Unfortunately, car accidents are common, everyday occurrences. Attorneys such as our friends at Blaszkow Legal, PLLC, know that many accidents are caused by the negligent and reckless actions of drivers. In some cases, if there were no witnesses, it can be difficult to determine who is at fault for an accident. Thankfully, dash cameras are more prevalent than ever, and these incredibly negligent actions are being caught on film and in digital video.
The Benefits Of Buying A Dash Camera
A dash camera is extremely important, and a worthy investment if you drive on the roadway – any roadway, in any state. It doesn’t matter what road, and it doesn’t matter where, because car accidents can happen anywhere. Even if you think it won’t happen to you, there’s a chance that it could. Buying a dash camera goes a long way towards protecting yourself for the future.
A dash camera does two very important jobs:
- It documents the actions of other drivers
- It also documents your own actions
Documenting your own actions as a driver is more important than most people realize.
Dash Cam Footage As Evidence
In the United States, car accidents are handled according to different legal theories, depending on the state where the accident happens. For example, most of the country practices a legal theory known as “comparative negligence.” This has some variations of course, but it generally means that settlement or judgment is reduced based on a percentage of the claimant’s own negligence. For example, a person claiming a million dollars may win the case, but if a court finds that the claimant was 25% at fault, they subtract 25% for the judgment. So instead of the $1,000,000, he would get $750,000.
That is not the rule everywhere. In five jurisdictions, Virginia, Maryland, Washington DC, North Carolina, and Alabama, there is a less well-known legal doctrine known as “contributory negligence.” This means that if the person making the claim is found to be even 1% responsible for the happening of a motor vehicle collision, then that person cannot recover anything. This is an extremely high bar that is set, and it is very easy for insurance companies and defendants to make these allegations, and to defeat injury claims.
The best way to protect against such arguments is to have a dash camera on your vehicle. If for example, at an intersection, the other driver is claiming that you did not have the green light, your camera will show that, indeed, you did. If the other driver says they stopped at the stop sign, your camera will show that he or she did not. This footage can be crucial for proving your claim and helping you recover the compensation that you deserve.
Every car accident case, regardless of where in the state it is, will rise and fall based on evidence. Additionally, as a good pedestrian accident lawyer knows, dash cam evidence can also make a difference in a pedestrian accident or bicycle accident case. Evidence includes everything from statements to pictures to videos. Always protect yourself, by developing the best evidence possible, to make the case that you may eventually have.