How To Prove a Car Accident Claim Using Traffic Camera Footage

• Can I get CCTV footage of the car accident?
• How To Request a Camera Traffic Footage in California
• When Is Camera Footage Inadmissible in Court?
• What Other Evidence Can I Use to Prove My Case?
• Who Can Help Me Prove My Case?

Traffic camera footage is the recorded video or photos captured by surveillance cameras mounted at various positions on roadways, intersections, or highways to monitor and control traffic flow and road safety.

Another benefit of traffic camera footage is that it can capture car accidents and show what happened before and after. So, if you are involved in an auto crash, you can use traffic camera footage as evidence to prove your claim. However, you must follow legal guidelines when obtaining the videos as evidence to make them admissible in court.

Read on to learn how to use camera footage to prove a claim and how to receive compensation for the damages of a car accident. 

What Does a Traffic Camera Footage Do?

Traffic cameras are used on roads and highways to capture images of road users daily. You may encounter different types of traffic cameras when pursuing footage as evidence, such as the following:

• Red light cameras gather before, during, and after photos when a car runs a red light.
• Traffic sensor cameras are placed on traffic lights or signals to help monitor and manage traffic.
• Speed cameras track and enforce speed in less-populated spaces.
• ANPR cameras are commonly found in junctions that automatically scan and analyze a vehicle’s license plate numbers. If a driver commits a traffic violation, this device can track the location of the car.

Using a traffic camera poses several advantages, such as:

Improving Traffic Flow

Placing a surveillance camera on congested highways, freeways, interstates, and cities can provide essential information about the causes of poor traffic flow and how to solve this problem.

Enhancing Data Gathering

With the information gathered about the most common congested or risk-prone areas, local governments can provide solutions to these issues through road developments and construction.

Preventing Traffic Violations

Most traffic cameras are installed to reduce traffic violations and crimes. In most cases, footage from traffic cameras is utilized as crucial evidence in auto accident investigations.

Additionally, drivers are more cautious when aware of traffic cameras nearby. This results in fewer traffic violations and higher chances of imposing safe driving habits.

Can I Get the Street Camera Footage of the Car Accident?

Most accident victims seeking evidence ask, “Are dash cams legal in court?” The answer is yes. You may request the street camera footage of your accident from the local government or private company responsible for storing those files. 

However, this process entails complicated legwork. There are also cases where you need to subpoena the record. 

This is where having a personal injury lawyer becomes helpful. They will communicate with these agencies to obtain the street camera footage and use it as evidence to prove your claim.  

How To Request a Traffic Camera Footage in California

Knowing how to request traffic camera footage is essential, especially since this evidence can help prove your case. Requesting camera traffic footage may be complicated. The first thing you need to do is identify the company or entity handling the camera.

Cameras Owned By Private Companies

If a private surveillance camera catches your accident, you must request the footage from the private company with legal rights to it. In some instances, you will need to subpoena the footage in court.

Cameras Handled By the Local Government

In case you are hit at an intersection where there are traffic cameras available, you may do the following to obtain the camera footage:

• Contact the Department of Transportation (DOT) or local police department to verify which entity is responsible for the camera footage.
• Request and file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request form. 
• You may also submit a written request stating the needed records via email, fax, or web form.

When Is Traffic Camera Footage Admissible in Court?

To be considered admissible in court, digital evidence, such as camera footage, must fit the criteria below:

• The video is appropriately preserved, 
• It is authenticated, 
• It follows the state’s digital evidence policies, and
• It must be applicable and relevant to the case.

If the footage fails to meet the requirements, it can’t be used as evidence in your car accident claim or trial.

What Other Evidence Can I Use to Prove My Case?

If you don’t have street camera footage of your car accident, there are other pieces of evidence you can use to claim compensation for the damages from the car accident, such as the following:

• Photos of the accident scene, including the following:

• the damages from the crash,

• the surroundings during the accident,

• other possible evidence, such as skid marks.

• contact details and testimonies of witnesses,

• police report by the responding authorities,

• medical bills, and

• vehicle repair and replacement costs.

It may be physically impossible to gather evidence at the accident scene if you suffer severe injuries from the crash.

For instance, a drunk driver hits you in California. Since they were speeding, the impact was so significant that it caused severe leg injuries. With such physical damage, you couldn’t move and gather evidence at the scene.

In such a case, it is best to contact a car accident injury lawyer California can offer to prove your case by investigating the facts of your accident and collecting evidence. This way, they can prove the driver’s liability to justify your claim. 

Who Can Help Me Prove My Case?

The most crucial part of filing a car accident claim is proving liability. You may not be able to receive compensation for the damages if you can’t prove that the other driver’s negligence caused the collision.

What happens if you don’t have enough evidence to justify your claim? Without sufficient proof, you may lose your case. When this happens, you will need to shoulder all the damages and expenses independently.

This is when you will need a legal expert’s assistance. A personal injury lawyer has the expertise and resources to gather the evidence necessary to win your accident claim. In most cases, they have investigators who examine the accident scene when collecting proof for the claim.