Every year, slip and fall cases are most frequently claimed as personal injury claims. These incidents sometimes result in severe injuries that lead to medical expenses and also some complex legal battles for compensation.
When seeking legal help for the damage, video surveillance footage is a great help in the outcomes of your cases. If a clear and relevant video is presented, it significantly impacts the plaintiff’s case or may strengthen the defendant’s statement. To learn more about how the footage helps in cases of slip and fall, read this article.
How It Helps In Slip And Fall Cases?
Video surveillance is commonly used nowadays to enhance security and monitor activities around the area. You will find those everywhere, from offices and residential complexes to parking lots and retail stores. It is now used for both public and private spaces to improve the security of the area. In slip-and-fall incidents, this footage can help by:
- Providing objective evidence –
Video surveillance will always have an unbiased recording and account of the incident occurring and even the before and after of it. Unlike eye testimony, which sometimes has inaccuracies and biases, eye testimony is free from all of them, delivering the truth of the incident.
- In determining liability
It is crucial to determine liability for this case. Video footage can assist in proving that the incident occurred as a result of the property owner’s negligence by revealing the following:
- The condition of hazards.
- Duration of the incident and time before that
- Actions taken by property owners or managers to aid the hazards
- Helping to refute the false claims –
Unfortunately, not all the cases of slip and fall are genuine. To obtain compensation from the property owners or managers, some individuals exaggerate their falls and the severity of their injury or fabricate incidents for it. If video surveillance footage is available, it can help refute these false claims by providing an accurate and clear account of an accident. For example, if a plaintiff is claiming a severe fall but after looking at the video footage, it is just a minor stumble, then it will help protect property owners from fraud claims.
- By capturing environmental conditions –
As the environment plays an important role in the place of the incident, clear footage will show if the place has low lighting or is slippery due to heavy rain or snowfall and not due to lack of maintenance of the premises.
- Showing the plaintiff’s behavior –
There will be some cases where the behavior of the plaintiff contributes to the incident. Video footage of that period will show whether they were running, distracted by a cell phone, or distracted somewhere else. While it also helps in showing that they were careful but still occurred, then it will help them by giving strength to their claim of an environment that was hazardous.
Let Us See How Video Quality And Angles Can Impact The Claim
Having an all-round account of the incident, like before and after, or maybe some factors that prove to be a reason for the slip and fall, will help strengthen your claims. Therefore, high-resolution and clear footage will be persuasive in court. Having multiple camera angles for the incident will take account of the hazard present and also clearly record the plaintiff’s and owner’s behavior before and after the incident.
Contact Your Lawyer Today!
If you are a victim of slip and fall cases, getting help from video surveillance to seek compensation will be efficient. Though in the process of getting access to the footage and presenting it to the court, a legal professional will ensure the safety of your interest and help you with the claim. Thus, always consider seeking professional help to get step a step-by-step guide to go through the process of your claims.