The worst mistake people make is assuming the video will still be there tomorrow: yes, save and back up your dashcam footage immediately after a Fort Worth crash.

Exceptions and edge cases that make it more complicated:

• Many dashcams overwrite footage within hours or days. A deer strike on I-35W, a pedestrian collision on Lancaster Avenue, or a vehicle fire can be erased the next time the car is driven. Save the original file, copy it to your phone or cloud storage, and keep the memory card.

• The video is not enough by itself. In Texas, fault can be reduced under modified comparative fault, and you cannot recover if you are 51% or more at fault. Also save:

• wide photos of the scene, skid marks, debris, and road signs

• close photos of all vehicle damage and injuries

• names and numbers of witnesses

• the other driver's insurance and plate

• the Fort Worth Police Department report number or the Texas Peace Officer's Crash Report (CR-3) information

• If police did not come, file your own record anyway. Get medical records from the same day if possible. For a veteran using both VA care and a civilian injury claim, save both systems' paperwork. Those systems do not automatically share records, and gaps in treatment dates can hurt the claim.

• If the other driver was using a phone, rideshare app, or work vehicle, act fast. Phone logs, app data, truck telematics, and business surveillance footage may disappear unless requested quickly. That matters in Fort Worth crashes involving delivery vans, oil-field contractors coming through Texas highways, or intersection cameras near businesses.

• If the car burned, flooded, or was towed, preserve the vehicle. Do not authorize disposal until the damage is fully photographed. Fire and explosion cases often turn on parts evidence that disappears once the vehicle is scrapped.