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Does front view dashcam videos help a rear tap case?

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PAPP

Active Member
What is the name of your state? - California

It's my first car accident ever and I have no clue what I should expect. Even though I have had a driver's license for a few decades, my knowledge about cars and car insurances are very poor because I didn't need to drive most of the time. I started to drive daily when I moved to where I live now, around 3 years ago. I don't know whether my question is actually a legal question or not. If not, I hope you will just laugh and forgive my ignorance.

I had a minor collision when I was backing up in a parking lot. The other driver and I parked our cars on opposite sides of the middle road. The parking lot was packed and people were looking for a parking spot. Before I entered my car, I saw a driver noticed we were leaving and backed up his car to wait for the spot, so I carefully started to back up, trying not to hit the car which was waiting. I was about to change gears, when I felt a slight impact at the back of the car and my son said he thought I had hit something. At that moment, I was actually looking at the gear shifter, not the rear view mirror. I didn't see what actually happened. I didn't notice her car at all. We looked at each other's cars and it seemed the side of my car's back bumper had collided with her car's rear bumper. My car is old and already had some small minor scratches here and there. It was hard to know which scratches were made (if any) by this accident. It was raining and both cars had streaks/areas where the rain was wiped off (most likely by the other car) and slightly scratched. I think that is the place where we collied. However, she pointed out a different big black skid mark kind of line and said she had never seen that scratch on the back of her car. My car is a small coupe, while her car is a large SUV. The scratch on her car was on the little flat area you'd expect to be right in front of the button to open the trunk, right above the bumper. She claimed that the scratch wasn't there before, however I'm skeptical that my car could've made that scratch, considering the location and height differences of our cars.

My car's scratches are just small and I won't do anything about it. Her car is a 2018 Acura SUV. She said it was a lease and would check it with her dealer. I'm assuming we both were backing up and it would be a 50/50 fault scenario. I'm fine with the 50/50 fault, but just in case that doesn't happen, I'm wondering if my front view dashcam videos will help with anything. They show where we parked and the backing up stage when the two cars collided.
 


gabam

Member
In my case it helped. I was following a car and I was keeping enough distance, and I got rear-ended, that shock was obvious in the footage. My car was pushed forward but I didn't rear-end the car in front, thanks to the distance that I lept. I immediately got out of the car with my dashcam which also records audio. I started recording the licensce plate and damage on his car. He was toast. His insurance accepted full liability. I got my car fixed($2200 damage), got a rental car, and got paid $750 for my lost wages. I drive Uber/Lyft. A dashcam is a life-saver. And you know what, later he had told his insurance that I suddenly backed up I guess he was trying a 50/50 with me. I sent the 1080p footage to his insurance company and proved him a freaking liar. In the audio recording, he had accepted his fault and said sorry
Your case is complicated. Go through the footage multiple times and remember what happened.
 

Zigner

Senior Member, Non-Attorney
What is the name of your state? - California

It's my first car accident ever and I have no clue what I should expect. Even though I have had a driver's license for a few decades, my knowledge about cars and car insurances are very poor because I didn't need to drive most of the time. I started to drive daily when I moved to where I live now, around 3 years ago. I don't know whether my question is actually a legal question or not. If not, I hope you will just laugh and forgive my ignorance.

I had a minor collision when I was backing up in a parking lot. The other driver and I parked our cars on opposite sides of the middle road. The parking lot was packed and people were looking for a parking spot. Before I entered my car, I saw a driver noticed we were leaving and backed up his car to wait for the spot, so I carefully started to back up, trying not to hit the car which was waiting. I was about to change gears, when I felt a slight impact at the back of the car and my son said he thought I had hit something. At that moment, I was actually looking at the gear shifter, not the rear view mirror. I didn't see what actually happened. I didn't notice her car at all. We looked at each other's cars and it seemed the side of my car's back bumper had collided with her car's rear bumper. My car is old and already had some small minor scratches here and there. It was hard to know which scratches were made (if any) by this accident. It was raining and both cars had streaks/areas where the rain was wiped off (most likely by the other car) and slightly scratched. I think that is the place where we collied. However, she pointed out a different big black skid mark kind of line and said she had never seen that scratch on the back of her car. My car is a small coupe, while her car is a large SUV. The scratch on her car was on the little flat area you'd expect to be right in front of the button to open the trunk, right above the bumper. She claimed that the scratch wasn't there before, however I'm skeptical that my car could've made that scratch, considering the location and height differences of our cars.

My car's scratches are just small and I won't do anything about it. Her car is a 2018 Acura SUV. She said it was a lease and would check it with her dealer. I'm assuming we both were backing up and it would be a 50/50 fault scenario. I'm fine with the 50/50 fault, but just in case that doesn't happen, I'm wondering if my front view dashcam videos will help with anything. They show where we parked and the backing up stage when the two cars collided.
Your dash cam doesn't show the accident. All it will show is that you were backing and that you hit something.
 

