Getting traffic camera footage can be a good way to help prove what happened in your accident case. Actual video of the crash happening is going to be great evidence when it comes time to put your case before a judge and jury, but insurance companies know this, too.
Traffic camera footage is not recorded at every intersection in NJ, and it isn’t saved in many locations that do have traffic cameras. However, NJDOT does save footage from many of its highway and interstate cameras for 7 days. If the insurance company knows that a camera is nearby, they might pull the footage for use in your case – but they also might not have the means to store so much video and might not pull footage in every case. This can give you a leg up on the opposition if you get the footage for your case early on.
For help with a car accident claim, call the NJ car accident lawyers at Legal Care New Jersey today at (732) 838-9769.
Do Traffic Cameras Save Footage in NJ?
The NJDOT has cameras throughout the interstate highway system and NJ highway system. These cameras save footage for 7 days, allowing anyone involved in a crash to request the footage by submitting a form with NJDOT.
Other cameras throughout the state might just be sensors that help lights change depending on the flow of traffic, not actual video cameras. Other local city and municipal governments might also have cameras available, but many of these cameras do not record and only post live video footage online.
However, just because footage is available does not mean that insurance companies will pull the footage for use in your car accident case.
Do Insurance Companies Pull Traffic Camera Video for Car Accidents in NJ?
Generally speaking, insurance companies will gather any evidence they need, including police reports and traffic camera footage. However, the odds of them actually pulling the camera footage in time to use it against you – and their need to use the evidence against you – is not always going to be high for a few reasons. Our Jersey City car accident lawyers can also get the footage for your crash case, potentially meaning that the insurance company won’t need to get it themselves.
How NJ’s Car Insurance System Works
First, it is important to understand that NJ uses a no-fault insurance system. This usually means that you will be filing an insurance claim with your own insurance rather than the at-fault driver’s insurance company. While your own insurance company will certainly want to know who caused the crash so they can raise your rates if it was you, you do not have to submit proof of fault before the company pays your claim.
You merely need to prove that the accident happened and prove the value of your damage and medical bills. A police report is often sufficient to prove that the crash happened, and you can submit bills to show the insurance company what you spent. All in all, the insurance company won’t need the traffic camera footage, so they might not request it at all in the 7 days after the crash.
Many claims are also filed against the at-fault driver, but there are extra hurdles that victims must jump before they can file such claims. In these types of claims, victims will have to prove what happened and the insurance company will try to deny those facts. However, that does not mean they will necessarily get the traffic camera footage – if it is available – every time.
Practicality
Insurance companies deal with a lot of accident claims. For them to have the capacity to store video footage and give adjusters access to the footage would require immense digital storage capacity. Moreover, reviewing the footage for every accident case will also take a lot of man-hours, and insurance companies might not want their workers spending their time doing that.
Footage Coverage
As mentioned, NJDOT’s cameras are only on the highways. Most accidents happen off the highway in areas that probably aren’t covered by a traffic camera to begin with. This means that most car accidents simply won’t have been recorded on a traffic camera to begin with.
However, other security cameras at stores, homes, ATMs, and other facilities might be available. Insurance companies and lawyers could ultimately seek out this footage – but it is likely that this footage is overwritten quickly as well. This potentially gives less than 48 hours, let alone 7 days, for people to request the footage.
Expense
The first 3 hours of footage you request through the NJDOT costs $100, and every additional hour of footage costs another $50. For insurance companies to pull footage for each accident case that comes their way, it would be prohibitively expensive. Especially if they already have everything they need to pay or deny the claim, getting the extra evidence from the video might not be worth the cost.
Lawyers Already Have Footage
If you are planning on filing a car accident claim and contact a lawyer about your case quickly, we might be able to request the traffic camera footage for your car accident case ourselves. This means that the insurance company ultimately will not need it.
The insurance company will be able to demand the footage from you and if you do not want to turn it over, they might try to deny your claim. If the case goes to court, the other side will also be able to request that any evidence you have be turned over during the discovery stage of the case. This could include any traffic camera, security camera, dash camera, or other video footage you have in your possession.
What this means, practically speaking, is that insurance companies often do not need to request the footage because they can request a copy from you if you or your lawyer pulls the footage first.
Call Our Car Accident Attorneys for Help in NJ
If you were involved in a car crash, call (732) 838-9769 for a free case review with the Trenton car accident attorneys at Legal Care New Jersey.
