How Surveillance Camera Footage Can Strengthen Accident Claims in NJ
If an individual gets hurt in an accident in New Jersey, the victim may be eligible for financial compensation from one or more parties. However, it is the victim’s responsibility to prove or establish fault using evidence and speak with a car accident lawyer in New Jersey. Without clear and compelling evidence of fault, it may not be possible to hold an at-fault party accountable. One of the strongest pieces of evidence is surveillance camera footage.
Proving Negligence in a Personal Injury Case
Recovering financial compensation for losses such as medical bills, lost wages, property damage, and pain and suffering after a harmful incident in New Jersey requires a certain amount of proof. The filing party or plaintiff must have evidence proving that the claim being made is more likely than not to be true.
Most personal injury cases require proof of negligence, or the defendant’s failure to act with an ordinary amount of care. The plaintiff must prove negligence based on a preponderance of the evidence to win the case. This means there must be evidence proving the required elements of the claim as accurate with at least a 51 percent certainty.
The Advantages of Having Surveillance Footage as Evidence
Fewer forms of evidence in a personal injury claim are as irrefutable as surveillance camera footage. Any recorded videos of the incident (and the moments before or after) can provide objective, unbiased evidence to support the claim being made.
Surveillance footage can help with the following:
- Establishing liability: the video may show the faces of people involved, such as a motor vehicle driver in a hit-and-run crash. It can also establish liability by showing exactly how and why the accident happened.
- Avoiding disputes: if an insurance company is attempting to deny liability by shifting the blame, a video recording can help prove fault and disprove false claims. Video evidence can clearly show careless or reckless behaviors by the defendant.
- Proving damages: surveillance footage of a person getting injured can prove the severity and extent of the injuries suffered. This can help maximize the victim’s settlement if an insurance company is doubting the level of damage.
Video footage can provide solid evidence to support a slip and fall accident case, car accident case, and many other types of claims in New Jersey. It can corroborate your testimony and capture a defendant’s negligence on camera.
Requesting Surveillance Camera Footage After an Accident in New Jersey
Videos that could be used as evidence in an injury claim in New Jersey may come from security, surveillance, GoPro, dashboard, traffic, or body cameras. It may also be possible to obtain video footage of the accident from an individual’s cell phone. It is critical, however, that the footage was recorded legally to make the video admissible as evidence.
When it comes time to gather surveillance camera footage for your accident claim, you must go through the correct legal process. Act quickly, as many surveillance cameras automatically overwrite footage after 24 to 72 hours. Once you have identified the location of nearby cameras, make a formal request for a copy of the footage. You can do this in person at each location with help from a police officer, if necessary.
If your request for surveillance footage gets denied, contact a personal injury attorney in New Jersey for assistance. A lawyer can submit subpoenas and other motions that require other parties to provide any evidence within their possession, including videos of the accident. Then, your lawyer can use video evidence in a strategic way to achieve the best possible outcome for your case.