Although car accidents happen every day, we still don't expect to be in one. When it does happen to you, your first thought immediately after is your safety. After that, there is interest in reconstructing the accident and the recall of those involved. You probably have pictures that you've taken after the accident, but on-scene authorities, including the police and paramedics, may ask for your version of the events that led up to the accident. However, there are usually better alternatives: With cameras present on highways and used for local businesses, video footage could be a great resource for revealing what happened. Getting access to footage immediately after the accident can show who the negligent party is. But there is urgency because these digital records must be acquired before they are gone forever. If you have a personal injury claim, you will need to show proof that the other driver was negligent. While various types of evidence can be used, the best type is video footage, which can show how the crash occurred, who is at fault, and the severity of the impact. Sources of Video Footage There are a few different types of footage including:
- Red-light cameras: Local governments use cameras to capture red-light runners at intersections. California state law allows this footage to be preserved for 6 months from the date it was captured or until the final disposition of a citation, whichever is later. Then it's destroyed. Therefore, as a victim of a car accident, you have a limited time frame to recover the footage.
- Business surveillance: Numerous businesses have CCTV to monitor and protect their assets. If your car accident occurred near a business or parking lot, it's important to verify whether the business has surveillance cameras because it can help identify the other driver in a hit and run accident by providing a license plate number. This information can potentially help you recover damages from the at-fault driver.
- Dashcams: If you have a dashcam inside your car, it could show how the collision occurred. They vary, but the more advanced dashcams can detect a driver's speed and whether they were wearing a seat belt. Under state law, the dashcam data belongs to the driver of the vehicle, which means that if there's a witness to the accident with a dashcam, they would have to be willing to share this information with you.
- Cell phone video: These days, everyone usually has a cell phone. With that in mind, if you were in a car accident, there's a chance that someone may have recorded the incident on their cell phone.