Yes, you can use video evidence in court when bringing a civil claim against a bad actor. Video footage presents the court with a compelling visual elaborating on the specific acts of negligence that contributed to your losses. So long as you elaborate on your video’s findings, you can make your fight for personal injury compensation easier.
However, how are you supposed to get your hands on video footage relevant to your accident, especially if you’re injured? When in doubt, our Long Island, NY, personal injury lawyers can help. We know what right you have to access publicly available video footage, as well as how to ask witnesses for data relevant to a recent accident.
Let our team advocate for you as you use video footage to assert your right to accident compensation.
How does Video Footage Contribute to Your Civil Case?
Video footage provides a visual depiction of the events that led to your recent accident. That visual depiction prevents a liable party from misrepresenting the negligence that led to your losses.
However, video footage isn’t a perfect form of evidence. The videos you can collect after an accident may not present a comprehensive picture of the negligence that caused your accident. A bad angle may obscure a liable party’s attempts to flee from the scene or the extent of the damage done to your property.
Does this mean it’s not worth your time to seek out video footage of an accident? No. Rather, it’s usually better to pair video footage with other forms of data to make a case against a bad actor.
How Can Long Island Personal Injury Lawyers Collect Video Footage?
There are a few different types of video footage you can integrate into a civil case. The first is private footage. Bystanders who take videos of your accident can submit their videos to our lawyers for use in your court case. However, we have an obligation to ask for and secure that footage. It doesn’t come to us automatically.
The second kind of footage available for use in court includes institutionally controlled footage. This category includes videos on corporate security cameras and street lights. Some of this footage may be readily accessible, but other important segments may require a subpoena or warrant.
Fortunately, our team knows how to work within the civil system on your behalf. We can get a warrant, talk to government officials, and even collaborate with other legal professionals to secure the evidence relevant to your case.
What to Expect When Lawyers Present Video Footage in Court
After using video footage to build your claim, our team can compile the footage into exhibits to share with a civil court. While you’re under no obligation to go to trial after a serious accident, the trial process benefits individuals who may otherwise struggle to get the damages they need from a liable party.
Using video evidence in court requires our team to go into detail about the contents of a video and what that content means. We can describe our analysis of video content relevant to your case and examine – or cross-examine – witnesses accordingly.
Are you wondering what else a personal injury attorney can do for you? You can schedule a free case consultation with an experienced legal professional today to learn more about our available services.
When Should You Contact a Long Island Personal Injury Lawyer?
We recommend getting in touch with a personal injury attorney in Long Island sooner rather than later. Your first motivator comes in the form of New York’s personal injury statute of limitations. The statute allows you to take no more than three years to build a claim against a bad actor.
Your second motivator comes in the short lifespan of video data. Unfortunately, it gets harder to access the video evidence you need to make your case the longer you wait to file a claim. Some businesses even destroy security footage after a set period of time to make more space for updated data.
You don’t want to lose evidence that might make or break your fight for accident compensation. With that in mind, consider reaching out to our lawyers sooner rather than later. We can work with you or a personal representative to begin gathering the video footage needed to make your case almost immediately after your accident.
Can Video Footage Prove Your Right to Economic and Non-Economic Damages?
Video footage can do more than prove that you have the right to bring a civil case forward in court. You can also use video evidence in court to elaborate on the nature of the damages you need to recover. Video footage from an accident can help you more accurately depict losses like the following:
- Your post-accident injuries
- The extent of your property damage
- Any emotional distress inflicted by a belligerent or uncooperative party
Our team can use video footage in tandem with your medical bills, doctors’ recommendations, and repair bills to estimate the total value of the settlement you can win after filing a personal injury claim. We can also call on our decades of legal experience to accurately assign a dollar value to losses like emotional distress or pain and suffering.
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Let Video Footage Help You Win the Right to Accident Damages Today
You can use video evidence in court. Video evidence often makes a compelling addition to cases challenging hard-to-document or contested negligence. You can work with a Long Island personal injury lawyer to:
- Collect video footage from witnesses, nearby security cameras, dash cameras, and other sources
- Analyze the footage relevant to your accident
- Compile your findings into court-accessible exhibits
- Present your findings alongside the broader narrative of your case
Are you ready to take legal action against the bad actors responsible for your recent suffering? Book a free case consultation with Levine And Wiss today. We’re ready to put our 100+ years of legal knowledge to work on your behalf.
