I began looking for a way to improve my chances of winning a lawsuit a few months ago, and it occurred to me that my lawyer was just not cutting it. In addition to not having experience with the kind of law I needed help with, he also didn't seem that interested, so I decided to let him go. I began thinking about different things I wanted in a general attorney, and I was able to find a professional that I really felt great about working with. It was incredible to find an expert that really understood what I was up against, and before I knew it, my name was cleared. Read more about general attorneys on this blog.
There are a lot more cameras around than in past decades. In addition to security cameras mounted to businesses and hospitals, there are a wealth of higher quality dash cameras and mobile devices on a growing number of vehicles and almost every car has one or more smartphones available. It isn't a guarantee that your accident was on camera, but it's likely. Here are a few ways to gather and properly use that evidence to your advantage for your legal protection.
Identify The Possible Recording Sources
Begin with stationary cameras. If your accident was in an area with businesses on either side of the road, one or more of the businesses may have recorded evidence of the accident. This depends on the cameras being pointed far enough towards the road that the details of the accident would have been within view.
If there are no businesses nearby, look for traffic signals and service poles. Many traffic systems have cameras that record local area details and may snap photos during either speeding situations or full recordings for a set number of days.
Next, reach out to the media for assistance with the accident information. Although news anchors aren't in the business of fighting everyone's case, an accident that caused even a slight amount of inconvenience on the road is news and can lead to engagement--especially if it leads to viewers calling into the news station or being active on social media to share their evidence or eyewitness account.
Social media works as well, but you may have a harder time reaching enough people unless you already have access to a significant social media following. Whether you're highly active on social media or not, use either your personal page or a profile created just for the accident to reach out to anyone who may have information about the accident. Traditional media can use the social media posts for their sites as well.
Gathering Evidence With Modern Storage
Most digital evidence will be accessible via USB (Universal Serial Bus) or SD card (Secure Digital). USB is the rectangular connector used for most computer peripherals, while SD cards are the small chips that act as storage for mobile devices and cameras.
These are the most common ports for storage devices, and having at least 10 or more gigabytes will allow on-the-go evidence copying in most cases. It's not expensive to be safe rather than sorry with hundreds of gigabytes, but it's not entirely necessary unless surveillance systems are recording in the highest quality and the most inefficient way of saving information.
A few less common, but still used systems will need discs. This includes CDs, DVDs, and possibly Blu-Ray discs for that odd part of tech history when the USB and SD card options were not an obvious victor for simple storage.
Before copying or touching anything, let an attorney know. Your attorney can advise you on what to copy and what not to touch, and how to send unedited evidence to make sure that your legal opponent can't claim that you sabotaged the evidence. Contact an auto injury law firm to discuss other parts of gathering evidence to protect your legal rights.