Any evidence that helps prove a negligent driver’s fault can be helpful to victims in Nashville, including video footage. But how can you get footage of a crash, and how likely is such footage to exist?
You can get video footage of an auto accident in Nashville by contacting owners of devices capable of filming an accident. In most cases, victims will have the best chance of getting footage filmed by security cameras or eyewitnesses. Unfortunately, whether or not your accident was filmed will be based on its location. There’s also no guarantee that any video of your crash will be available. Because of this, you may have to use other evidence, such as eyewitness statements, expert statements, medical records, and photographs, to prove a negligent driver’s fault in Nashville.
Schedule a free case review with our Nashville car accident lawyers by calling Howe Law today at (844) 876-4357.
What is the Best Way to Get Footage of a Car Accident in Nashville?
If there is footage of an auto accident in Nashville, victims can obtain it by taking certain steps. To find footage, you must first locate devices that could have filmed your collision. Those could be devices owned by the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT), nearby homeowners or business owners, or eyewitnesses. Next, victims should contact the owners of the devices as soon as possible. Waiting to request access to accident footage could allow such footage to be deleted in Nashville.
Getting Footage from TDOT
The best way to obtain video of a car accident in Nashville is to identify what devices might have filmed a collision and contact the owners of those devices as soon as possible. If your incident occurred near a live traffic camera owned and operated by the Tennessee Department of Transportation, acting quickly is paramount as TDOT typically does not store footage for long, if at all. Our Nashville personal injury lawyers can formally request access to footage or subpoena footage if the initial request is ignored or denied by TDOT.
Getting Footage from Law Enforcement
Because Nashville doesn’t have speed cameras or red-light cameras, unlike some other cities in Tennessee, victims won’t be able to contact law enforcement to request access to possible photographs of their collisions taken by such devices. While that might be discouraging, it is also rare for red-light cameras or speed cameras to photograph car accidents.
While there might not be accident footage or photographs from automated enforcement devices, police officers might have taken photographs after arriving at the accident scene. You can obtain such helpful pictures when you get the crash report for your car crash in Nashville.
Getting Footage from Surveillance Cameras
The next source to contact about possible footage of a collision would be owners of surveillance cameras. This might include businesses and homeowners in Nashville. Again, acting quickly is important as owners of surveillance cameras might delete footage after a certain amount of time has passed.
Getting Footage from Eyewitnesses
Our lawyers can also contact eyewitnesses to ask about any footage or photographs they might have taken of an accident or its aftermath. If you filmed your injuries or property damage, keep such footage. Similarly, if you have a dashboard camera that filmed your accident, be sure to keep it and do not delete any footage.
How Likely Are You to Get Footage of a Car Accident in Nashville?
The likelihood of you getting footage of a car accident in Nashville may depend on the location of your collision and how quickly you identify possible sources of footage.
In some instances, footage of a crash simply won’t be available. For example, if your auto accident happened on an isolated road, far from live traffic cameras, surveillance cameras, or eyewitnesses, there may not be devices nearby capable of filming your accident.
If your motor vehicle accident is filmed, the likelihood of you getting footage will depend on fast you act. Remember, owners of cameras might not be concerned with your accident and could delete footage if not contacted quickly enough. Even if the footage is available, it might not be useful, especially if it is grainy, poorly lit, or unclear.
What if You Are Unable to Get Footage of a Nashville Car Accident?
Do not be discouraged if you are unable to get footage of a recent car crash in Nashville. Often, footage of any kind is unavailable, meaning victims have to rely on other forms of evidence to meet the burden of proof and recover compensation against a negligent driver.
Use Eyewitness Statements
When footage is unavailable, car accident victims can use eyewitness statements to confirm their telling of events. It is important to contact eyewitnesses immediately so that they can provide helpful statements to support your case. Typically, the contact information of eyewitnesses will be included in the police report for a car accident in Nashville.
Use Medical Records
Regardless of whether you have video of your car accident or not, you will have to present your medical records as evidence. Medical records can show when a victim sustained injuries and can illustrate the severity of a victim’s physical damages.
Use Expert Statements
In addition to statements from eyewitnesses, statements from experts can be helpful. These individuals can lend their expertise to a compensation claim and highlight important information that indicates fault or explains complicated facts of a case.
Use Photographs
While footage of a car crash might not be available, photographs of its aftermath can be. Victims can take pictures of their immediate injuries and property damage. Such images can place a defendant at the accident scene and contain other important information pertinent to a case for compensation in Nashville.
Find Footage of Your Nashville Car Accident Today
Call our Tennessee car accident lawyers at (844) 876-4357 to get a free evaluation of your case from Howe Law.
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