If you file an insurance claim after a Mississippi car accident, expect an insurance company to try to find any reason to deny you compensation. If footage of your recent collision exists, a negligent driver’s insurance company will likely try to obtain it.
If a traffic camera filmed your car accident in Mississippi, and the monitoring agency stores footage, a negligent driver’s insurance company can access it. Insurance companies often want access to traffic camera footage to undermine a victim’s version of events. Don’t expect an insurance company to be on your side and hire an attorney. An experienced Mississippi lawyer can use other evidence, like security camera footage and eyewitness statements, to prove a negligent driver’s fault so that an insurance company can’t use traffic camera footage against you.
We’re here to help Mississippi car accident victims recover the compensation they deserve. For a free case evaluation with the Mississippi car accident lawyers at Howe Law, call today at (844) 876-4357.
Can Insurance Companies Get Footage from Traffic Cameras in Mississippi?
If a traffic camera in Mississippi filmed your recent car accident, a negligent driver’s insurance might try to access that footage. The good news is that your Mississippi car accident lawyer can also obtain traffic camera footage of a recent collision if it exists.
The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) has a network of live traffic cameras that stream footage from highways and other popular roadways throughout the state. Drivers and MDOT staff can easily view MDOT’s live stream online to monitor weather and traffic conditions. If your recent Mississippi accident occurred on a highway, it’s possible that an MDOT camera filmed it. While MDOT doesn’t advertise whether or not it stores traffic camera footage, it is possible that footage is kept for a short period of time. That means a Mississippi insurance company might be able to obtain footage of your accident from MDOT if it acts quickly enough.
Fortunately for Mississippi car accident victims, live MDOT cameras are the only traffic cameras allowed in the state. Mississippi does not permit the use of red-light or speed cameras, making it impossible for insurance companies to access images from those devices.
Although a Mississippi insurance company might be able to access footage from MDOT cameras, so can your attorney. If footage exists of your recent car accident, your Mississippi lawyer can obtain it so that an insurance company can’t try to use it against you.
Why Do Insurance Companies Want Footage from Traffic Cameras in Mississippi?
Unfortunately for Mississippi car accident victims, insurance companies are not on their side. While you might want traffic camera footage to prove a negligent driver’s fault, an insurance company might want the footage to undermine your version of events.
Mississippi is a fault state for car accidents, so victims tend to file a claim with a negligent driver’s liability insurance after a crash. It shouldn’t surprise victims that insurance companies are often reluctant to pay claimants what they’re due, even if claimants are victims in a car accident. To avoid paying a sufficient settlement, a Mississippi insurance company might search for traffic camera footage of an accident.
Upon hearing this, victims who know that a negligent driver was at fault may be relieved, thinking that traffic camera footage will show exactly what happened. Traffic camera footage is rarely crystal clear, allowing insurance companies to question an accident’s events.
Mississippi is a pure comparative fault state, meaning a victim’s recovery can be reduced in proportion to their liability. This can work in an insurance company’s favor, allowing it to reduce a settlement or deny a claim altogether if a victim shares fault. Don’t let an insurance company get away with underpaying you; hire an experienced Mississippi personal injury lawyer so that you know what to expect when you file an insurance claim after a crash.
What Can I Do if an Insurance Company Tries to Use Traffic Camera Footage Against Me?
While you might not have expected an insurance company to have your best interests in mind, you may feel discouraged to learn that an insurance company might actively try to undermine your claim. Hire an attorney if a negligent driver’s insurance company tries to use traffic camera footage against you. A skilled Mississippi car accident lawyer can use other evidence, like private security camera footage and information from eyewitnesses, to show that you did not contribute to a crash.
Private Security Camera Footage
Traffic camera footage is often grainy and unclear, allowing Mississippi insurance companies to question an accident’s events. Private security cameras, on the other hand, often produce higher-quality images. If an insurance company tries to use traffic camera footage against you, don’t worry. Your attorney can survey the accident location for security, dashboard, or doorbell cameras and request access to those images. Footage from various angles and of better quality can subvert an insurance company’s attempt to muddy an accident’s events.
Eyewitness Statements
When car accidents happen, people often stop and look. If eyewitnesses stuck around after your recent accident in Mississippi, get their contact information. A Macon car accident lawyer can reach out to eyewitnesses whose statements can outweigh blurry traffic camera footage used by an insurance company in an attempt to undermine your claim. In addition to statements, eyewitnesses may be able to provide photos or footage of an accident that they captured on their smartphones. If a witness filmed or photographed the aftermath of a crash, those images can help show that a negligent driver, not a victim, caused a car accident in Mississippi.
Call Our Lawyers After Your Mississippi Car Accident
If you were recently injured in a car accident in Mississippi, 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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