After a car accident, any evidence of a negligent driver’s fault can be helpful to victims seeking compensation, including traffic camera footage. That said, it’s important to act quickly as traffic cameras might not keep footage of car accidents for long in Alabama.
Alabama has several types of traffic cameras. The Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) maintains live traffic cameras that stream footage for drivers to view, while local police departments monitor red-light and speed cameras in certain jurisdictions. If a traffic camera filmed or photographed your accident, it’s important to contact our attorneys right away. Monitoring agencies might not keep images for long, if at all. Suppose you can’t access traffic camera footage of a car accident in Alabama quickly enough. In that case, our attorneys can use other evidence, like private security camera footage and eyewitness testimony, to prove a negligent driver’s fault.
We’re here to help victims throughout Alabama recover the compensatory damages they deserve. For a free case evaluation with the Alabama car accident lawyers at Howe Law, call today at (844) 876-4357.
How Long Do Alabama Traffic Cameras Keep Footage of Car Accidents?
In Alabama, there are several types of traffic cameras that might film or photograph certain traffic events. The Alabama Department of Transportation has a vast network of traffic cameras that stream live footage for drivers and ALDOT staff to view. The state also permits law enforcement agencies in certain jurisdictions to use speed cameras and red-light cameras to ticket negligent drivers. Suppose a traffic camera might have filmed or photographed your recent car accident in Alabama. In that case, it’s important to try to obtain those images. Be sure to seek help from our Alabama car accident lawyers, as monitoring agencies may not keep footage for long.
ALDOT Cameras
The Alabama Department of Transportation, like many similar agencies across the country, maintains live traffic cameras throughout the state. These cameras are often situated along popular highways and busy roadways. They stream live footage to ALDOT’s website so that drivers can stay updated on traffic and weather conditions.
These live traffic cameras exist to inform drivers not to film car accidents. However, if an ALDOT camera was near the site of your recent collision in Alabama, it might have captured the crash. That said, ALDOT may not store footage for long, if at all. Our Birmingham car accident lawyers can contact the necessary parties at ALDOT to request access to potential traffic camera footage after a crash.
Speed Cameras
In some jurisdictions in Alabama, law enforcement agencies are permitted to use speed cameras. These cameras tend to be placed in certain areas, like work or school zones. Instead of filming footage, speed cameras snap pictures when triggered. When a driver passes a sensor moving too fast, the camera will be triggered and take photos of the negligent driver’s face and license plate. Law enforcement officials in Alabama can then use these pictures to identify and ticket negligent drivers.
Because police officers use photos from speed cameras for identification and ticketing purposes, they likely keep such images for some time. However, it’s unclear if law enforcement officials in Alabama store speed camera photos after they identify negligent drivers. Because of this, it’s important to quickly contact our Johns Creek car accident lawyers if you think a speed camera might have photographed your recent collision.
Red-Light Cameras
Though not allowed in every city in Alabama, red-light cameras are permitted in certain jurisdictions in the state. These cameras sit atop stoplights and can often be found near particularly busy intersections. Red-light cameras are triggered when a negligent driver runs a stoplight in Alabama. They take photos of a driver’s face and license plate when triggered. Although uncommon, a red-light camera might photograph a car accident or capture other images that may be valuable in a compensation claim. If a red-light camera photographed your recent crash, it’s important to quickly contact our Alabama car accident lawyers.
Although law enforcement officials use images from red-light cameras to ticket negligent drivers, they might not store such photos for long. Accessing images of a crash from local police departments might be challenging, so be sure to call our attorneys immediately if you think a red-light camera photographed your car accident in Alabama.
What if a Traffic Camera Didn’t Keep Footage of Your Alabama Car Accident?
Unfortunately for car accident victims in Alabama, there’s no telling how long monitoring agencies might keep traffic camera footage or photographs of a collision. Upon learning this, you might be at a loss, unsure how you will prove a negligent driver’s fault and recover compensation for your injuries. Luckily, our Alabama car accident lawyers won’t rely on potential traffic camera footage to support your compensation claim and will strive to uncover other evidence that proves fault.
Private Security Camera Footage
It’s relatively rare for traffic cameras to film or photograph car accidents and store those images in Alabama. Because of that, our attorneys will be prepared to help you recover monetary damages using other evidence. For example, private security camera footage might be more accessible and reliable than traffic camera footage. Our attorneys can visit the location of a car accident in Alabama to determine if local businesses or homeowners have private security cameras on their properties. If so, our lawyers can contact them to request access to potential footage of your recent crash.
Eyewitness Testimony
Eyewitness testimony can be invaluable evidence in a car accident lawsuit in Alabama. If others witnessed a negligent driver’s actions, or possibly filmed or photographed the aftermath of a crash, be sure to get their contact information. Our attorneys can reach out to them in the future to determine if their testimony can help strengthen your compensation claim against a negligent driver in Alabama.
Call Our Lawyers After a Car Accident in Alabama
If you were recently injured in a car accident in Alabama and require compensation, our attorneys can help. For a free case evaluation with the Gulfport car accident lawyers at Howe Law, call today at (844) 876-4357.
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