PAPP

Active Member
Thank you for your reply, gabam and Zigner.
I'm glad to hear your case settled nicely, gabam. As Zigner pointed out, my video footage only shows I was slowly backing up and some bumping shock. I was about to stop, so the impact was not big. Fortunately, nobody hurt and our cars were not damaged badly. I hear a high end car repair cost is everything so high, so I'll just be mentally prepared for the worst case scenario repair cost.

One more question. I won't do anything with my car, but I'm positive she will fix those scratches. Should I contact my insurance company about the accident now or should I wait for her to contact me or my insurance company about a repair?
 

PAPP

Active Member
Thank you for your reply, HighwayMan and adjusterjack.
I'll call my insurance company right now! I don't deny my negligence at all. I really didn't see what happened back there. I'm hoping it would be a 50/50 fault. Is my 50/50 assumption too optimistic and not realistic? Sorry about my ignorance. I really don't know what I should expect.

I know my driving skills are not so good. I usually avoid a high traffic area to park my car. I'll park more remote area from today.
 

adjusterjack

Senior Member
Is my 50/50 assumption too optimistic and not realistic?
Yes.

I really don't know what I should expect.
Expect your insurance company to pay for the other car's repairs and surcharge your policy for 3 years.

Happened to me several years ago when I backed out of a space and hit a car coming across my path.

I really didn't see what happened back there.
That's the thing. You can't take your eyes of the direction you're driving, even for a second.
 

Just Blue

Senior Member
Thank you for your reply, HighwayMan and adjusterjack.
I'll call my insurance company right now! I don't deny my negligence at all. I really didn't see what happened back there. I'm hoping it would be a 50/50 fault. Is my 50/50 assumption too optimistic and not realistic? Sorry about my ignorance. I really don't know what I should expect.

I know my driving skills are not so good. I usually avoid a high traffic area to park my car. I'll park more remote area from today.
If your driving skills are not good, go back to driving school . Be aware you may just be a crappy driver and should get off the road for everyone's safety.
 

PAPP

Active Member
Thank you for your reply, adjusterjack and Just Blue.
I'll just be prepared for the worst case scenario. I appreciate your suggestion about the driving school, Just Blue. I didn't think about it. I'll take some lessons to brush up my skills. I thought following the rules and being cautious were good enough, but this accident made me think my level of cautiousness was not as high as I thought. I'll be more cautious and take some driving lessons to gain my skills.

I hope auto driven cars will be available soon.:) I'm not a person who buys the latest technology gadget when it hits the market, but the auto driven cars are a different story for me. I'll buy it when it hits the market!
 

PAPP

Active Member
Thank you for your reply, Zigner.
I reported the accident to my insurance company this morning. I just sit tight for them to call me tomorrow. The parking lot was diagonal parking. The other driver said she didn't see my car on her back up camera. It seems my car was in a blind spot from her car. I saw her car on my rear view mirror when I was slightly turning, but not noticing her car was moving.

I really appreciate your taking time to answer my thread. Now, I'm mentally ready for whatever outcome I'll have!
 

adjusterjack

Senior Member
For some reason I got the idea you backed into a non-moving vehicle.

If you were both backing up and hit each other it will probably be 50/50 fault. Won't help much. You'll probably still be surcharged.
 

PAPP

Active Member
Thank you for your reply, adjusterjack.
Small details easily slip especially when you read a long explanation. When I ask my SO to proofread my English, he always says I write too long and some topics are mixed in a paragraph. I should put more efforts to write brief and to the point sentences. I'm ready for whatever consequences coming.

It's a wake up call for me that I should be more careful. I know it doesn't sound convincing at all, but I have been a cautious driver because I know my driving skills and I don't think I can react to unexpected things quickly like experienced drivers can do. I actually "lectured" to my son in the past that he should be extra careful when he became a driver because a situation could change in a split second. Now, my ego is sooo hurt. :LOL:
 

PAPP

Active Member
I just would like to thank you again to answer my thread. I haven't heard anything from the other driver. I don't know if she decided not to do anything with scratches or if some touch up paint was good enough for them. Just let a sleeping dog lie.

I just had a driving lesson with my son today. I really appreciate Just Blue suggested it for me. I went over all the basics and learned some new ways to check blind spots. Since an accident, driving a car became more and more nerve racking for me. I was a motorcycle rider when I was younger. My number of years driving a motorcycle is still greater than the number of years driving a car. I was not comfortable driving a car because I had to deal with more blind spots. However, I learned things to make my driving better today and my son also learned what he should look out for me as a passenger. I feel more comfortable driving a car. If I didn't come across a driving lesson idea, I would have kept dealing with all sorts of anxieties whenever I drive. Thank you again for giving me a great suggestion, Just Blue!
 

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