When you have suffered serious injuries in a motor vehicle accident, your attorney will need to provide compelling evidence against the liable party to recover the compensation you deserve. The evidence presented must prove liability based on a preponderance of the evidence.
Some of the most valuable evidence in insurance claims and civil lawsuits is video footage of the accident. However, accessing this footage could be more challenging than you thought. A Texas car accident lawyer at Underwood Law Office can help you get the traffic camera footage you need to support your case. This will require formal requests to the agency responsible for the cameras.
Traffic Cameras Capture Car Accidents
After a motor vehicle accident, you may be interested in gathering the evidence needed to support a personal injury case. Video footage can be one of the strongest forms of evidence, particularly if it comes from traffic cameras. The vantage point these cameras have often allows them to capture critical details about a collision.
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) maintains traffic cameras across various cities, which have been known to capture these collisions on video. In addition, you may be able to secure video footage from other sources, including:
- Private dash-mounted cameras
- Businesses
- Private home security camera footage
- Toll road authorities
Your attorney will review the area in question, the track of the accident, and other location-specific information to determine which businesses, private entities, and government agencies may have video footage available that caught your collision in real-time.
For a free legal consultation, call (972) 535-6377
Securing Traffic Camera Footage in Texas
Although there are a variety of individuals, entities, and agencies that may have caught your collision on camera, obtaining this footage is an entirely different matter.
Generally, if a highway or intersection traffic camera caught your collision, we can request this footage directly from the TxDOT or another responsible agency. However, such agencies may be unwilling to release this footage unless compelled by the court via a subpoena.
Convincing private individuals to release their dashcam or property surveillance cameras may be easier, as they may be more sympathetic to what you are going through. However, knowing who these individuals and entities are and how to go about requesting the video footage may be outside your comfort zone. For this reason, you may prefer to have an attorney handle the investigation and obtain the traffic camera evidence needed to support your car accident case.
How Long Do You Have to Collect Traffic Camera Footage?
Obtaining a copy of the video of your accident is time-sensitive. In almost every type of surveillance camera system, the video data in question is at risk of being destroyed or overwritten after a certain amount of time.
In the initial aftermath of your accident, you may not be physically capable of starting with your case or ready to reach out to a lawyer for help. However, the sooner our car accident attorneys can begin working on your case, the more likely we could recover this critical evidence.
In some cases, video footage of accidents can be deleted or destroyed in as few as several days. If you want to protect your potential compensation, consider hiring a legal advocate as soon as possible after your traffic accident.
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Benefits of Traffic Camera Footage
In civil car accident claims, your attorney will be tasked with proving liability based on a preponderance of the evidence. This means the evidence presented must prove that the defendant in your case is more likely than not responsible for causing your accident or resulting injuries. The evidence presented must be compelling for the insurance company or jury to find the defendant liable.
One of the most irrefutable types of evidence is traffic camera footage. If no such footage existed, the other driver or liable party could attempt to blame you for causing the accident. This means your attorney would have to rely on other evidence, such as cell phone records, chemical blood alcohol test results, accident reconstructionist reports, police reports, safety records, and more, to prove your case.
Although these types of evidence may aid in proving liability, when there is concrete video of exactly how the accident occurred, it can give you a better chance of receiving the compensation you seek.
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Contact a Texas Car Accident Lawyer for Help Today
If you are having trouble accessing traffic camera footage or are unsure where to start with your car accident claim, our firm is here to help. Schedule your no-cost, risk-free consultation with our team at Underwood Law Office. A car accident attorney could start working on your case as soon as today.
Call or text (972) 535-6377 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
