Evidence gathering can make or break any personal injury case, and technology has become an integral part of the process. In car wrecks, state-of-the-art gadgets installed in new vehicles record every nuance of the driver’s behavior: travel speed, when the brakes are hit, and even the type of weather at the time of a crash. Workplace safety is also enhanced through the use of drones and 3D.
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Winning a Car Accident Settlement
Smart electronic devices are of great value in accident reconstruction. An attorney can reconstruct the entire situation from start to finish using data that has been collected. This data is retrieved in various ways.
Global Positioning
GPS metrics provide patterns of location. While corroborating evidence may be needed, GPS information is admissible in court.
Dash Cams
These mountable cameras are specifically designed to record driving behavior and will capture any collision that is forward facing. If another driver crosses the line into your lane, you will have video evidence.
Mobile Phones
Cell phones are the most obvious technological aid in personal injury cases. Gathering evidence through video recording or taking pictures provides clear-cut documentation, for example, your driving route at the time of the crash or records of any phone conversations may prove useful as well.
Personal Injury in the Workplace
Wearables
Any kind of wearable generates location data that can be used to prove a person’s whereabouts and therefore dismiss or support their alibi, as in this criminal case in Pennsylvania.
Wearables may also be of unexpected benefit. For example, if you’re seeking compensation for medical expenses, you may be asked to provide previous medical history. If you are wearing a Fitbit, the state of your health will be indisputably recorded on the device. Smart devices can be a game changer in some cases.
In addition to any personal devices the employee may have, employers are embracing wearables, especially in industries that are at high risk. For example, smart glasses allow a worker to communicate with a phone call without taking their attention off the job and as a bonus, provide a record of activity.
Drones
Drones are increasingly utilized for a variety of tasks, and are gaining popularity in high-risk jobs like mining and firefighting. Unmanned aerial vehicles can safely go where humans cannot and are often equipped with cameras.
3D Technology
Factories and construction areas are examples of work sites that integrate 3D technology to enable workers to foresee threats in the surrounding environment. 3D cameras scan, analyze and record the environment. Any situation can be reconstructed by using the data that is collected.
Digital Witness, Technology’s Role in Personal Injury Claims
Prior to the widespread use of technology, a plaintiff’s lawyer may count on testimony from expert witnesses. More recently however, that information can be collected digitally and provide rock-solid evidence in support of your claim.
Conversely, if a witness’s credibility is in question, technology can be used to discredit them in no uncertain terms and your lawyer can challenge a shady witness with hard-and-fast facts. Sometimes this is enough to make the defendant drop the case.
Collecting evidence through technology has a huge impact on how personal injury cases are presented in court and won. Monge & Associates has experienced counsel to advise you on how to win your personal injury case in the new data-driven environment.
Never settle out of court until every avenue is explored. When you have been injured because of someone else’s negligence, that innocent-looking cell phone or wearable device can make the at-fault party pay and provide you with the handsome settlement you deserve.
