Seattle Personal Injury Attorney Chris Thayer
Seattle Personal Injury Attorney Chris Thayer
Handling Personal Injury Claims in the Seattle Area and Throughout Washington Since 1995

My name is Chris Thayer and I am a personal injury attorney practicing in downtown Seattle. I handle personal injury, medical malpractice and wrongful death claims throughout the greater Seattle area, including Issaquah, Mercer Island and Kirkland.

I am here to help you.

Call for a free consultation (206) 340-2008

Will Dashcam Footage Help or Hurt My Personal Injury Case?

Posted Friday, October 22, 2021 by Chris Thayer

If you have been involved in a collision, you may be feeling overwhelmed and frustrated trying to navigate the insurance process. It can be daunting being pummeled by calls from insurance claims adjusters within hours of an accident from which you are still reeling, particularly when you do not know what to say or how to protect yourself. It can also be terrifying drowning in mounting medical bills while waiting for the insurance companies to make a determination of liability. Depending on the complexity of the crash and the availability of witnesses and evidence, the determination of liability can take weeks or even months.

There are a number of things that you can do to expedite this process including getting contact information and taking detailed photos and video at the scene. Additionally, having a dashcam or knowledge of dashcam footage that captured the crash or events leading up to it can quickly clear up who is responsible for the party and put an end to the investigation. Clearly then, there can be real benefits to having a dashcam. However, whether dashcam footage will be helpful or harmful in your specific case depends on whether you were at fault for the accident. The information in this article is intended to be general. However, if you would like personalized feedback based on your unique case, you are welcome to contact the experienced Seattle personal injury attorneys at Pivotal Law Group to schedule a consultation.

*Should I Get a Dashcam?*Having a dashcam is a bit of a gamble. Some insurance companies now offer discounts to people who agree to use a dashcam in their car, and many people agree to do this for the discount without a second thought. However, the reality is that insurance companies would not offer this option if doing so did not save them money. Although dashcams can provide helpful evidence in the event of an accident, they can also provide evidence that implicates you. Additionally, if you attempt to delete or destroy dashcam footage after an accident it can result in additional criminal charges. Even if someone else was liable for the crash, a dashcam can reveal grounds for limiting liability if anything you did contributed to the ultimate damage, including how you reacted to the crash, which is likely information that they would not have had otherwise. In short, it is important to fully weigh the pros and cons associated with having a dashcam and to make an informed decision.

*How Do I Get Dashcam Footage of My Crash? *If the liable driver or another driver has dashcam footage of the crash, your lawyer can likely help you to subpoena the footage as evidence. If you believe another driver has footage material to the accident, it is important to make your lawyer aware of this right away so that they can take action before the footage is destroyed, “lost,” or tampered with.

*Schedule a Consultation With Pivotal Law Group *If you have been injured in a Seattle, Bellevue, Kent, Renton, Burien, Mercer Island, Issaquah, or greater Washington State area car crash, the experienced personal injury lawyers at Pivotal Law Group are ready to help. Contact us today to schedule a consultation and find out how we will fight to get you the compensation to which you are entitled.