How you can show exactly what happened in a car crash

On Behalf of | Sep 21, 2022 | Car Accidents |

Determining fault after a motor vehicle collision can be a complex process. Police officers have to talk to everyone involved in a motor vehicle collision and also interview any witnesses to determine what caused the crash.

If everyone tells the truth, the process of completing a police report and filing an insurance claim is often straightforward. One driver may have run a red light or failed to use a turn signal, which clearly caused the collision.

However, drivers who cause crashes typically don’t want to admit responsibility. They don’t want an insurance claim driving up their rates or a lawsuit damaging their reputation and personal financial stability. When the person who caused the crash denies responsibility or tries to blame you, how can you conclusively show that they were the one to blame?

Locate video footage of the crash

Video footage is among the best possible kinds of evidence that can prove what happened before and during a collision. There are numerous kinds of cameras that might capture footage of the collision or the moments right before the crash occurred.

Many drivers have dashboard cameras in their vehicles for insurance and liability purposes, as well as to protect themselves from criminal activity. A dashboard camera in either vehicle involved in the wreck or in any nearby vehicle may have footage of the collision.

Security cameras are also more common than they were a few decades ago. Many homes and businesses have cameras not just capturing interior spaces but also driveways and sidewalks. Sometimes, there will even be traffic camera footage available.

Recreate the collision

You can sometimes use evidence about the crash to show what happened. Capturing video footage and still photos of the scene of the crash could allow you to hire professionals to recreate the crash later.

Using physical models or software, it may be possible to show that the crash unfolded in the way that you described and could not have occurred how the other driver claimed it didn’t. Collision recreations can help when there is no camera footage and there are no witnesses other than the drivers involved in the crash.

Proving that the other driver to blank is to blame is often the first step toward getting compensation after a serious car crash.

 

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attorneys Brad Culpepper and Brett J. Kurland