Getting hit from the side is terrifying. One second you are cruising through a green light, and the next, your world spins. The airbags deploy, glass shatters, and your car is pushed across the intersection. T-bone collisions are violent, but the aftermath can be just as painful, especially when the other driver hops out of their car and starts blaming you.
In a perfect world, the person who ran the red light would admit it. But we don’t live in a perfect world. We live in a world where people lie to avoid higher insurance premiums. Without solid proof, a clear-cut case can quickly turn into a frustrating mess. This is where a dashboard camera becomes the most important passenger in your vehicle.
The Problem with “He Said, She Said”
Intersections are tricky places for liability. Unlike a rear-end accident, where the fault is usually obvious, side-impact crashes almost always involve a dispute over who had the right of way.
Police officers rarely witness the crash firsthand. They arrive later, look at the debris, and take statements. If the other driver insists they had a green arrow and you ran a red light, and there are no independent witnesses around, the officer might not issue a citation to anyone. They might just write up a report stating that drivers gave conflicting accounts.
This is a nightmare scenario for your injury claim. When the police report is inconclusive, insurance adjusters love to deny responsibility. They might suggest splitting the blame 50/50. That means you could be left paying for your own medical bills and car repairs, even though you did nothing wrong.
A dash cam changes the dynamic entirely. It removes the “I think” and replaces it with “I know.” It provides an unbiased, unblinking eye that captures the truth.
It’s Not Just About the Impact
Most people think the value of a dash cam is showing the actual collision. While seeing the crash is helpful, the most valuable evidence usually happens in the five to ten seconds before the impact.
The Traffic Light
This is the big one. A wide-angle lens captures the entire intersection, including the traffic signals. If the video shows your light was solid green as you crossed the limit line, the argument is over. It doesn’t matter what the other driver says; the video proves they violated your right of way.
Your Speed
A common defense tactic is to claim you were speeding. The other driver’s insurance rep might argue that even if their client ran the light, you were going so fast that you contributed to the severity of the crash. Many modern cameras log GPS data, stamping your exact speed onto the video file. If you were doing 35 in a 35 zone, that data shuts down their argument immediately.
Lane Discipline
Sometimes, a T-bone happens because someone made an illegal turn from the wrong lane. Video footage clearly shows your lane position and the path of the other vehicle, making it easy to reconstruct exactly how the failure occurred.
Fighting Back Against “Shared Blame”
Insurance companies are businesses. Their goal is to keep money in their pockets, not put it in yours. Even when their driver is clearly at fault, they often try to use a legal concept called “comparative negligence” to pay you less.
They might look at the crash and say, “Sure, our driver ran the red light, but you should have seen them coming. You had three seconds to brake, and you didn’t.” They try to shift a percentage of the blame onto you to lower the settlement.
High-definition video is your best defense against this. Your attorney can use the footage to show that your view was blocked by a large truck, or that the other car shot out so fast that no human could have reacted in time. We can break the video down frame-by-frame to show that you were driving carefully and attentive to the road. It proves that the accident was unavoidable on your part.
Don’t Ruin the Evidence
If you have a camera, you need to know how to handle the data after a crash. Panic sets in after an accident, but you have to keep a cool head regarding the memory card.
Dash cams record on a loop. Once the card is full, the camera writes over the oldest footage. If you leave the camera running while you wait for a tow truck, or if you drive the car home with the camera on, you risk erasing the accident clip.
As soon as it is safe to do so, turn the camera off. Take the SD card out. Put it in your pocket or a safe place. Do not try to put it in your phone to watch it immediately, and definitely do not try to edit the file. You need the raw, original file. If the file’s metadata is altered, the insurance company might claim the video was doctored.
Why You Need a Lawyer to Handle the Video
Here is a piece of advice that might save your case: Do not send the footage directly to the insurance adjuster.
You might think, “The video proves I’m right, I’ll just email it to them and they will cut me a check.” It rarely works that way. Adjusters are trained to pick apart evidence. They will watch that video looking for your mistakes, not their client’s. Maybe you drifted slightly in your lane. Maybe your radio was loud. Maybe you were going 2 mph over the limit. They will use anything they find to devalue your claim.
Your attorney acts as a filter. We review the footage first. We understand the traffic laws and how they apply to what the camera saw. We present the video in a specific context, often paired with expert analysis, to ensure it is used to prove the other driver’s negligence, not to scrutinize your driving habits.
Get the Help You Deserve
Technology is a powerful tool, but it is just a tool. You still need a skilled craftsman to use it effectively. In a serious T-bone collision, the injuries can be life-altering, and the financial stakes are high. You cannot rely on an insurance company to do the right thing just because you have a video file.
You need an advocate who knows how to turn that digital evidence into a maximum settlement.
If you or a loved one has been hurt in an intersection accident, let us handle the paperwork and the arguments while you focus on healing.
Contact The Mass Injury Group today. We are ready to review your footage and fight for your future.
Visit us at 15 Broad St #800 Boston, MA 02109.
Call now for a free consultation on (617) 263-0860.