How to Obtain a Surveillance Video of Your Car Accident

01 Aug How to Obtain a Surveillance Video of Your Car Accident

When you’re involved in a car accident, especially one that involves personal injury, it is important to have as many details as possible concerning the accident. While eyewitness accounts are certainly wonderful tools, sometimes people can view the same thing in different ways. This is where a video of the accident can be quite helpful. Video evidence is the most valid and important of all evidence, and it helps to solve many complex cases in such an easy manner.

Let’s look at some of the ways in which you may be able to find and obtain video footage of your car accident.

Dash Cam Footage

With the growing popularity of dashboard cameras, you may find a witness with dashcam footage of the accident. If a police car is involved in (or behind) the accident, you may wish to obtain a copy of the dash cam video footage (available in most police cars). The police cruiser’s dash camera allows police to obtain video and audio recordings of events which occur both in front of the cruiser as well as within the vehicle itself.

One thing to remember is that the police dash cameras are not always recording. With most police dash cameras, the DVR will only save a recording if the lights or sirens are activated. The saved video will generally include up to 30 seconds of footage before the lights/sirens are activated.

Most states consider police dash cam footage as a public record, so accident victims have a right to submit a Freedom of Information Act request in order to obtain the footage from the police department in a timely fashion. The first thing that’s necessary is to notify the police department you wish for the footage to be preserved—this will also require the requestor to be specific about the name of the officer. Obtain his or her badge number if possible, and provide the time, date and location of the accident. The request should be submitted in writing and faxed, sent certified mail or using any other means that provides proof of delivery (including hand delivery). Be sure to have the name of the person to whom you should address the request.

The process can be rather complicated, but if you have a personal injury lawyer, let them deal with it! Experts state that injuries and accidents should be dealt with high preference. People should ensure that they consult with a personal injury attorney or a car accident lawyer who are efficient enough to make the tedious process manageable.

Local Businesses

This one isn’t obvious to most people, but in this day and age, your accident may have been caught by a local business’ surveillance camera(s). Many businesses have surveillance cameras in their parking lots and outside the premises. There’s no harm in calling or visiting the owners or managers to see if they are willing to provide you with the video that shows your accident. If you discover the company is unwilling to provide you with the video, it may be necessary to file a subpoena. You need to do this before there is an opportunity for them to erase the data or write over it. Again, your personal injury lawyers know how to file a subpoena and will do this for free in 99% of personal injury cases. An experienced auto accident attorney or personal injury attorneys will make sure that they gather as many proofs as possible to fight strongly in the case to deliver proper justice.

Highway Traffic Cameras

Another possibility is to take advantage of the freedom of information act in order to obtain the footage from highway traffic cameras. This information can be very helpful in assessing who or what was at fault for the accident. Unfortunately, the process can be complex as some of these cameras are owned by the state, some by private companies, and local news outlets own others. If the camera is not government-owned, you or your attorney will probably need to file a subpoena.

It’s obvious that video footage can be extremely helpful in determining who was responsible for a traffic accident – especially if the other party does not admit fault. With this in mind, it may be quite beneficial for individuals you to invest in a dash camera. Even if you have never had a traffic accident, having a dash cam is one of the best $100 investments that you can make.