Four potential sources of video evidence that should be considered when building a personal injury case.
Photos taken in the aftermath of any kind of personal injury accident can be extremely helpful in your quest to secure compensation. But do you know what can be even more helpful?
Video of the accident itself.
In the past, video evidence was extremely rare—a virtual holy grail of personal injury evidence. However, these days video evidence is much more common. If you have been in an accident, you would do well to have your attorney check for the following possible types of evidence.
Police Dashcam or Bodycam Video: While police reports can be very valuable in establishing fault in a motor vehicle accident, video of the police actually conducting the investigation that led to the report is even better. Sometimes the dashboard cameras in police vehicles or the body cameras worn by officers can capture initial, unguarded, and honest statements that drivers and witnesses may later try to recant.
Truck and Bus Drivecam Video: More and more commercial vehicle operators are installing on-board cameras to help protect them from liability in the event of an accident. Of course these cameras can also implicate their drivers when they have made an error that resulted in an accident.
Security Video: Many businesses have surveillance cameras monitoring indoor and outdoor spaces. In some cases the cameras record to video and we can review them to look for footage of slip and fall or trip and fall accidents inside the store as well as car accidents in nearby streets or parking lots. In the case of slip and fall accidents, the video can be useful not only for showing that the fall really was an accident but also for proving that the slippery substance was left on the floor long enough to become a hazard that the store should have discovered and rectified.
Government Surveillance Video: While it can actually be very challenging to get evidence from DOT traffic cameras, when accidents occur near critical transportation infrastructure it may be possible to recover video evidence from various Department of Homeland Security resources via the Freedom of Information Act. This is generally only worth pursuing in the case of major accidents with very serious injuries.
Need Help with Your Case?
If you have been injured in any kind of accident, you can and should consult an attorney. For a free initial meeting with experienced personal injury attorney Fernando D. Vargas, please call 909-982-0707 now.
