By Jeff 
Got hurt in a car accident in NYC recently? Without a car accident lawyer NYC by your side, collecting evidence to prove who was at fault is no easy task. Involved parties are sure to give conflicting accounts of what happened, and the insurance company is never on your side. So you need strong evidence, and luckily, New York City has plenty of traffic cameras in and around Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, or Long Island. Understanding the steps to obtain traffic camera evidence after a crash will help you in the long run whether or not you plan on consulting a personal injury law firm in NYC to protect your rights.
Is Traffic Camera Evidence Really Useful?
Traffic camera footage provides evidence that is objective. This means your car accident lawyer NYC can make a strong case against the defendant by applying a neutral perspective on the events leading to the accident. If any disputes occur regarding the sequence and the cause of the crash, you no longer have to worry about getting the insurance company or the at-fault party to listen when traffic camera evidence is available.
It’s critical to reach out to a personal injury law firm NYC for legal support on time since some traffic cameras only store footage for a short period. And if you have to access traffic camera evidence from a private contractor, you might be denied footage release based on privacy laws. An experienced New York City auto accident attorney who is aware of the common challenges with accessing traffic camera evidence in the area can make the process faster by addressing these legal issues promptly.
Who Manages Traffic Cameras in NYC?
To strengthen your insurance claim and the personal injury claim (that is, if you plan to take further action with a trusted New York City auto accident attorney), you’ll need to be aware of the following entities that manage traffic cameras in NYC:
- NYC Department of Transportation (NYCDOT): Oversees traffic cameras throughout the city.
- New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT): Manages cameras on state highways and roads.
- Local Police Departments: Control cameras in specific precincts or neighborhoods.
- Private Contractors: Businesses or property owners may have cameras that captured the incident.
In order to find out which agency operated the traffic camera that your NYC car accident claim requires footage from, you can contact NYSDOT or your Queens car accident lawyer can do it for you.
Steps to Access Traffic Camera Footage
Let’s get straight into it. Obtaining traffic camera footage is not as complicated as filing a car accident claim in New York. But keep in mind that most footage is deleted after 30 to 90 days. So carry out these steps as fast as possible:
- Identify potential camera locations: Sometimes, a traffic camera might not have captured the incident. You can look out for these types of traffic cameras:
- Intersection cameras: Placed at major intersections for monitoring traffic flow.
- Speed cameras: Installed in areas such as school zones where speeding violations are more frequent.
- Red light cameras: Positioned at traffic lights to capture vehicles running red lights.
- Nearby businesses: These are surveillance cameras that may have recorded your accident by chance.
- Determine who to ask: As discussed earlier, any one of the following agencies, NYCDOT, NYSDOT, local police departments, or private property owners could be in charge of NYC traffic camera footage.
- Submit a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) Request: This is New York’s freedom of information law. Under FOIL, you have the legal right to access public records, including traffic camera footage. A car accident lawyer NYC can guide you to submit the FOIL request accurately to avoid any delays from filing errors. Please note that some agencies charge fees for processing records.
- Monitor your FOIL request: After submitting your request, keep following up to make sure that you receive a response in an appropriate timeframe. Since traffic camera footage gets erased, this process is time-sensitive.
Despite following these steps to access traffic camera footage, you might not be able to get what you require for evidence due to technical limitations. For instance, some cameras only capture still images, and others are inactive during certain hours. Auto accident attorneys in NYC also come across cases where footage is redacted due to ongoing investigations.
Can a Car Accident Lawyer NYC Make Things Easier?
A seasoned New York City auto accident attorney from a well-reputed personal injury firm has plenty of resources and the experience to pinpoint exact locations and time frames of traffic camera footage that will benefit your car accident claim. Further, car accident attorneys are also known to expedite the process by means of their professional connections. And if any denials arise, a car accident lawyer NYC makes sure that your rights are protected.
To add to that, the same car accident lawyer can negotiate with your insurance agent for the maximum compensation your case deserves using this evidence. Should there be a need, you can even file a personal injury claim if the no-fault claim does not suffice for your injuries.
Considering how your personal injury law firm NYC only gets paid if they win your case under a contingency fee arrangement, why overwhelm yourself trying to collect evidence on your own? Get the legal help you deserve in this stressful time.