In the wake of a car accident, videos from surveillance cameras can be some of the most valuable evidence showing what happened and who may be at fault for the crash. The footage can come from various sources, including traffic cameras, private security cameras, or dashcams.
The experienced car accident attorneys at Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer know where to find surveillance camera footage and how to recover and preserve it.
Why Is Having Video Footage of Your Accident Important?
Video footage of a car accident can provide critical evidence for a subsequent insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit. Videos can corroborate or undermine the various accounts of the accident, serving as irrefutable proof of what happened in the crash. Thus, video footage can help the police, insurance companies, and courts identify the parties responsible for causing the accident.
How Can I Obtain Video Recordings of My Accident?
There are several different ways to obtain video footage after an accident:
- First, if you recorded the accident, such as with a dashcam, download the data and store copies in multiple locations, ideally both directly on your device and in a cloud storage account.
- If third parties like bystanders or nearby property owners have footage, your attorney can contact them for a copy of the video.
- In the event that the other driver involved in the accident has a recording, such as from a dashcam in their vehicle, your attorney might need to seek that footage during the discovery portion of your car accident lawsuit.
Video Sources You Could Find
Common sources where you might find surveillance footage of car crashes include:
- Traffic camera footage – State and local transportation departments may operate traffic cameras to monitor traffic flow and locate motor vehicle accidents. However, some departments may not record or preserve traffic camera footage.
- Dashcam videos – Your vehicle or another vehicle involved in or near the accident may have a dashcam that recorded critical parts of the car accident. After a crash, you should make copies of your dashcam’s footage. You should also talk to bystanders to see if their vehicles have dashcams. Your lawyer could also request dashcam videos from the other cars in the accident during litigation.
- Security footage – Nearby businesses and residences may have security cameras pointed at the accident that could have recorded the crash. Your attorney can contact the property owner for a copy of the footage.
- Social media videos – Bystanders to a car crash may have recorded the accident or its aftermath on their cell phones and posted the footage to social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, X (Twitter), or YouTube.
- Police bodycam recordings – When police respond to a car accident, they may activate their bodycams, which record videos of the accident scene, capturing details such as skid marks on the road, vehicle damage, traffic signs and signals, and road or weather conditions.
How Our Attorneys Can Help You Secure Available Video Evidence
If you’ve been in a car accident, obtaining surveillance footage of the crash could provide highly beneficial evidence to support your compensation claim. Contact Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer today for a free, no-obligation consultation with a car accident lawyer to learn how to secure videos of an accident.
