Dash cams have become increasingly common in vehicles, providing drivers with added security and verification. After a collision, drivers may wonder: Can dash cam footage be used after a car accident in Louisiana? In most cases, yes; however, there are instances where footage is not helpful or deemed inadmissible. It is very useful to work with a abogado experto en accidentes de coche to determine the use of your dash cam footage and help you file your case.
After a car accident in Louisiana, there are a lot of costs associated with injuries. Car collisions are one of the most frequent causes of personal injuries. Fifty-nine thousand people were injured in vehicle collisions in Louisiana in 2024, and nearly 40,800 of those were drivers. Nearly 16,000 passengers and over 1,200 pedestrians were also among those injured.
These injuries often result in major financial losses. For those seeking compensation, it’s crucial to know how much time you have to file a car accident claim in Louisiana and be aware of the deadlines for filing car accident lawsuits in the state.
These injuries cause severe financial losses. On average, in the U.S., it can cost $98,153 for injuries in unintentional vehicle crashes that are treated in the emergency department. For injuries that require hospitalization, it costs an average of $266,728 per person. These costs include medical bills, lost wages, and the impact on a person’s quality of life.
Proving that another driver was at fault for the accident is crucial to recovering compensation, including lost wages, medical bills, and costs related to the quality of life. Unfortunately, it is often very hard to deal with the at-fault driver’s insurance company. These companies want to limit their liability by paying you as little as they can get away with. Having evidence and a strong case is crucial to obtaining the compensation you deserve.
A dash cam may be a crucial piece of evidence to support your claim, make your case stronger, and improve the chances of securing maximum financial compensation. Dash cams record the windshield view, and potentially footage at different points on the car. In Louisiana, as long as the dash cam does not obstruct the driver’s view, it can be used. There are many reasons why dash cams can be useful evidence in a case, including:
The primary drawback of dash cam footage is that if you were at fault for the accident, the footage will show that. You may have been distracted, driving over the speed limit, changing lanes unsafely, or committing moving violations. The dash cam provides evidence of this and could lead to you being fully or partially liable for the accident.
If you are partially liable, this reduces the compensation you can recover. If you were entirely liable for the crash, your claim will be denied, and your insurance will be held entirely liable for the damages to other drivers.
Dash cam footage is not generally helpful in securing a police report. To get a police report of a car accident from the Louisiana State Police, you need either the crash report number or the name of the driver involved in the accident, as well as the parish where the accident occurred and the date when the accident occurred. The information required may vary when requesting accident reports from a sheriff’s office or city police department.
If you are involved in an accident and you have dash cam footage of it, you should get in contact with an attorney to protect your rights. While an insurance company may request dash cam footage, it may not be in your interests to provide it. This may be true whether it is your insurance company or the at-fault driver’s. By working with an attorney, you can determine if you are required to hand over the footage.
Yes, you can use dash cam footage as evidence in Louisiana. It can provide crucial evidence of the claims you are making about fault in the accident. However, it is not always admissible in court, such as if it has been tampered with. It is important to handle the footage correctly and ensure it is downloaded and stored properly. When you hire a car accident lawyer, you can better protect this evidence and use it to support your claim.
The statute of limitations on a car accident in Louisiana is two years for civil claims. If you miss the civil claims deadline, you will be barred from financial recovery. Insurance claims must usually be made much more quickly than this. During negotiations of an insurance claim, it is important to keep the civil deadline in mind. If you do not reach a conclusion in negotiations before then, you could end up with nothing.
Working with a dedicated attorney promptly after a car crash is crucial to properly storing the footage, determining its relevance, and reviewing what the footage reveals about fault. Contactar con el bufete Murphy hoy.