You know the old saying that “seeing is believing.” If you have video footage that shows how a car accident happened, that’s solid evidence in a car accident claim. And these days, it’s no surprise to find out that video footage captured during a car accident we’re investigating exists.
After some car accidents, we learn there was a dashboard camera, or “dash cam,” in our client’s car or the other driver’s car. Dash cams are miniature video cameras mounted to a motor vehicle’s dashboard or windshield to continuously record video while the vehicle is driven. Getting ahold of dashboard camera footage can be the key to a case.
If you know or suspect that there is dash cam footage of a Kentucky car accident you were injured in, you need to speak to an experienced KY car accident lawyer as soon as possible. An attorney from Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer can move promptly to gain access to any existing dash cam footage before a damaged car is junked or the footage is erased or otherwise lost.
Dash cam footage may help or hurt you in a car accident claim. Work with Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer in Kentucky so your car accident attorney knows what this crucial evidence means and how to use it as you seek compensation for car accident injuries. Contact us today. Our personal injury lawyers are proud to stand up for our fellow, hardworking Kentuckians like you. We have offices located across Kentucky in Lexington, Somerset, Manchester, London, Hazard, Paducah, Paintsville, Prestonsburg and Princeton.
Are Dash Cams Legal in Kentucky?
There is no law in Kentucky that prohibits dashboard cameras in motor vehicles. However, there are rules about not obstructing a driver’s field of vision through the windshield. Therefore, experts recommend mounting a dashcam on the dashboard or behind the rear-view mirror.
There are many dash cams on the market. Some record audio and video from multiple inward- and outward-facing lenses that follow what’s happening on the road ahead as well as inside the vehicle.
Most dash cams automatically start recording when the vehicles’ ignition is turned on and continue on a loop, saving short video clips to a memory card. Some advanced models begin recording automatically when they sense an accident. On some, the video can also be livestreamed via Wi-Fi and an app, allowing instant access. Some parents use these kinds of dash cams to monitor teenage drivers.
A mounted iPhone updated with at least iOS 12 can also be set up to work as a dash cam and to record video and sound with a vocal prompt.
What Can Dash Cam Video Show After a Car Accident?
Depending on the quality of the camera, weather conditions, lighting and other circumstances (heavy traffic, rounding a corner), dashcam footage may capture everything that led to a car accident. Dash cam footage can be used to show or interpret:
- Movement and trajectory of surrounding vehicles
- Vehicles’ speeds
- Braking or lack thereof among vehicles recorded
- Road conditions (weather and traffic)
- Who was driving
- Driver distractions, such as use of a phone, turning toward passengers, eating and drinking, etc.
- Driver’s condition, such as indications of intoxication, fatigue, road rage, etc.
- Potential witnesses (including passengers)
How is Dash Cam Footage Used as Evidence?
If you have dash cam, surely, you’ll want to review it after an accident. You should make sure you securely save any dash cam footage you have. Do not erase dash cam footage after a car accident, even if you think it shows that you were at fault. If an insurance company learns that you destroyed evidence, it could damage or even end your claim.
Regardless of what you think dashcam footage shows, you should have an experienced car accident lawyer review it. At Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer, we can review footage as part of your free initial consultation. We have experience interpreting video footage from car accidents and can quickly determine its implications.
If you think another driver involved in an accident with you had a dashboard camera, a car accident lawyer can move quickly to have the court order the footage preserved and made available to us. If we are retained soon enough, we may be able to examine the vehicles, so we’ll see a dashcam if there was one and it hasn’t been removed. But, because they can be removed, it’s better to know about a dashcam as soon as possible.
In some cases, dash cam footage shows exactly what happened and is key to a car accident claim. In others, it shows a portion of the event and is one piece of evidence necessary to prove who was at fault for an accident. Sometimes, dashcam footage shows events that occurred after the collision, such as the other driver’s hostility, confession of fault or evidence of impairment from alcohol or drugs.
When pursuing a car accident claim, we would include pertinent still images from dash cam footage in our demand letter to insurers and explain how the images implicate their client. Usually, as part of their investigation, the insurer will also have the dash cam footage and already know what it shows.
Indisputable dash cam footage should seal a car accident claim. If footage is not entirely clear, the insurer may dispute it or totally reject it. Should your car accident claim go to court, we could work with a video expert to explain dash cam video to a jury.
Meet with a Kentucky Car Accident Attorney Today
If you’ve been seriously injured by another motorist while driving, we can help you demand the compensation you deserve for your losses. If you or the other driver has dash cam footage from a crash, we can move quickly to secure it and determine how it can best be used to advance your accident claim.
Contact Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer now to set up your free consultation about a potential car accident injury claim.
