By Shannon J. Sagan, The Dash Cam Lawyer® — Florida Bar #10793

Palm Beach County personal injury attorney Shannon J. Sagan, The Dash Cam Lawyer®, has given away more than 1,300 free dashcams to Florida and Georgia drivers, and the giveaway is ongoing. The reason is simple: dashcam footage is often the strongest evidence of what happened after a crash, and every camera on the road protects a driver before an accident ever happens.

1,300 Cameras and Counting

The number is not a slogan. It is a running count, verified against the cameras ordered and the cameras still on the shelf, and it keeps climbing. “I’ve had dash cams in all of my personal vehicles for many many years now. I know how powerful they can be if something happens and how they can protect a driver.  A few years after having them in my car, I noticed an increasing trend with the insurance companies, either denying liability or even more common, trying to put at least some blame on my clients.  It was alarming how big this tactic was getting and the only way in my mind to counteract that was with dash cam evidence. Driving on I 95 one day it hit me, I need to get dashcams in the cars of ALL of my friends, family, and clients ASAP. And each month we continue to get them in people’s cars all over Palm Beach County and Florida.   

Giving dash cams to people puts something in drivers’ hands that protects them before anything happens. There are no strings attached. Nobody who receives a camera is asked to sign anything, hire the firm, or become a client. If they come to my office and want to hire me after an accident, great. If they have their own lawyer, then just make sure he or she gets the footage. This, to me is a community road safety effort, full stop. 

Why a Personal Injury Lawyer Gives Away Cameras

After years of handling car accident claims across Palm Beach County, one pattern shows up over and over: two drivers, two stories, and no witnesses. When a crash comes down to he said versus she said, the injured person often pays the price for the uncertainty. Insurance companies know how to work a gray area.

Video removes the gray area most of the time. A camera does not forget, does not get shaken up by the collision, and does not change its story. Florida courts admit dashcam video when it is properly authenticated under Florida Statute 90.901, and in case after case, footage has turned a disputed claim into a documented one.

That evidence gap is also why the giveaway will not stop at 1,300 and counting. “Ive seen the power of dash cam video in my injury cases. They have shown many of my clients did nothing wrong, when they were originally blamed or partially blamed for an accident. As a matter of fact, just recently I had an officer who originally gave my client a citation for the crash, and listed her at fault on the crash report, completely reverse his position after I asked him to please take two minutes to review the actual video of the crash (my client was not tech savvy and did not know how to show him at the scene).  Once he saw it he apologized and reversed his decision, and cited the other driver for the accident and a ticket for giving false information.  Has my client not had that dash cam, which ironically I had just given to her three weeks prior to her crash, she would be legally and financially responsible for the damages.”

What Dashcam Footage Does in a Florida Accident Claim

Since Florida’s 2023 tort reform (HB 837), the state follows modified comparative negligence: if you are found more than 50 percent at fault, you recover nothing, and any fault assigned to you reduces your recovery. That change made blame shifting a core insurance company strategy, and it made objective video evidence more valuable than it has ever been.

• Fault disputes: footage can show the light, the lane change, or the failure to yield exactly as it happened.
• Hit and run and uninsured driver crashes: a plate number or vehicle description captured on video can be the difference between a recovery and a dead end.
• Low speed and “minor” impact claims: video documents the collision itself when insurers argue the impact was too small to cause injury.

For the complete legal breakdown, including authentication and audio consent rules, see our guide to Florida dashcam evidence law.

If You Are in a Crash: Use the Camera, Then Protect Your Claim

1. Call 911, accept medical evaluation, and make sure a police report is filed.
2. Save the footage immediately. Most dashcams overwrite old video as soon as hours later. Download the footage to your phone or pull the sd card out and download it to your computer. 
3. Do not call your own insurance company from the scene. Most people do this by instinct. Speak with an attorney about your rights first. You do have a duty to cooperate with your insurer under your policy, but that duty does not require an immediate call.
4. Never give a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurer or to your own insurer without speaking to an attorney first.
5. Get medical care within 14 days to protect your Personal Injury Protection benefits under Florida Statute 627.736.

How the Giveaways Work

Shannon‘s mission will continue to be simple: get as many dash cams into South Florida drivers’ vehicles as possible. He does it by donating cameras to charities, giving them to friend and family, clients, Uber Lyft and rideshare drivers, and business owners with fleets by handing them out at live events and running frequent giveaways on social media. Check out The Dash Cam Lawyer® on all social media platforms or TheDashCamLawyer.com.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does a lawyer give away free dashcams?

Because footage protects drivers before a crash and tells the truth after one. Fewer disputed claims means injured people are treated fairly, and cameras on the road make everyone drive a little more carefully. The giveaway is a community safety effort with no obligation attached.

Do I have to be a client to receive one?

No. 

Does dashcam footage really help after a Florida car accident?

Yes, when it is preserved and authenticated properly. Video can establish fault, capture a fleeing driver’s plate, and defeat arguments that the impact was too minor to cause injury. Under Florida’s comparative negligence rules, objective evidence that pins down fault percentages directly affects what you can recover.

Is it legal to record with a dashcam in Florida?

Video recording from your own vehicle is lawful. Audio is different: Florida Statute 934.03 requires the consent of every person being recorded, so in vehicle audio should only be captured with your passengers’ consent. The video track is what usually matters in a claim.

How does The Dash Cam Lawyer® use dash cam footage in injury cases?

The firm builds claims around video evidence wherever it exists: preserving footage before it is overwritten, sending preservation letters for commercial vehicle cameras, authenticating clips for admissibility, and pairing footage with medical records so the insurance company is negotiating against proof instead of arguing against memory.

Should I call my insurance company right after a crash?

Not from the scene. Speak with an attorney about your rights before you call any insurer, including your own. Your policy requires cooperation, but it does not require an immediate call, and you should never give a recorded statement to any insurer without legal advice first.

A Camera Before the Crash, a Lawyer After

Shannon J. Sagan, The Dash Cam Lawyer®, is a personal injury attorney for over 21 years, with a focus on motor vehicle accident claims and dash cam video evidence.  He serves all of Palm Beach County from offices in Palm Springs and Belle Glade (by appointment). If you were hurt in a crash, whether or not you had a camera running, the consultation is free and there is no fee unless we recover for you. Call 561-561-3274.

This article is for general information only and is not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case is different, and outcomes depend on the specific facts and applicable law.