If you have been injured in a traffic accident, auto accident attorneys advise that you will need all evidence that can be gathered to successfully present your case. Lawyers who help clients injured in car accidents suggest that you can gain some of this evidence from traffic cameras that are commonly found at many major intersections.
Information found through such sources can be instrumental in showing exactly what happened at the time of your accident.
Auto accident lawyers find that actually obtaining such videos can be challenging. You may need the help of attorneys experienced in helping clients with car accidents to locate and retrieve traffic camera information on your behalf.
Did A Traffic Camera Record Your Accident?
Traffic cameras mounted on stoplights are becoming more common today, recording the passage of cars and trucks through intersections. As of May 2017, 421 communities in the United States are using red light cameras to observe traffic on a daily basis.1 Although they may not be installed on every traffic light in a community, car accident lawyers say that it is likely to cameras recording traffic 24 hours a day at most red lights, toll booths, and even lights alongside the highway.
If you have been involved in an accident that occurred within view of one of these cameras, auto accident attorneys agree that such video footage could be very helpful to your case.
Can You Obtain Traffic Camera Videos?
As useful as this information may be to your injury case, car accident attorneys point out that it can be difficult for drivers to obtain traffic camera footage on their own. Police officials at the scene of a crash are not required to inform you whether traffic cameras were in use.
In addition, it is difficult to determine what agency actually maintains these cameras, where such people can be contacted, and how long videos are archived.
There are usually forms available online that let you request this information; however, local DOTs do not always help drivers make a request within the timeframe before videos are removed from archives. So while it is legally possible for you to obtain traffic camera video that may have recorded your accident, auto accident lawyers agree that actually doing so can be a little difficult.
Obtain Traffic Camera Videos Through An Attorney
When traffic camera video footage could be instrumental to your injury case, you may need the help of attorneys who know how to quickly retrieve this footage. Since time may be of the essence, you should contact experienced auto accident attorneys as soon after the incident as possible so they can begin the process of searching for this evidence.
Lawyers can determine the location of any traffic cameras that may have recorded the event and know who operates them. This information would let them quickly file a request for the video footage. Because of their experience in auto accident cases, accident lawyers know what footage will support your claim and how to retrieve it before it is destroyed. With such evidence in hand, auto accident lawyers can then build a stronger case on your behalf.
Attorneys who represent clients injured in car accidents advise that traffic camera video can be valuable evidence in an auto injury case. These recordings show the event in real time, allowing representing lawyers to see firsthand what happened and who is at fault in order to present the best case for your injury claim. The biggest challenge in using such evidence is actually getting it.
Rather than losing critical time trying to gain access to traffic videos yourself, work with experienced car accident lawyers who can access it faster and begin building your case.
Hildebrand & Wilson, Attorneys at Law
7930 Broadway, Suite 122
Pearland TX 77581
