After a damaging New Jersey car accident, victims can benefit from any evidence that will support their claim against a negligent driver. One way to do this is to get traffic camera footage of a collision if it exists.
The New Jersey Department of Transportation has traffic cameras along major highways throughout the state and provides pathways for injured car accident victims to access the footage. Obtaining traffic camera footage for an accident on a local road in New Jersey is not so simple. Operating agencies don’t always archive this footage, even if it exists. New Jersey victims should know that it’s not guaranteed that there will be any traffic camera footage of their accident at all. A skilled attorney can anticipate this and gather compelling evidence that supports your claim, even without access to traffic camera footage,
Our lawyers are dedicated to helping victims get the justice they deserve after an accident. For a free case evaluation with the New Jersey car accident attorneys at Legal Care, call today at (732) 838-9769.
How Can I Get Traffic Camera Footage for a New Jersey Car Accident on a Highway?
If you’ve been injured in a car accident on a New Jersey highway, there might be traffic camera footage of your collision. The New Jersey Department of Transportation maintains traffic cameras along major roads throughout the state, including highways and interstates.
You must act fast if you need to obtain traffic camera footage of your car accident on a New Jersey highway. While the New Jersey Department of Transportation stores traffic camera footage, it only does so for seven days after filming. If more than a week has passed since your highway accident, the footage may no longer exist.
So, hire a Jersey City car accident lawyer as soon as possible so that you can have help submitting a video log request form to the New Jersey Department of Transportation. It’s important to note that it costs money to obtain this footage. The cost is $100 for the first three hours it takes to locate your accident based on the information you provide. If locating the particular footage takes longer than three hours, the fee spikes to an additional $50 per hour.
Can I Get Traffic Camera Footage for a Car Accident on a Local Road in New Jersey?
If your New Jersey car accident happened on a minor street in town and not on a major highway, obtaining traffic camera footage of your collision may be more difficult. That’s because the red-light and speed cameras that previously existed in New Jersey no longer do.
In the past, New Jersey law enforcement agencies maintained red-light and speed cameras on smaller streets, often near work zones or intersections. Usually, the traffic cameras in such areas were triggered by an event, like speeding or running a stoplight. The program that permitted these cameras expired several years ago. While there might not be traffic camera footage of a car accident that occurred in a local road in New Jersey, it’s possible that a private security camera filmed a collision.
Suppose there was a private security camera near your accident site on a smaller road. In that case, your Newark car accident lawyer can contact the owner to inquire about accessing any potential footage. Footage from private security cameras can be just as effective at proving a negligent driver’s fault in a New Jersey car accident lawsuit.
What Are the Chances that I Can Get Traffic Camera Footage for a Car Accident in New Jersey?
Generally, the likelihood that you will be able to acquire traffic camera footage of an accident in New Jersey is relatively low. This is important for New Jersey victims to understand, especially if they plan on relying on traffic camera footage to prove a negligent driver’s fault.
If you were injured in a car accident on a New Jersey highway, and the accident happened in view of a Department of Transportation traffic camera, your collision was probably caught on tape. That being said, these cameras do not cover every inch of New Jersey’s highways, so it’s not guaranteed that any footage will exist.
For accidents on local, smaller roads, the chances that a traffic camera filmed your collision are even lower. Remember, New Jersey does not currently have any operational red-light or speed cameras, which would be the most likely devices to capture an accident that occurred off of a highway.
Such traffic cameras usually only capture still images, not video footage. In theory, if a local red-light camera or speed camera was triggered by your car accident, it would likely have only taken photos of a negligent driver’s license plate and face, if at anything all. So, the fact that New Jersey no longer allows red-light or speed cameras has little effect on car accident victims or the likelihood that a collision is captured.
What Can I Do if There is No Traffic Camera Footage of My New Jersey Car Accident?
Because there is no guarantee that a traffic camera will film a New Jersey accident or that the operating agency will archive such footage, victims shouldn’t rely on it to prove a negligent driver’s fault in a lawsuit. If there is no traffic camera footage of your collision, your attorney will take other measures to prove a driver’s negligence.
When there isn’t traffic camera footage of a New Jersey car accident, your attorney will aim to show a negligent driver’s fault in other ways. For example, an experienced Paterson car accident lawyer will know to look for potential security camera footage of a collision from local businesses. If there were any eyewitnesses to your car accident, your attorney will interview them for information that supports your claim.
Your lawyer can also analyze the information within a police report for details that indicate an accident’s cause. Remember, it’s not guaranteed that there will be traffic camera footage of your New Jersey car accident. Our attorneys know this, so they are prepared to employ other tactics to uncover evidence that strengthens your claim against a negligent driver.
Our New Jersey Attorneys Can Help You Get Traffic Camera Footage of Your Car Accident
If you need assistance obtaining traffic camera footage of your New Jersey car accident, our attorneys can help. For a free case evaluation with the Lakewood personal injury lawyers at Legal Care, call today at (732) 838-9769.
