car accident attorneyWhy Do Car Accidents Happen?

The number one cause of Kansas City car accidents that occur at intersections is when one party disregarded the traffic control device (i.e., failure to stop at a stop sign or failure to stop during a red light). When that happens and both parties to the car wreck claim that they had the right-of-way you or your attorney will need to determine if there is any evidence to show that the other driver was liable for running a stop sign or red light. If the other driver denies that they ran the red light or stop sign, their insurance company will usually deny the claim and pay no damages to you as they have to take their insured at their word. An attorney should quickly see if there is any chance video footage exists of the wreck to prove the other driver was liable for his or her client’s damages.

Preserving Video Evidence Quickly After a Kansas or Missouri Car Wreck:

  • You should immediately go check out all buildings and residences near the intersection to determine whether there may be anyone who has video footage and inquire whether they do have footage of the wreck.
  • Many houses nowadays have Ring doorbell systems that may have recorded the wreck. Please inquire with everyone who lives near the intersection to see if they have any video cameras or even witnessed the wreck.
  • If there are recordings, most wouldn’t be retained for more than thirty days, but some will only be retained for a much shorter time, like a week. You must quickly go to the scene and do all your due diligence to see if any footage exists.
  • It is very unlikely that any government-run traffic cameras will have recordings as it is all livestream.
  • Even if the video does not show the crash, the video may still be helpful to show the speed or whether the other party was applying their brakes.
  • Ask the other side to preserve their car so you can get the Electronic Control Modules (ECM) in all crashes; critical in many crashes. An expert may be used to download the data from the other car to show how fast they were going or whether they were braking in the five seconds or so before impact.
  • Always see if you can get 911 call log and audio recordings; many times a witness never stops but calls in only to be told it was already reported and hangs up, but you get their number and can call them to see if they witnessed the wreck and who may have had the green or red light.
Kimberly Wright
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Kansas City Personal Injury Attorney
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