In a personal injury claim, documentation and proof of liability are essential. Without hard evidence, some claims may be hard to prove and result in lower compensation amounts -- or none at all.

Video evidence is excellent proof to have in personal injury cases. Keep reading to learn more about utilizing video evidence for personal injury claims.

Why Video Evidence Is Useful

Video evidence is one of the best forms of evidence for a personal injury claim. Your case can quickly go from a flimsy he-said, she-said case to a rock-hard claim with video proof to back it up. 

Types of Video Evidence

Most people think of smartphones when they think of video evidence. Plenty of bar fights or strange accidents have been caught on camera. But video evidence comes in many forms you may not have considered.

This section details the various types of video evidence that could help your personal injury claim in New Jersey.

Phone Video

As mentioned, this is the type of video evidence people think of first. Smartphones and tablets have video recording capabilities, allowing people to record a video at the drop of a hat.

Phone recordings are also often clear and of decent quality, rather than grainy, fuzzy security footage that is difficult to watch. For these reasons, phone recordings are ideal evidence in many situations.

Audio Recording

Audio recordings can also be considered a type of video evidence. A recording of a phone call, conversation, or another event relevant to the injury claim can be substantially helpful during a court case. An audio recording can be from a mobile device, computer, or another recording device.

Security Camera Footage

Another common form of video evidence is security footage! In today’s modern world, almost every business, building, and street corner has a camera. Even if the business or building had nothing to do with the injury, nearby security cameras often catch useful footage.

Traffic Cameras

Traffic cameras, especially in automobile-related injury claims, can capture the incident, showing exactly what happened. Traffic cameras continuously record, making it easy to find a recording of anything that happened within its view.

Dash Cam Footage

Many people have dash cameras in their cars. These cameras are invaluable when it comes to personal injury claims related to car accidents. If you don't have a dash cam, someone else involved or a police offer may have one.

Body Cam Footage

Speaking of police officers, many wear body cams which can be useful evidence. If a police officer was present at the time of the injury, their body cam footage may hold something that could support your claims.

Webcam Recordings

Lastly, webcam recordings using a computer or recordings of video calls, like Zoom meetings or Skype chats, can be used as video evidence. It may be a recording of you and the injury or a recording of someone being negligent or confessing.

Collecting Video Evidence

If it occurs to you in the moment of the incident, whipping out your phone, turning on a screen recording, or taking note of nearby security cameras can be super helpful.

But if you ever feel you need evidence, a smartphone recording can go a long way in court. If it’s too late for you to capture evidence, there may still be hope to acquire video evidence for your personal injury claim.

When first reading this, you may feel panicked or disappointed that you have no video evidence. But sometimes, you can collect video evidence after the fact.

Before you give up on your hopes of using video evidence during your trial, take the following steps to try and collect some recorded evidence:

• Reach out to witnesses who may have recorded something on a mobile device.
• Reach out to witnesses in vehicles who may have a dash cam.
• Contact police officers on the scene who may have dash or body cams.
• Contact nearby businesses and buildings and ask if they have security cameras that could have captured the incident.
• Reach out to companies like Zoom or Skype to try and acquire recordings of specific video calls.
• Contact the city to get traffic cam footage if you were near a speeding camera or traffic light.

Reaching out to these people and entities could be the difference between having physical evidence to support your claims and relying on flimsy statements.

An experienced lawyer can help you contact these people and ensure you cover all your bases, hopefully, resulting in useful video evidence that your trial could hinge on.

Talk to the Personal Injury Lawyers at Brandon J. Broderick, Attorney at Law

Video evidence, witness statements, police reports, and medical records are all highly effective and typical types of evidence in a personal injury claim. Our top-rated New Jersey personal injury lawyers will review the evidence at hand at the onset of the case and may also further build the case by collecting more evidence. We have decades of experience championing for our clients and succeeding, even when other attorneys say there is no case and insurance adjusters deny or devalue your claim. 

At Brandon J. Broderick, Attorney at Law, we believe in exceptional client care, empathy, and results. With offices across New Jersey and the tri-state area, we’ve got you covered. We’ve helped people just like you move forward after sustaining an injury that was caused by another’s negligence. Contact us today for a free consultation.