The Role of Dashcam Footage in Strengthening Your Car Accident Case

If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video of how your car accident unfolded could be worth tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. With high-quality dashcam footage, car accident lawsuits can be resolved much faster than without such evidence. You and your attorney may even have an easier time negotiating a fair settlement.

While dashcam footage can help resolve car accident claims more expediently, it’s not always helpful in every case. Some footage might not increase the likelihood of a favorable settlement — it could negatively affect the amount for which your case settles. It’s up to you to decide whether the benefits of having a dashcam in your car outweigh the potential drawbacks.

Dashcam Footage, Car Accidents, and Proving Fault

Establishing Liability Before Dashcams

Texas is an at-fault car accident state. When you’re hurt in a wreck because another driver was operating their vehicle carelessly, you can file a claim against the driver and their insurance provider. The law makes the negligent driver responsible for your medical bills, lost wages, and other impacts, provided you can prove they were at fault in the collision.

Proving fault in a car accident case means showing that the other driver’s actions were the primary reason the crash occurred. Traditionally, the claimant would meet this burden by presenting evidence and testimony like:

• Eyewitness statements from people who saw the collision happen
• Reports from law enforcement officers who responded to the accident
• Medical or cell phone records if there was suspicion that the driver was impaired or distracted at the time of the accident
• Photographs or videos from nearby cameras that might have caught the crash
• Analysis from accident reconstruction experts.

Your ability to settle your case quickly and for a fair amount could depend on the quantity and quality of the evidence available to support your claim. In cases without eyewitnesses and scant evidence showing fault, you might be forced to settle for only a percentage of your total losses.

The Dashcam Difference

A dashcam can be an objective witness to what happens before and during a crash, providing evidence of fault that’s difficult to refute.

If your car is equipped with a dashcam, the camera could record everything it sees leading up to the moment of impact. When reviewed, the footage could potentially show:

• Which vehicle had the right of way
• What the other drivers involved in the crash were doing just before the impact
• Whether any traffic-control devices were malfunctioning
• Any road hazards that might have contributed to the accident.

If the dashcam also captures audio, the other driver may unsuspectingly admit their liability for the crash and have that admission recorded. Be careful, however: Texas law requires at least one person in the recorded conversation to consent to being recorded. You could legally record a conversation you have with the other driver, but you couldn’t record a discussion between the other driver and an eyewitness unless one of them agrees to be recorded.

The footage a dashcam captures is objective and unbiased. Moreover, absent some defect that causes the camera to malfunction, it will continue recording until it’s turned off, reaches its memory capacity, or is badly damaged. Cameras aren’t prone to the memory lapses and “blanks” some people experience after going through the trauma of a car wreck.

Consequently, dashcam footage can strengthen car accident claims by providing injury victims with concrete evidence of what caused their wrecks. Such evidence is difficult to argue against; thus, when it clearly shows the other driver to be at fault, claimants can see faster and more favorable settlement offers.

Having a skilled legal advocate on your side can also make a significant difference in your case’s outcome. Contact Terry Bryant Accident & Injury Law now at (713) 973-8888 or toll-free 1 (800) 444-5000 to learn more about how we help car accident injury victims.

The Downside of Dashcams

It’s worth noting that dashcam footage can also work against the camera’s owner. Since the device is an impartial recorder of all it sees, it can just as easily capture negligent acts committed by the owner. When this happens, it could affect the size of the settlement the owner receives following a crash.

Even so, the presence of dashcam footage can streamline settlement talks and help resolve the case faster.

Making the Most of Your Vehicle-Mounted Dashcam

Tips for Using Your Dashcam Effectively

If you decide to put a dashcam in your vehicle, you’ll benefit from the following tips for mounting and using it effectively:

Mount Your Dashcam Securely in a Place With Few Obstructions

To make sure your dashcam sees as much as possible, place it in the front of your vehicle where there are few obstructions. Your steering wheel, rearview mirror, and dashboard can all interfere with the camera’s ability to frame the road ahead and other traffic. Mount your device securely so it won’t slip or become detached while your car is in motion.

Charge the Battery Often

Unless the camera has an external power source, make it a habit to recharge the battery regularly. Doing so will prevent the unit from unexpectedly losing power and ceasing to record. Accidents can happen suddenly and without notice, and a dashcam without power will be of no use to you in a wreck.

Store Videos in a Secure Location

For the same reason, you’ll want to ensure that your dashcam has ample space to record what it sees each time you set out on a drive. If a crash occurs, download the video file and save it in a secure location where you can easily retrieve it when needed. You might also consider making a backup copy of the footage on an external storage device.

Consider a Rear-Mounted Camera

A front-mounted dashcam can only record what’s in front of its lens. As such, a dashcam that only faces forward isn’t likely to be much help in the event that you’re rear-ended. If resources permit, you might consider installing a rear-facing camera as well. If you do, ensure that the device doesn’t obstruct your view when driving.

Tell Your Car Accident Lawyer About Your Dashcam

When you retain a car crash attorney to help you with your claim, inform them that you had a dashcam in your car at the time of the crash. The earlier your attorney reviews the footage, the faster they’ll be able to achieve a satisfactory resolution to your case. They’ll know from the outset the strength of your claim and how much you stand to receive.

What if the footage isn’t helpful? In this case, it’s still advisable to tell your attorney about the video. Again, your attorney needs to know all of the facts about your accident so they can properly advise you and pursue an appropriate resolution. Trying to hide the dashcam’s existence because it isn’t favorable to you will only increase the time it takes your attorney to investigate your case, which, in turn, can prolong the time it takes to settle.

Dashcam Video Can Support and Strengthen Your Injury Claim

When a car’s dashcam is mounted and working properly, the footage it records can be some of the most compelling evidence an injury victim has to support their claim. Even if the camera isn’t able to capture all the details of a crash, it can corroborate and strengthen other evidence, such as witness statements and law enforcement reports.

It’s one thing to have strong evidence available to back up your claim; it’s another to know how best to use such evidence. That’s why you need an experienced car accident lawyer to assist you with your claim.

The knowledgeable legal team at Terry Bryant Accident & Injury Law can use all available evidence, including dashcam footage, to help you resolve your car accident claim swiftly.

To start your injury claim, contact Terry Bryant Accident & Injury Law now at (713) 973-8888 or toll-free 1 (800) 444-5000 today for a free and confidential consultation.