Dashcam Footage After a Crash

Dashcam footage from a crash is one of the most powerful pieces of evidence that the best accident lawyers in Phoenix can use to establish who was at fault, streamline the insurance claims process, and protect clients from accusations of faking or misrepresenting the severity of the crash and their injuries. 

What Is a Dashcam?

A dashcam is a small video camera that attaches to a car’s windshield or dashboard. It continuously records the road ahead and, sometimes, activity behind and inside the car while you drive.

Dashcam footage is timestamped and can provide an impartial and reliable account of an accident. The footage can take the guesswork out of determining who was at fault when there are conflicting accounts of what happened.

For example, the footage may show another driver running a red light, making an illegal lane change, tailgating, or driving erratically. It can also come in very handy if it captures the license plate of a hit-and-run driver. 

Preserve Dashcam Footage Immediately

Most dashcams record in a loop, overwriting older content with the most recent footage when the memory card is full. To prevent video from a crash being lost forever, lock the camera, remove the memory card, and put it in a safe place immediately after an accident.

Create multiple copies and keep them in different locations (e.g., your computer, external hard drive, the cloud). Do not edit or destroy any parts of the video.

Before a judge or an insurance company accepts dashcam video as evidence, it must be authenticated as an unedited account of the accident. It’s illegal to hide or tamper with video evidence after a crash.

Also, social media and accident claims don’t mix. Posting dashcam video could hurt your claim to compensation.

You do not need to turn over the footage to the police unless they have a warrant. If you do, give them a copy and make sure you have the original and more backup copies. 

Act Quickly, Talk to a Lawyer

Talk to your lawyer before handing over any dashcam footage to an insurance company or any of its representatives. If the footage is unclear, incomplete, or requires further explanation, it may be taken out of context by the insurance company when it tries to shift blame for the accident to you or to argue that your injuries are not as bad as you claim.

The lawyers at Gage Mathers will review and evaluate your dashcam footage to ensure it was properly preserved, supports your version of events, meets Arizona’s evidence standards for being original and unaltered, and doesn’t violate any privacy laws!

About the Author

Joseph D'Aguanno

Guided by the belief that being a highly skilled specialist in a narrow field is better than being ordinary in everything, Joseph “JD” D’Aguanno leads Arizona’s best personal injury law firm in Phoenix, AZ. Having extensive cross-training in pre-litigation negotiations and trial lawyer skills, with decades of experience, JD strives to provide clients with the most valuable legal services a personal injury lawyer can provide. Under his direction, Gage Mathers Law Group is an award-winning personal injury law firm providing aggressive representation to victims of a car accident, medical malpractice, dog bite, motorcycle accident, and other injurious events. Gage Mathers is trusted by thousands of lawyers and clients throughout the country because of their reputation for getting clients the maximum compensation they deserve.

Years of experience: Over 24 years
Bar number: 020421
Location: Phoenix, AZ
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