When Can Surveillance Video Help Your Slip and Fall Case?
Aug. 19, 2025
Slip and fall accidents can lead to serious injuries, costly medical bills, and extended time away from work. Many clients dealing with these cases want to know what can strengthen their claims.
One of the most important pieces of evidence is often surveillance video. It can play a key role in confirming what really happened and how. When used properly, this footage can offer a detailed, impartial record of the incident.
How Surveillance Footage Can Benefit Your Claim
Although many people associate surveillance with criminal matters like theft or vandalism, it can be just as critical in a personal injury case. When a fall occurs on someone else's property, it can be difficult to prove liability without visual proof. This is especially true when the property owner disputes the account of events.
Surveillance video is frequently used to confirm timelines, identify individuals, and clarify disputes. The same principles can apply in slip and fall claims. At Johnson Law Firm, based in Saint Joseph, Missouri, we regularly review surveillance footage to determine liability and strengthen our clients' cases.
As with any legal issue, the details matter. Whether or not surveillance footage can help will depend on several factors, including how and where the accident happened, the availability of the footage, and the quality of the video.
If you've experienced a slip and fall injury in the Saint Joseph area, Johnson Law Firm can help you evaluate your evidence and build a stronger argument from the start. Contact the firm today to get started.
What Is Considered a Slip and Fall Case?
Slip and fall cases fall under premises liability law, which holds property owners responsible for maintaining a safe environment. When someone slips, trips, or falls due to a hazard that could’ve been prevented, the injured party may have grounds for a claim.
These claims often focus on whether the property owner failed to address a known danger or should have reasonably known about it.
Common causes of slip and fall accidents include:
Wet or slippery floors: Spills, leaks, or freshly mopped areas without warning signs can lead to accidents.
Uneven surfaces: Cracked sidewalks, potholes in parking lots, or torn carpeting may cause someone to lose their footing.
Poor lighting: Inadequate lighting in stairwells, hallways, or parking garages can prevent people from spotting hazards.
Cluttered walkways: Boxes, equipment, or debris left in walking paths increase the risk of a fall.
Loose handrails or broken stairs: Safety features that fail when needed can lead to serious injuries.
When a fall causes injuries like broken bones, back problems, or head trauma, the injured party may seek compensation through a personal injury claim. Surveillance footage can be one of the strongest pieces of evidence in proving what led to the fall and whether it could have been prevented.
How Surveillance Footage Supports a Personal Injury Claim
A personal injury claim often hinges on proving fault. In slip and fall cases, this means showing that the property owner or tenant either caused the hazard or failed to fix it in a reasonable amount of time. Without visual evidence, it can turn into a case of one person’s word against another’s. That’s where surveillance video comes in.
Here’s how surveillance footage can support your case:
Confirms the exact time and place of the incident: It can remove doubt about whether the accident happened on the defendant’s property.
Captures the cause of the fall: Wet floors, loose cords, or other hazards may be clearly visible.
Shows the duration of the hazard: If the footage reveals the dangerous condition existed for hours—or even days—it may support the argument that the property owner had time to address it.
Demonstrates how the injured person was behaving: Property owners may try to claim the person was distracted or acting recklessly. The video may counter that.
Records post-incident actions: Footage can show how quickly employees responded, whether anyone helped, and if they took steps to document or clean up the hazard.
Visual evidence is often more compelling than written statements or testimony. Surveillance can be just as useful in personal injury matters to help establish facts.
When Surveillance Footage May Not Help
While surveillance footage can be powerful, there are times it may not support your claim or may even work against you. It’s important to review the video thoroughly with your lawyer to decide how it should be used.
Surveillance video might be less helpful in cases where:
The footage is unclear or of poor quality: Grainy or distorted video may not show the details needed.
The fall isn’t captured directly: If the camera angle doesn’t show the hazard or the person falling, it may offer limited help.
The footage suggests shared fault: If the injured person is seen running, wearing unsafe footwear, or ignoring warning signs, it may weaken the claim.
There are gaps in recording: Intermittent footage could raise questions about what happened before or after the fall.
Reviewing the footage alongside other evidence—like medical records, witness statements, and property maintenance logs—can help build a clearer picture. In some cases, your lawyer may choose not to use the video at all if it doesn’t support your position.
