As the legal system continues to embrace the digital age, more roads and highways around Nashville are being monitored by traffic cameras. After a collision, drivers might need footage from these cameras to help with insurance claims and court cases.
Getting traffic camera footage involves speaking to the authorities. Which authorities we should contact depends on who controls the cameras around your accident. Authorities, including state and local law enforcement and the Tennessee Department of Transportation, might be involved. You might need traffic camera footage if we believe the footage depicts evidence important to your case. Footage might show the entire accident or one important part of the accident. While you might not be required to have a lawyer to obtain the footage, it is helpful to have one. Your attorney can help you quickly figure out where and how to submit a request for copies of the footage as quickly as possible.
Our Nashville car accident lawyers at Howe Law are prepared to help you get traffic camera footage if you call us at (844) 876-4357 and set up a free case assessment.
Getting Traffic Camera Videos for Your Nashville Car Accident Case
Auto accidents can be devastating, even deadly. For many injured victims, recollections of the accident are fuzzy. Many people report driving along the highway and the next thing they know, they wake up in an ambulance. While witnesses can help you piece together the crash, they might not be enough. Our Tennessee car accident lawyers can check the area around your accident for traffic cameras. If these cameras recorded your accident, we can help you get copies of the footage.
Traffic cameras can be extremely helpful, but they are not always available. These cameras tend to be more prevalent along major roads and highways. If your accident happened along a less busy or rural back road, there might not be any traffic cameras to help us. We can check with the police who responded to the accident, as they often know where traffic cameras are located.
When obtaining traffic camera footage, we must move quickly. If the authorities have not already set the footage aside for investigation purposes, it might be deleted. If you were in an accident, talk to your attorney about traffic camera footage immediately. The sooner you get started on trying to get copies, the more likely you will have the footage for court.
Where to Get Traffic Camera Footage After a Car Accident in Nashville
Where we go to get traffic camera footage might depend on who is in charge of the footage. Many traffic cameras are installed for the purposes of law enforcement and emergency responders. When an accident happens and someone calls 911, law enforcement can access the cameras and see the accident before they arrive. This way, they can be better prepared to deal with the accident and help those involved.
As such, we might need to contact state or local authorities to get copies of the footage. Generally, local authorities in the area where your accident happened are in charge if the accident happened on a local road or highway. State highways tend to fall under the jurisdiction of the state police. If the police do not have the footage we need, we might contact the Tennessee Department of Transportation.
When we go to obtain the footage, we might submit an online request, depending on where the footage is. Alternatively, we might submit a more formal legal request for the footage under the Freedom of Information Act.
If we are unsure where the footage is or how to get it, a good place to start looking is with the police officers who responded to the crash. They might have reviewed the footage when they prepared a police accident report.
Reasons You Might Need Traffic Camera Footage in a Car Accident Case in Nashville
Traffic camera footage might be extremely important in cases where there is little other evidence. For example, if your accident happened late at night and the other driver fled the scene, there might be no witnesses to back up your claims. Additionally, there is no way to identify the other driver. You might feel your case has hit a dead end when it has barely begun. If the accident were caught on video, we might have enough information to identify the driver and hold them liable for the crash.
Traffic camera footage might also help us establish details that are disputed by the parties. For example, you might argue the defendant is responsible for the accident because they were speeding when they rear-ended you at an intersection, pushing you into oncoming traffic. The defendant might argue they were not speeding and that you tried to brake-check them. The traffic camera footage can show us exactly what happened. Video footage of an accident can be very hard to refute and tends to make for powerful evidence in the courtroom.
Do I Need a Lawyer to Get Traffic Camera Footage in Nashville?
Obtaining copies of traffic camera footage might not necessitate an attorney, but having a lawyer help you might get the footage into your hands much faster. Since traffic camera footage is at risk of being deleted if not obtained quickly, time is of the essence, and you should talk to a lawyer about the footage right away.
Additionally, the authorities in charge of the footage might be more willing to work with you and get the footage if they know you are represented by a lawyer. Having a lawyer lends some legitimacy to your request for the traffic camera footage, and the people in charge of it might get it to you faster if they know a lawyer is helping you make the request.
Speak to Our Nashville Car Accident Lawyers About Traffic Camera Footage
Our Knoxville car accident lawyers at Howe Law can assist you in getting traffic camera footage if you call us at (844) 876-4357 and schedule a free case assessment.
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