The Role of Surveillance Footage in Texas Personal Injury Cases

Law enforcement and private investigators may want to see any accessible video evidence as part of their investigation into an accident. Typically, an auto accident attorney will also look for surveillance footage that may indicate what happened in a car crash or any injury-causing incident.

Businesses, individuals, and government agencies often provide video evidence to investigators. As a matter of fact, you can get a complete inventory of all the Lone Star State traffic cameras on the Texas Department of Transportation website.

Your accident attorneys may still seek video evidence by serving subpoenas on any parties with relevant material, even if they refuse to comply. An entity is ordered to submit desired documents relating to a legal matter by a subpoena, a legal instrument. Evidence may consist of video footage from various sources, such as traffic cameras, that is relevant to your case. However, if you have questions about the role of surveillance footage in any of these accidents, it's imperative that you contact a local Dallas personal injury lawyer as soon as possible.

Video Evidence After a Texas Car Accident

Relevant video evidence can be essential to investigating a crash scene in Texas and building an auto accident claim in general. Moreover, video footage may be found almost anywhere. As an example, you may come upon pertinent footage:

• On school buses, near school buildings, and on school grounds.
• Officers' dash cams and body cam recordings.
• Dashcam footage from your vehicle and from other drivers.
• On the premises of private companies, when security camera video is available.
• The mobile devices of any eyewitnesses or related social media.
• Red light camera film is on-site in city halls and other government buildings.

Contact an attorney if you're unsure where to source the particular surveillance footage you need after a crash. Auto accident lawyers are familiar with the most popular places to get high-quality video recordings and how to access them. Additionally, if you retain a lawyer, they will utilize their own team of investigators, expertise, and financial resources to secure video footage.

Using Video Footage in a Personal Injury Claim

To better understand how an accident unfolded or occurred, video evidence is admissible in personal injury claims in Texas. Such a film might reveal details about the party or parties responsible for an accident. You usually need to prove that another motorist was careless before you can get compensation for your injuries, so this is crucial.

In fact, surveillance footage can help prove the following:

• Whether or not a motorist broke the law by speeding or violating other roadway rules and traffic laws.
• What the weather was like just before the collision.
• There are additional variables that may have contributed to an accident, like malfunctioning traffic lights or debris in the roadway.
• Responses to the accident from all parties

During the aftermath of a Texas car accident, for example, the opposing party may try to shift fault for the accident onto you or other parties involved. Although any officer who arrives at the scene will complete a Texas crash report containing all parties' information and a basic determination of the events, video footage proves the events surrounding such an incident much more definitively.

You may even capture personal footage of the aftermath if you want. Tire tread traces, shattered glass, inflated airbags, and any corroborating evidence should be photographed and taped alongside the location of the vehicles. Again, video recordings help clarify the details of a crash, leading to a more obvious interpretation of the events surrounding your wreck. Plus, any video taken at the site of an accident might be useful to the responding police officer if one of the parties involved is visibly inebriated or under the influence of drugs.

Limitations of Surveillance Video in Personal Injury

Despite its obvious advantages, video footage may not always be helpful evidence in personal injury cases. First, the camera shot during an accident usually only shows one side of the scene. Eyewitnesses may have better captured the collision than by a camera.

Second, various "surveillance" perspectives on an accident may exist and differ based on the witness providing the footage, not to mention any testimony they may add. The field of view of a video camera that is only oriented in one direction, after all.

In addition, it's important to remember that the other party or defendant involved in your claim might gather their own video evidence to disprove your side of the story. That said, as long as you're honest about the events involved in your personal injury, video footage should back up your narrative of the accident.

Finally, insurance companies sometimes try to discredit a victim's personal injury claim by using video evidence, particularly social media recordings. For instance, if you've already claimed injuries, uploading a video of yourself jogging can hurt your case. There may be missing context in any surveillance footage. Still, a skilled personal injury lawyer can work with you to provide context around any video evidence admitted for use in your claim.

Call the Dallas Accident Lawyers at Rasansky Law Firm

You have the right to file a claim against a motorist or any other party who was at fault in an accident in which you have suffered injuries. And if another person was plainly at fault for the accident that left you with damages and other losses, video evidence may prove your version of the events that occurred and help you secure your entitled compensation.

Regardless of your accident's details, a Dallas car accident lawyer should always be consulted after a serious crash. Whether you have questions about what types of surveillance footage you can use in your claim or want to learn more about how to file a claim, an experienced attorney can help you and your family.

At the Rasansky Law Firm, we proudly represent anyone hurt in car accidents caused by other people's negligence. The counsel of our highly skilled and well-respected lawyers has proven invaluable to our clients. We are prepared to investigate your accident and gather the vital evidence you need to get the justice you deserve. If you've been hurt in a vehicle accident in Texas and want to discuss your legal options, please call us at 214-651-6100 for a free consultation.