Many traffic cameras in New Jersey record footage. If you were recently in an accident, it is crucial to prioritize obtaining available footage. Otherwise, it could be deleted.
Traffic camera footage from the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) is only available for up to seven days after an accident. Wait any longer to request NJDOT footage, and it may be automatically deleted. After your crash, our lawyers can confirm if your accident happened near a traffic camera and submit a video request form to NJDOT. In addition to traffic camera footage, our lawyers may obtain other videos from surveillance systems in the area. After getting relevant footage, our lawyers can review it to see how it may affect your future case, accident reconstruction experts’ assessments, and a potential settlement.
For a free case assessment from our New Jersey car accident lawyers, call Agrapidis & Maroules, P.C. today at (201) 777-1111.
How Long Do New Jersey Traffic Cameras Keep Accident Footage?
The New Jersey Department of Transportation maintains a network of CCTV cameras to monitor traffic flow and any accidents or weather issues on interstates and major highway systems. NJDOT only keeps footage from these cameras for a short time, at which point cameras are overridden to capture new images.
According to NJDOT’s website, the agency only keeps traffic camera footage for seven days after it is recorded. During this week, you might still be hospitalized or otherwise recuperating from accident injuries. Unrequested footage will be deleted after seven days and become inaccessible to victims.
New Jersey does not have red-light or speed cameras, so victims cannot rely on these devices to capture relevant images of accidents. New Jersey’s traffic cameras typically only go along busy roads, intersections, and exits, including I-78, I-287, US 202, US 101, and US 22, among others.
If it has been longer than a week since your accident and the relevant traffic camera footage no longer exists, there may be other sources we can turn to for video evidence. In addition to obtaining accessible traffic camera footage, our lawyers can confirm if nearby homeowners or business owners with surveillance systems have footage of the crash.
How to Get Car Accident Footage from New Jersey Traffic Cameras Quickly
Victims must request traffic camera footage from the New Jersey Department of Transportation by submitting an online request form, which our lawyers can help them complete and submit immediately after accidents.
When completing this online request, our New Jersey personal injury lawyers can provide your personal information and the route number, interstate, or exit where the accident happened so NJDOT can identify which camera filmed the footage you want. There are fees associated with getting traffic camera footage, and the NJDOT charges $100 for the first three hours it takes to locate footage and $50 for each additional hour.
We can help you obtain this footage quickly so that it does not get deleted and so we can immediately begin reviewing it and confirming its relevance to your case.
Traffic cameras only record and store footage along certain routes. For example, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority does not keep footage from accidents on the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway. If you are injured far from traffic cameras that record and store footage, we can investigate other potential video sources, like surveillance systems, doorbell cameras, and dashboard cameras.
How Long Will It Take to Review New Jersey Traffic Camera Footage of an Accident?
Sometimes, footage from New Jersey traffic cameras shows an accident in its entirety. Other times, footage shows only a portion of the incident, perhaps the moments before or after. In these situations, our lawyers may have to carefully review the footage, comparing it to other evidence from the scene and accident reconstruction experts’ findings.
We will confirm what the traffic camera footage shows and how it will affect your case right after receiving it. Experts can use this footage when reconstructing the crash, especially if they have other evidence to consider, like tire marks on the road and property damage to involved vehicles.
The longer accident reconstruction experts have to analyze video footage, the better, especially if the footage is somewhat unclear, which might be the case for nighttime accidents or those that happen in bad weather.
Why You Shouldn’t Wait Long to Get Accident Footage from New Jersey Traffic Cameras
New Jersey traffic camera footage is only kept for a short period of time following accidents but is often useful to victims’ financial recoveries. Waiting to obtain it could jeopardize your ability to prove crucial aspects of your compensation claim, like breach of duty and causation.
Depending on the scope and clarity of the footage, it could show the driver speeding, recklessly merging, or otherwise driving negligently at the moment they hit you. This can help our lawyers establish that the negligent driver breached the duty of care they owed you. Footage can also help prove causation, as it might show, albeit possibly from afar, your immediate visible injuries after a collision. Traffic camera footage might also show an accident’s aftermath, including the police response, the scope of the property damage, and the onsite medical care victims received.
While traffic camera footage is often powerful evidence in car accident lawsuits, it is stronger when corroborated by additional evidence, like eyewitness statements and medical reports. Suppose police officers did not speak to witnesses at the scene and record their information in the resulting report. In that case, our lawyers may be able to identify them through video footage or other investigation tactics. Identifying and contacting eyewitnesses as soon as possible is crucial so that we can preserve their statements, as we will aim to do with traffic camera footage.
Call Our New Jersey Attorneys for Help with Your Accident Case Today
For a free case review from Agrapidis & Maroules, P.C., call our Bayonne, NJ car accident lawyers at (201) 777-1111.