You’ve likely noticed the many cameras that capture footage across Indianapolis’ roads, including traffic cameras, dashboard cameras, and security cameras.  

These different cameras can be highly valuable for proving car accident and personal injury claims because they record traffic accidents as they happen, providing almost indisputable evidence.

Unfortunately, it’s nearly impossible to obtain certain types of camera footage without the assistance of an Indianapolis car accident attorney. In this blog, we discuss the process of obtaining different types of footage. 

Obtaining Traffic Camera Footage in Indiana

There are a number of traffic cameras across Indiana, but they can sometimes be difficult to spot. Even if you didn’t notice a traffic camera at the time of your wreck, one may have still captured your accident. Some common locations for traffic cameras in Indiana include toll stations, bridges, ramps, and intersections.

If you know that a traffic camera recorded your wreck, you need to act fast to obtain the footage. Whoever owns the camera will likely delete the footage after a short period. 

The first step in obtaining traffic camera footage is finding out who owns the video evidence. This could be a local police department, toll authorities, Indiana state police, the Indiana Department of Transportation, or another state or federal agency. 

Once you learn who owns the footage, you can file a request to obtain the video evidence. Depending on who owns the footage, you’ll likely need to fill out specific agency forms. These forms are often confusing and make it challenging to recover your video evidence. Additionally, not all agencies are obligated to provide the camera footage and will likely deny your request. 

When you enlist the help of an attorney, they will investigate who owns the footage, and they may issue a subpoena to obtain it. 

Security Camera Footage

Many private residences and businesses have security cameras, and your wreck could have been captured on one of these private cameras. 

If you believe that a private security camera recorded your accident, you need to find out who owns the footage and contact them directly. Fortunately, a private residence or business is more likely to provide the footage than a government agency, but these private owners are under no obligation to meet your request. 

If you have difficulty discovering who owns the footage or if your request is denied, you need to contact a car accident attorney to assist you. Like with government-owned footage, a car accident lawyer can subpoena video evidence from a private home or business. If a judge grants the subpoena, the private residence or business will be obligated to provide the footage. 

Using Dashboard Camera Footage as Evidence

Police officers have used dashboard cameras for decades, but now the devices are becoming far more common for the general public. If you used a dashcam at the time of your wreck, you should definitely use it as evidence for your claim.

Additionally, another driver could have recorded the incident on a dashcam. Unfortunately, there’s usually no way of knowing if another driver recorded the incident unless they stopped after the wreck. If you wrote down the name and contact information of any witnesses to the accident, you can reach out to them to see if they recorded the wreck.

If you didn’t write down the witnesses’ contact information, you may still be able to track them down. Police reports sometimes include eyewitnesses’ names and contact information. Fortunately, you can purchase the police report for $12.

Finally, if first responders arrived at the crash, they may have dashcams or body cams that you can use as evidence. Obviously, this footage didn’t record the accident itself, but the footage can be useful in proving that you sustained damages, including vehicle damages and personal injuries. 

Contact an Indianapolis Personal Injury Lawyer

Tracking down traffic camera footage and other forms of video evidence can be challenging, and you’ll have a far greater chance of success if you contact a car accident attorney. A skilled lawyer can help you by investigating who owns the video evidence, and they can subpoena evidence so that a government agency, private citizen, or business is compelled to provide the evidence. 

If you were involved in a traffic accident in Indianapolis, contact the legal team at Poynter & Bucheri Accident Recovery Attorneys at Law. We’ll help you build your case and present it on your behalf so that you recover the compensation you deserve. 

Depending on your case, you may be able to recover compensation for vehicle damages, medical bills, lost wages, loss of future earnings, pain and suffering, and more. Contact us today at 1-800-265-9881, or you can schedule a FREE case review online here.