Gathering Traffic Camera Evidence in Brownsville
The traffic cameras in Brownsville can be a nuisance, but they can also be incredibly helpful when you need them. That being said, finding the footage and getting access to it can be much more difficult than you might think. If you’ve been injured in a car accident, knowing who to contact and how to get the footage can significantly increase the compensation paid in your case.
The Brownsville car accident attorneys at The Law Giant, Personal Injury & Accident Lawyers help accident victims get the compensation they need to put their lives back together. We know how to get the evidence you need to prove your claim and get the compensation you deserve. If you’ve been injured in a car accident and want to understand your options, contact The Law Giant at 866-523-4167 to schedule a free consultation.
Was Your Accident Recorded on Camera?
Following your accident, give some careful consideration as to whether there were any cameras in the area that may have captured the incident. For example, the following cameras could have been recording in the area and at the time of your accident:
- Traffic cameras
- Speed cameras
- Red light cameras
- Security cameras
- Tollbooth cameras
You may need to return to the scene and identify any cameras in the area. Make a note of where they are located and, if you can, the function they serve. We should also note that the police are not obligated to tell you whether there are any traffic cameras in the area.
Why Traffic Camera Evidence Can Be Helpful
It is often difficult to establish exactly what happened in a car accident. The other driver may have a very different account of the accident and may even be claiming it was your fault. Witnesses can be helpful, but their version of the accident may differ from both yours and the other driver’s. In other cases, there may be no witnesses and no one is able to confirm important facts. Ultimately, you are trying to prove who was at fault and you need to know precisely what caused the accident.
Thanks to modern camera technology, traffic cameras can provide a crystal clear video of your accident. The footage can be used to identify the direction of travel, whether the other driver committed a traffic violation, or whether another vehicle was involved. Traffic camera footage can also be persuasive evidence in establishing the severity of the accident and your injuries.
The Challenges of Getting Traffic Camera Footage
Unfortunately, getting access to the camera footage can be very challenging. The first challenge is identifying who you need to contact in order to request a copy of the footage. Traffic cameras in Brownsville may be operated by the City of Brownsville, the Cameron County government, or the Texas Department of Transportation. Alternatively, the camera may be owned by a government entity but is operated by a private contractor.
As you might imagine, you are going to have to deal with a certain amount of bureaucracy in this process. It can be a challenge just to identify who the request needs to be sent to and it’s unlikely that you will be able to speak with someone on the phone who can help you. In addition, we should note that they are under no obligation to actually provide you with the footage, even if you’ve been seriously injured.
Finally, the other challenge is time. Most of these cameras do not store the footage forever. They typically wipe their memories periodically, sometimes as frequently as every 72 hours. As a result, it’s critical to get in touch with the right entity as soon as possible before the footage is erased.
How an Attorney Can Help
An experienced Brownsville car accident attorney can help in several ways:
- They will know where the traffic cameras in Brownsville are located.
- They will know who to contact and how to get the footage.
- They can subpoena the footage, meaning that the camera owner/operated with be under a court order to preserve the footage and turn it over to you.
- They can find alternate ways of proving your case if the footage is unavailable or unhelpful.
Injured in a Car Accident? Contact The Law Giant, Personal Injury & Accident Lawyers
If you’ve been injured in a car accident, you need a lawyer who knows how to collect the evidence you will need to build your case. The Brownsville, Texas car accident attorneys at The Law Giant, Personal Injury & Accident Lawyers know how to get traffic camera evidence and how to use it to help you get the compensation you deserve.
Contact The Law Giant today at 866-523-4167 to schedule a free consultation with one of our lawyers and begin building your case.
