Can Dashboard Cameras Be Used as Evidence in Personal Injury Cases?
Individuals who are injured in a car accident often choose to file a personal injury claim to hold liable parties accountable for accident damages. When accident liability is disputed, the injury victim and their lawyers must present evidence to prove fault for injury damages.
With the use of dashboard cams on the rise, many accident victims wonder if dashboard cams can be used as evidence in personal injury cases. Here, car accident attorneys Randy Akin and Greg Burton discuss the legality of dashboard cams in Texas, and go over the ways that video evidence can benefit their Longview, TX, clients in a personal injury case.
Are Dashboard Cams Legal?
Dashboard cameras are not legal in all 50 states, so it is important that drivers look into dashboard camera laws for their state before purchasing and installing one of these devices.
In the state of Texas, dashboard cameras can be legally installed in private vehicles, as long as a few guidelines are followed. Dashboard cameras cannot be placed in a manner that obstructs the driver’s view. Dashboard cameras also cannot be placed in a way that interferes with the safe deployment of airbags. Furthermore, dashboard cameras cannot record passenger audio without consent, or if the driver of the vehicle is not involved in the conversation. To avoid privacy issues, it is best to place any audio recording functions on mute.
Preserving Dashboard Cam Evidence
If a car accident occurs, drivers should take swift action to preserve dashboard cam footage, as it can serve as vital evidence in a personal injury claim. We recommend that our Longview clients save any video footage, as well as make backups of dashboard cam recordings. Our attorneys can use video footage as well as still frames from the footage to demonstrate what caused an accident, and who was at-fault for the collision.
What if Another Driver Had a Dashboard Cam?
If an injury victim does not own a dashboard cam, but they notice that another involved party does, it is vital that they take necessary legal steps to require that the other driver preserve dashboard cam footage. Our lawyers will act quickly to file a letter of spoliation on our Longview client’s behalf. A letter of spoliation is a legal notice requesting the preservation of relevant evidence. This document will require the other driver to preserve dashboard cam footage, as well as submit any recordings to our lawyers as a potential source of evidence.
Benefits of Dashboard Cam Footage
Dashboard cam footage can be extremely beneficial in personal injury cases. If an accident is recorded, it takes away the he said/she said aspect of proving liability. Dashboard cams provide real-time footage of the events leading up to an accident, and allows our lawyers to demonstrate exactly what caused the collision, who had the right of way, and who was at-fault.
Get in Touch
If you have been injured in a car accident, dashboard cam footage could prove a vital source of evidence in your personal injury claim. To discuss your case with car accident lawyers Randy Akin and Greg Burton, send us a message online, or call our law firm at (903) 297-8929.
