Any evidence that helps to prove a defendant’s negligence can be helpful to victims in Birmingham, including video footage. If footage exists, how can you get it?
Often, victims in Birmingham cannot get footage of a motor vehicle accident from traffic cameras, as these devices generally do not store videos. That said, footage may be available from private surveillance cameras or eyewitnesses. If there is no footage available of your accident, other evidence can be used to prove the defendant’s fault. If you can obtain video footage, that footage can be used to prove that the defendant owed you a duty of care, breached their owed duty of care, and caused your injuries in your compensation claim in Birmingham.
Call Howe Law at (844) 876-4357 to get a free case evaluation from our Birmingham car accident lawyers today.
Can You Get Footage of Your Car Accident in Birmingham?
You may be able to get footage of an auto accident in Birmingham, depending on the area that your recent collision took place. While traffic camera footage is typically unavailable, videos from security cameras or eyewitnesses may be.
Traffic Camera Footage
Although many cities in Alabama have red-light cameras, Birmingham currently does not. There has been a push to enforce additional traffic cameras, like red-light cameras, and expand the use of speed cameras in the city. As of now, there are only a few speed cameras in operation in Birmingham, but they are not used to ticket negligent drivers. Instead, the Birmingham Police Department uses these automatic traffic cameras to identify potentially dangerous areas for drivers and pedestrians. If your accident happened close to a traffic camera operated by local law enforcement, our Birmingham car accident lawyers can reach out to see if such footage is accessible.
The Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) also has several traffic cameras throughout Birmingham that stream live footage to its website. While these cameras typically don’t store footage, you can contact the ALDOT on the off chance that footage of your motor vehicle accident was kept.
Surveillance Camera Footage
It is not uncommon for private business owners or homeowners to maintain surveillance cameras on their property in Birmingham. Often, these security cameras are visible, making it easy for victims of car accidents to determine if such devices are near a crash site. Victims can contact owners of private surveillance cameras to obtain possible footage of an accident. It is best to act quickly to ensure that footage is not deleted. It is often more likely that private surveillance cameras will film footage of an auto accident over traffic cameras in Birmingham.
Phone Camera Footage
Because smartphones with video capability are so common, it’s possible that an eyewitness filmed your car crash in Birmingham. In order to be able to ask witnesses about possible footage in the future, victims should do their best to get the contact information of witnesses at the scene. If you are unable to, such information should be available in the police report for your accident. While witnesses might not have filmed your accident as it occurred, they could have taken a video of the aftermath. Such photos can still be helpful to your claim against a negligent driver in Birmingham.
What if You Can’t Get Footage of Your Car Accident in Birmingham?
If, after contacting ALDOT, the Birmingham Police Department, nearby business owners and homeowners, and eyewitnesses, you realize that there is no accessible video footage of your auto accident, other evidence may be available that can support your claim.
Unfortunately, footage of car accidents is not always available in Birmingham. When this happens, victims can use other evidence proving a negligent driver’s fault. For example, photos of an accident scene and of a victim’s injuries can be compelling. As can medical records that document the extent of a victim’s injuries.
Even if witnesses did not record the events of an accident, they might have seen what happened. Their testimony can give a judge or jury the insight necessary to help determine a defendant’s fault. Testimony from others, like medical experts and police officers, can also act as proof against a defendant when footage of a car crash is unavailable in Birmingham.
Importance of Video Footage in Birmingham Car Accident Claims
Footage of an auto accident can be crucial in a compensation claim in Birmingham, as it can help victims prove at least two of the four necessary elements of a personal injury case.
In any claim based on negligence, the plaintiff is tasked with proving that the defendant owed them a duty of care and also breached that owed duty of care. Video footage of a motor vehicle accident can prove the first element by clearly placing the defendant at the scene, driving their car. This establishes that the defendant was a driver on the road and thus owed the plaintiff a duty of care to uphold traffic laws.
The second element, which is that the defendant breached their owed duty of care, can also be proven using footage of an auto accident. Video might show that the defendant was either speeding, running a stoplight, or driving negligently when they struck the plaintiff.
Depending on what video footage is able to capture, it might even help prove the third element, which is that the defendant’s negligence caused the victim’s injuries. This can be achieved with footage that includes visuals of the victim’s injuries. The fourth and final element that must be proven in a civil claim, which is that the plaintiff sustained real damages as a result of the defendant’s negligence, can be proven using other evidence, such as lost wages and medical bills.
File Your Birmingham Car Accident Claim Today
Call our Alabama car accident lawyers (844) 876-4357 to get a free case evaluation from Howe Law today.
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