In truck accident cases, dashcam footage can help crash victims recover compensation by providing evidence of what happened during the accident. This allows an insurance company or jury to determine who caused the collision and, therefore, bears liability.
Dashcam footage may come from the commercial truck involved in the accident, another vehicle involved in the truck accident, or another nearby vehicle, such as a police cruiser, that witnessed the accident.
What Is a Dashcam?
A dashcam is a small camera mounted on a vehicle’s dashboard or windshield. Dashcams record the view out of the vehicle’s front windshield. Some drivers may install additional cameras on side windows or the rear windshield to provide a 360-degree view around the vehicle.
Drivers can purchase aftermarket dashcams to install in their vehicles. However, some newer vehicles come with manufacturer-installed standard or optional cameras in the front windshield (usually next to the rearview mirror) or potentially along the sides and rear of the vehicle.
These cameras may record while driving or when triggered by motion detectors. Contact our Savannah trucking accident lawyer today.
Are Dashcams Legal in Georgia?
Georgia allows vehicle owners to install aftermarket dashcams in their vehicles. However, state law restricts the placement of aftermarket dashcams. Specifically, a vehicle owner may not install a dashcam on a front or rear windshield or a side window in a position that obstructs the driver’s view of the road or an intersecting road.
The law allows owners to install a mount for an electronic device, such as a dashcam, on the front windshield in a location that minimizes any obstruction to the driver’s view through the windshield.
Is Dashcam Video Admissible in a Georgia Court?
A party in a truck accident lawsuit may seek to admit dashcam video into evidence at trial. The trial court may admit footage when the party offering it establishes its authenticity and relevance.
Proving the authenticity of the dashcam video requires demonstrating that the footage originated from a dashcam and that it has not been altered. An authentic video will depict the events as recorded by the dashcam.
Proving the relevance of a dashcam video requires demonstrating that the footage will help resolve a disputed fact in the case. Courts frequently admit dashcam footage in truck accident lawsuits because the video shows what happened in the accident, thereby allowing the jury or judge to identify the party or parties at fault for the crash.
The footage could also depict other events that may allow a factfinder to infer another relevant fact, such as the color of a traffic signal at the moment of the crash.
What Should I Do with My Dashcam Video After an Accident?
If you had a recording dashcam when you got into an accident with a commercial truck, you can follow best practices to preserve the footage for a potential truck accident claim.
First, remove the dashcam’s SD card or download its hard drive to your computer immediately after the crash. Most dashcams will overwrite their hard drive or storage device if left running for an extended period, so you risk losing the footage if you continue using your dashcam after an accident without removing its storage device or backing up its hard drive.
Once you’ve downloaded the footage of the accident to your computer, you should make several copies and keep them in different storage mediums, such as on an SD card, thumb drive, or external hard drive. You should also upload a copy of the footage to a cloud storage service.
Keeping copies of the footage in multiple locations will protect you if you lose or damage your computer or hard drive.
Should I Tell My Insurance Company About My Dashcam?
You can help your truck accident claim by informing the insurance company that you had installed a dashcam in your vehicle and recorded video during the accident — especially if you plan to use the footage to support your claims in a truck accident lawsuit.
Informing the insurance company that you have a dashcam video that supports your claim may help you negotiate a settlement that provides you with fair and full compensation for your injuries and losses.
This is because the insurance company will know you have a strong case that may likely enable you and your truck accident lawyer to prevail at trial.
Can My Dashcam Footage Help with My Insurance Claim?
Dashcam footage can help with your truck accident claim by providing an objective view of the accident or other relevant details. The video can corroborate elements of your version of the crash, either by depicting a negligent or reckless act by the truck driver or by proving other details of your recollection, such as the position of the truck or the status of a traffic signal.
Could My Dashcam Video Possibly Prove That I Was at Fault?
Using a dashcam video in your truck accident claim could also harm your case. Your dashcam video or another driver’s video may prove that your negligence contributed to the truck accident. For example, a dashcam video might show you changing lanes on the highway without signaling.
Your partial fault for a truck accident may affect your right to compensation for your injuries and losses. Georgia uses a modified comparative negligence system. Under this system, an injured party can still pursue a truck accident claim if they bear less than 50 percent of the fault for the truck crash.
Even if a party falls under this threshold, their share of fault will proportionately reduce their financial recovery in a truck accident lawsuit. For example, suppose a jury finds that an injured truck accident victim sustained $100,000 in losses and bears 30 percent responsibility for the accident.
In that case, the trial court will reduce the accident victim’s award by $30,000 to reflect their share of fault.
Contact a Georgia Truck Accident Lawyer
After an accident with a commercial truck, dashcam footage can help you hold the truck driver and trucking company liable for your injuries and property damage by providing objective evidence of what happened in the crash. At Spiva Law Group, we can help you seek compensation for your injuries by using this footage as evidence.
Since 1984, our law firm has established a proven record of success, recovering more than $500 million for our clients. Our team of five attorneys and support staff focuses exclusively on catastrophic injury cases, providing us with the experience to tackle the most complex and challenging cases.
Contact Spiva Law Group today for a free, no-obligation consultation with a Georgia truck accident attorney to learn more about the importance of dashcam footage.
Site by 
