Louisiana Injury Lawyers Blog
Video footage may seem like standard evidence only in criminal cases, but the truth is that video footage can also help you when an insurance company tries to call foul in your truck accident claim.
While dashboard cameras in passenger cars are technically illegal in the state of Louisiana because of windshield obstruction, that doesn’t mean that the potential to protect yourself is limited. There are still a number of viable legal options you may have regarding video footage and your New Orleans attorneys at the Cardone Law Firm can help you uncover exactly what these are.
If you’ve been injured in an accident with a commercial truck, you don’t have to fight alone. Trust in the dependable team at Cardone Law Firm to help you obtain the recovery that is rightfully yours. Below you’ll find information regarding video footage that can help you in your truck accident case.
Read more about personal injury truck cases.
1. Video Footage is More Available Than You Think
While dashboard cameras on your vehicle may not be a possibility, surveillance can be obtained from other sources including the trucking company or traffic cameras near the scene of the accident.
Many trucking companies install dash cams to record their drivers while on the job, ensuring that they are abiding by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s regulations and other state laws. Traffic cameras, of course, are there to monitor the roads for traffic accidents and they help enforce speeding and red light laws.
If you are near a storefront, they may even have video evidence from their security cameras. There are plenty of options for obtaining video footage if you know where to look.
The thing is, it won’t be easy to obtain video footage from the trucking company or the agency that controls the highway traffic cameras; not unless you have an experienced Louisiana truck accident attorney, like Cliff Cardone, who can demand that the video evidence be preserved and turned over.
2. Video Footage Can Help to Prove Who is Liable
While the majority of passenger cars have insurance coverage around $60,000, commercial vehicles are insured for much more – around $1 million. Because of this, trucking insurance companies work hard to find a way to shift blame to you or outright deny your claim.
While the video footage is intended to protect company drivers, it can actually be used to protect you against bad faith insurance claims. The dash cam inside of a commercial vehicle can prove if you had the right of way on the road, or if the driver of an 18-wheeler was acting negligently.
With this type of evidence available, the case isn’t restricted to a “your word against mine” scenario. Plus, with the type of technology available today regarding dash cams, it makes proving liability even easier. Many new types of dash cams have built-in GPS systems that show the exact date, time, and location of where the accident occurred.
Advanced dash cams have other features like Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity that can help the driver upload video footage. This is a great feature to preserve footage as some dash cams have limited digital storage and tend to write over older files, and trucking companies pay top dollar for this type of equipment.
3. Video Footage Provides a Lot of Legal Benefits
Insurance companies have ramped up acting in bad faith quite a bit over the last few years. Even if it is a clear-cut case where the driver is clearly in the wrong, commercial truck companies may admit that their truck driver was only partly responsible. That’s if you’re lucky.
If video is available, it can prove that the truck driver was the sole responsible party of the accident, preventing frivolous liability defenses.
Traffic cameras or commercial driver dash cams can also help to dispute any defense claims regarding your speed or driving behaviors prior to the accident. For instance, video can be used to prove that you were indeed under the speed limit and driving in a responsible manner.
The advanced dash cams available – and being used – can track a variety of factors and disprove any false claims against you.
Having a strong truck accident attorney, who can strengthen your truck accident with video footage, can go a long way in helping you obtain the recovery you deserve.
The Cardone Law Firm has made millions taking trucking companies to court for accidents they caused. Don’t be afraid of fighting for the recovery you deserve. Trust in us and we will proudly represent you in court.
Phone Cardone at 504-522-3333 today to schedule your free legal consultation.