dashcam that captures anything that comes within their field of vision on the road. Keep reading to learn how dashcam footage can benefit your car accident case and discover how our trusted Santa Clara County Car Accident Attorneys can help you today.
How can a dashcam impact a car accident case in California?
Firstly, a dashcam is a small video camera motorists mount on a dashboard or windshield. This tiny camera can capture video footage of anything that comes within its range of vision. Essentially, it can record what happens on the road while a motorist is driving. Dashcams have been used by law enforcement agencies for decades to record events such as traffic stops. However, nowadays, motorists can install them inside their vehicles to capture events that occur on the road such as collisions. That being said, dashcams can play a critical role in car accident cases as they can record the events leading up to a crash. Oftentimes, following an accident, those involved do not remember critical details which makes it difficult to establish liability. However, dashcams can capture what happened before, during, and after a collision which can help determine who is responsible for the cause of the accident.
It is important to note that a dashcam can make or break your case. A dashcam can be looked at as an impartial witness as they provide a record of actual events as they are happening at that moment in time. Therefore, if you caused the collision or were partially at fault for the cause of the crash the dashcam footage will reveal this information. However, if another party’s negligent actions caused the collision to occur, the dashcam footage is a valuable piece of evidence that can corroborate your claim.
Is the footage admissible in California?
In some states, dashcam footage is not admissible in court. However, that is not the case in California. If you were injured in a car accident and wish to use dashcam footage as evidence, you may do so, as long as the motorist operated it legally. Insurance companies and attorneys can use dashcam footage to establish liability. Ultimately, the courts will accept dashcam footage as evidence in claims. However, if the footage is not useful to establish fault, the court may not use it to determine the factors that led to the car accident. Essentially, to be admissible in court, the footage must provide clear evidence of what happened in the moments leading up to the collision, during the crash, and after the accident.
If you have been injured in a car accident, you need one of our determined and skilled team members on your side. Our firm is prepared to fight on your behalf to help you seek reasonable compensation for your damages.