How to Obtain Traffic Camera Footage of Your Alabama Accident

Many highways, roads, and intersections in Alabama have traffic cameras maintained by the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT), the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), or local law enforcement and traffic departments. Officials typically use traffic cameras to monitor traffic patterns, alert motorists of traffic jams, and determine future road improvements. However, traffic cameras can also record motor vehicle accidents, providing objective evidence about who or what caused the crash. In many cases, this footage can be crucial to establishing liability and helping accident victims win compensation.

How Do You Get Traffic Camera Footage from the State of Alabama?

The first step to getting traffic camera footage is identifying which agency controls it. Take note of the camera’s location, using streets and nearest address numbers, intersections, or highway mile markers.

Contact the appropriate government agency to inquire whether footage from the date and time of the accident still exists. If the footage is still available, the agency may require you to submit a request form along with supporting documentation to establish your entitlement to it. Supporting documentation may include proof of your identity and a copy of the police crash report. If the agency does not have a request form, you may send a formal letter requesting a copy of the footage and your documentation.

What Types of Traffic Cameras Does the State of Alabama Use?

Alabama law enforcement and transportation agencies at the municipal and state level use traffic cameras for various purposes. Common types of traffic cameras in Alabama include:

• Speeding cameras – These are placed in school zones, roads known for speeding, or busy pedestrian areas to read speeding vehicles’ license plates and issue citations to the vehicles’ owners.
• Red light cameras – These cameras are placed at intersections to detect vehicles running red lights and issue citations to the vehicle’s owner.
• Live traffic cameras – These are designed to provide state and local transportation officials with real-time information about traffic conditions, weather conditions, or incidents occurring on the road or highway (such as a motor vehicle accident or criminal incident).

Live traffic cameras found on interstates and state highways typically belong to the Alabama DOT. Traffic cameras on city or surface streets, such as speeding or red light cameras, usually belong to a local sheriff’s or city police department. However, some counties and cities use live traffic cameras on busier streets to monitor traffic volume.

How Do You Get Traffic Camera Footage from a Local Municipality?

To obtain footage from a speeding, red light, or live traffic camera owned and operated by a municipality, you must first determine which county or city department operates the camera. Some cameras may belong to the sheriff’s office or local police department, while others may belong to the county or city traffic or transportation department. Once you’ve identified the agency that controls the camera, you can submit a formal request for footage and provide documentation proving your right to that footage, including identification and a police report.

What Can I Do If There Is No Traffic Camera Footage of My Accident?

If no traffic camera footage of the accident exists, you will need to gather other evidence to help prove another driver’s liability for the crash. First, let’s assume the police responded to the accident. If it happened on county or city streets, the responding officers were probably from a local police department or sheriff’s office. If the incident happened on a highway, the Alabama State Police probably got the call.

In either case, an officer, deputy, or trooper should have investigated the crash and prepared an official police crash report. This report may serve as valuable evidence, as it will contain the law enforcement officer’s findings, including their informed opinion about who or what caused the accident.

Other cameras may have also captured footage of the crash. Ask witnesses and business owners in the area if they have private security cameras, vehicle dashcams, helmet cams, and bystander cell phones.

Other evidence you might use to build a car accident case includes:

• Accident scene photos
• Witness testimony
• Vehicle computer data
• Cell phone records
• GPS logs
• Post-accident vehicle inspections
• Accident reconstruction expert reports and testimony

How Can an Alabama Car Accident Lawyer Help Recover Footage of My Accident?

An Alabama car accident lawyer can help you recover footage of the crash by investigating the scene to identify any cameras with a view of the crash. It can be challenging for the layperson to determine who owns or operates a given camera. However, a car accident attorney has experience obtaining footage and will know who to contact. They can submit formal requests on your behalf so you can focus on your recovery rather than hunting down footage.

Many cameras have their footage deleted or written over in a matter of days or weeks, which makes it critical to act fast. Speak to a car accident lawyer as soon as possible after a collision to give them the best chance of securing video footage for your case.

Do Insurance Companies Look at Camera Footage?

Insurance companies frequently review any available camera footage of a car accident to help them determine fault and liability for the crash. Even when that footage comes from a camera that had a partially blocked angle or only captured a portion of the collision, the insurance company can use it along with other evidence to piece together what happened.

Contact an Alabama Car Accident Lawyer

Traffic camera footage can serve as critical evidence to prove another driver caused the crash that injured you. However, recovering this footage and using it to build a case can be challenging without legal help. That’s why you should contact Gartlan Injury Law for a free initial consultation with an Alabama car accident attorney to discuss your legal options. We can secure copies of any accident footage and seek financial recovery for your injuries and losses. Reach out today to learn more.

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