Dashcams can serve as helpful tools if you get into a car accident.
A dashcam is a device that you can either install or come installed in your car. It’s a video recording device, usually built into the car near or on the dash, around the front windshield. Many big car companies that we all know of have dash cams in their newer cars, including Tesla, Toyota, Subaru, Chevrolet, Cadillac, BMW and more.
Dashcams have many useful purposes, like preventing theft and recording surveillance footage that would help in a car accident claim.
Read on to learn more about dash cams in Colorado and how it could help your car accident claim.
How Exactly Do Dashcams Work?
The dashcam can be placed in different areas of the car, but it’s most often in the middle of the windshield near the rear-view mirror. Some people choose to install it in a different area, but having it on the windshield or on the dash is usually the most effective vantage point to place it.
Some cars even have dash cams that record footage of the inside of the car. This type of interior cam is commonly seen in cabs or rideshare cars for liability purposes. The footage can be used to protect the driver or the passenger in the case of an accident or other cause of personal injury.
Dashcams can vary in type, quality, model, and more. Most can record during day and night and store footage on some type of storage source, such as a cloud storage, disc, or camera. The most advanced dashcams can even detect and record speed, provide audio feedback, and location details.
Are Dash Cams Really Worth It?
Yes, as they can provide several benefits such as:
- Protecting passengers and drivers in Ubers, taxicabs, or preventing people from attacking you in your vehicle. If something like that does happen, you’ll have it on video.
- Dashcam footage can help give clear evidence of fault in a car accident case.
- With dashcam footage, you have evidence that’s pretty hard to dispute. With less evidence to argue, your claims process will move along more efficiently and get resolved in a timely manner.
What Do Colorado Laws Say About Dashcams?
Colorado laws allow dashcams; the only stipulation is that the dashcam must be placed so that it does not obstruct the driver’s view of the road.
Colorado law allows plaintiffs and defendants to use dashcam footage as evidence in a car accident case, as long as the footage meets the requirements for evidentiary rules. Your Denver personal injury lawyer can assess your dashcam footage and give you more information about whether your dashcam footage will be admissible evidence for your personal injury claim.
So How Can Dashcam Footage Help My Colorado Car Accident Claim?
With a dashcam, you have live footage of the accident. This is invaluable evidence when it comes to a personal injury claim because then you have more than just your word against the other driver’s. It’s neutral, objective, and unbiased evidence that shows what happened. In a car accident or personal injury claim, this type of evidence can make a huge impact on the strength of your case. An essential part of winning a personal injury claim is showing and proving how the accident happened in order to establish fault and liability. Dashcam footage does exactly that.
Car accident experts may assess the dashcam footage to give a professional opinion on how the accident occurred. Consider this example. Let’s say you had the right of way but a negligent driver failed to yield and T-boned you. The dashcam footage would show that and you would have evidence that works strongly in your favor. Or, it could show the other driver swerving before crashing into you which could suggest that they were under the influence of drugs or alcohol and thus were negligent.
How Long Is My Dashcam Footage Good?
All dashcams have their own settings and features that allow you to keep your footage for a certain amount of time. If you are involved in a car accident, it’s your job to preserve the footage as evidence for your claim, but you’ll have to follow certain rules.
There’s a pro and a con to dashcam footage, though. As it’s stored electronically in a cloud storage or some other electronic form, it’s easy to keep, but also easy to accidentally delete. You should email yourself the dashcam video footage that captures the accident as soon as possible and try to save it in multiple different locations.
You also are not allowed to intentionally delete any dashcam footage in an attempt to conceal parts of the incident. When it comes time to investigate the accident, if it comes out that you deleted parts of the dashcam footage, this could get you into a lot of trouble. Ths is considered destruction of evidence in the eyes of the law and comes with serious consequences that you don’t need.
Are There Potential Disadvantages to Having a Dashcam?
So what’s the drawback to having dashcam footage? Well, if you are partially at fault or somehow acted carelessly, negligent, or recklessly while driving, the dashcam footage will be proof that you’re partially at fault.
Even if you know you are partly at fault for the accident, you still need to preserve the footage. The best way to figure out how to strategically manage this footage is by consulting your Denver personal injury attorney for advice on formulating a strategy that best suits your case.
What Legal Recourse Do I Have After Getting Injured in a Denver Car Accident?
You’ll be able to file an insurance claim with the at-fault driver’s insurance company or file a personal injury claim, which may or may not proceed to trial. The best chance you have at getting the maximum compensation possible is hiring an expert attorney who knows what they are doing and how to get you the most money possible for your losses.
By working with a Denver personal injury lawyer, you can be sure to identify and claim all damages you are rightfully entitled to recover, including:
- Medical bills (past medical bills related to the accident and future anticipated bills)
- Lost income from missed work due to accident related injuries
- Reduced earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional anguish
Your attorney will be able to use the dashcam footage as evidence for your insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit. They will either present the footage to insurance companies or during trial when they present your case. The bottom line is that the dashcam footage from your vehicle can serve as evidence to leverage a higher settlement or verdict in your favor.
Is It Worth It to Purchase a Dashcam for My Vehicle?
Yes, it’s worth it to have a dashcam for evidence purposes. You can’t control the actions of other drivers, but you can get footage of it and provide indisputable evidence of the incidents that occurred. If you can afford one, it’s not a bad idea to invest in a dashcam or a car that has one built-in. It will provide invaluable evidence to your personal injury claim and can help you win your case.
Accidents are unpredictable and can happen to anyone so it’s a good idea to be prepared for anything. If you get into an accident and there’s no video surveillance footage or dashcam footage, your lawyer can still help you gather other evidence but nothing is really as telling as hard evidence like video footage.
Contact the Top Personal Injury Lawyers in Denver
Dashcams can be a very helpful and essential tool for your car accident claim. They record live footage of the accident andthe events before and after the accident, so it can undeniably help your case if you were not at fault for the accident.
Call our experienced Dener personal injury lawyers today who know how to strategically use all evidence to help you win your case.
We offer a free initial consultation so call us today or book an appointment online.
