Sometimes, it seems like we are constantly being photographed while outside the house. Besides the selfies and other photographs that we purposely take and pose for, video cameras document our every move on the streets.
This raises some questions about privacy, but it also documents more than ever before. Unlike most of past history, the likelihood today is that a car accident or at least some part of it will be caught on tape, so that injured victims can rely on real evidence, rather than witness recollections.
A recent car accident that took place in San Francisco provides a good example. A video uploaded to YouTube purports to show a hit-and-run crash that took place on Apr. 18. The uploader says he recorded the incident on his dashboard camera.
The 45-second video, available here, shows the uploader’s car approaching a red light. At first, everything seems normal. Suddenly, when the light turns green, an SUV in the right-hand land swerves in front of the uploader’s vehicle to attempt a left turn. The SUV crashes into an oncoming car and keeps going, disappearing out of frame. An article about the incident says the SUV also hit a pedestrian before the driver fled the scene.
Besides recording the initial crash, the footage also got the SUV’s license plate. According to the witness with the dashboard camera, the pedestrian was able to walk away from the scene.
We hope that person is indeed uninjured, but it is very common for pedestrians to be seriously hurt when hit by a car.