How to Obtain Surveillance Video After a Fall
If you believe your fall may have been caught on camera, it’s important to act quickly. Video recordings are often erased, overwritten, or deleted after a short period of time, especially on private systems like those in stores or apartment complexes.
Steps to take to request surveillance footage include:
Inform the property owner immediately: Let them know you were injured and that you believe the incident was caught on video.
Send a formal request: Your lawyer can send a preservation letter, which asks the property owner or business to save any related footage.
File your claim early: If a lawsuit is filed, the court can compel the property owner to turn over video evidence through the discovery process.
Work with a lawyer: They can make sure the request is written correctly and submitted within the right timeframe.
Failing to request the footage in time could mean losing key evidence. Preserving digital records early on can make all the difference.
Where Surveillance Video Is Commonly Found
Slip and fall accidents can happen almost anywhere, but the likelihood of capturing it on video depends on the location. Some places are more likely to have cameras installed than others.
Common locations where surveillance video may exist include:
Retail stores and supermarkets: These often have cameras placed at entrances, exits, and throughout the aisles.
Restaurants and fast-food chains: Many use video to monitor customer activity, especially in dining areas and kitchens.
Hotels and apartment complexes: Lobbies, hallways, and parking garages are typically under surveillance.
Parking lots and garages: These spaces are frequently monitored to deter theft or vandalism, making them useful for injury cases as well.
Office buildings and medical facilities: Security systems in these spaces may record both employee and visitor movements.
It’s worth noting that some residential properties may also have doorbell cameras or home security systems. Although these may not be as professionally maintained as commercial systems, they can still be valuable in the right case.
Why Surveillance Matters as Much as Witness Testimony
Witnesses can play a key role in a slip and fall case, but their accounts can vary based on memory, perspective, or bias. Surveillance video, on the other hand, offers a consistent, unchanging record of events. It can help establish timelines and support or challenge the credibility of different accounts.
Benefits of surveillance over witness testimony include:
No human bias or forgetfulness: The video captures what happened without opinion or error.
Stronger in court settings: Juries often view video as more reliable than spoken accounts.
Clarifies disputed details: If the property owner claims the area was clean and dry, but the video shows otherwise, that can be powerful.
Supports witness statements: When a video aligns with what a witness saw, it strengthens the case further.
Although not every case has available footage, those that do often rely on it heavily to reinforce the injured person’s version of events.
When to Involve a Lawyer After a Fall
Slip and fall cases may seem straightforward at first, but without proper legal guidance, valuable evidence can be lost, and claims can be denied. A lawyer can help verify whether surveillance footage exists, request it in a timely way, and use it effectively.
Situations where working with a lawyer is especially important include:
The property owner denies responsibility: Having someone advocate for your side can protect your rights.
You're facing high medical bills or time off work: A lawyer can help you seek compensation.
The insurance company is pushing back: Legal support can pressure them to take the claim seriously.
There are questions about how the fall happened: A lawyer can piece together the full picture using video, documents, and other evidence.
In many ways, the process relies on examining every available angle and source of evidence to help prove or disprove a claim.
How Surveillance Ties Into Larger Liability Questions
Footage of the accident itself is just one part of the story. A lawyer may also seek video that shows cleaning staff on duty, inspections taking place (or not), and whether warning signs were used. This broader view can be critical in showing that the hazard wasn’t just a momentary issue, but part of a pattern of negligence.
Footage showing patterns of behavior might include:
No signs placed during cleaning: Proving that employees skipped safety steps.
Delayed response to spills: Showing that hazards were ignored or not cleaned quickly.
Other customers slipping in the same spot: Indicating an ongoing safety issue.
These types of broader context can shift a case from a single accident to a larger pattern of misconduct, which can significantly affect the outcome.
Reach Out to a Lawyer Today
If you’ve been injured in a slip and fall, surveillance video could make a difference in how your case is resolved. At Johnson Law Firm, we work to make sure your evidence is preserved and your rights are protected.
The firm serves clients throughout the St. Joseph area, including Country Club, Platte City, Plattsburg, Stewartsville, Savannah, Cameron, Maryville, and all of Northwest Missouri. Reach out today to schedule a consultation.