Our Blog

Obtaining Traffic Camera Footage In Illinois State

Obtaining Traffic Camera Footage In Illinois State

Car accidents are extremely scary and can be followed by a lot of confusion. If another person caused the accident and you got injured, driving off makes things worse. Chances that this incident was caught on camera are high. 

If the accident happens on business premises, at home, or where a police dashcam captured it, obtaining the live camera footage should be a primary goal to capture the driver who ran off. 

Traffic cameras are also used to monitor driving behavior, and most times, they capture car accidents. After an accident, the other party might blame you for causing the accident. The live footage will help you prove that it was not your fault. 

However, obtaining camera footage in Illinois is not always easy, but you can always access it with the right procedures.

Steps On How To Obtain Traffic Camera Footage

Here are some amazing ways in which you can access camera footage in Illinois:

Step 1

After an accident, the first thing you should do is look at your surroundings immediately after it happens. A lot of frustrations often follow car accidents. It is important to find which cameras are in the surroundings of your accident.

These are the possible cameras that are likely to capture your accident.

Step 2

Figuring out who operates the cameras: third parties operate most Illinois cams, making access to the camera footage very difficult.

Step 3

Find the information request laws: this requires you to work through multiple bureaucracies. Once you figure out which camera exists and may have caught your accident, find out the entity’s name that operates the cameras, which can still be challenging.

Step 4

Please, contacting an Illinois car accident attorney is very important in this case; they help you a great deal in acquiring the necessary information and evidence related to your case. If there is personal injury or even compensation with your car, they will ensure you get fair compensation.

A lawyer assists you in: managing the deadlines associated with your case, determining the cause and the liable party for your Illinois car accident.

These are some footage you might obtain after a car accident in Illinois.

Traffic Cameras

Nowadays, it is easy to track the happenings of an event, the installation of cameras is the new technology to spot different happenings worldwide. 

It is important to note that various organizations may hold ownership of the cameras mounted on highways, local authorities, private organizations, and news media.

After identifying that the footage you need access to is a traffic camera, contact the different organizations by writing in detail. This should be done within ten days of your Illinois traffic accident. Nevertheless, they are not obligated to submit the footage to you. 

In most cases, using an accident attorney can fasten the process. In most cases, a subpoena is needed before any video footage is provided; this attracts a fee for the subpoena. 

Red light camera enforcement in Illinois is put in place to reduce different types of crashes between vehicles at intersections; they go a long way in helping to obtain traffic camera footage.

Police Dash Cam Footage 

Police officers are likely to trial a careless driver in an accident, and many Illinois police officers have body-worn cameras that usually record real-time happenings. Illinois state law requires that recordings from a police officer’s body be saved without alterations for at least 90 days.

With the assistance of an Illinois traffic accident attorney, you will be able to identify the officer who captured the event of your accident. Finding out their designation and their precinct is the first step to contact them with an official request. 

Knowing this information makes it easy to obtain camera footage in Illinois state.

Parking Lot Camera Footage

Even after trying so hard to be a responsible driver, most parking lot accidents occur when most vehicles are stagnant. But that does not mean that the damage is not huge, an individual might incur injuries, and the car might incur huge damages. 

If you need to claim from the insurance, obtaining the camera information is very important to prove it was not negligence or carelessness. 

You might need an accident attorney to subpoena the owners of the cameras to please provide the videos; at least, they make the process faster compared to when you write to them yourself.

Private Entity Footage

Accidents might happen in front of a store or a home, both of which are private entities. If you incurred personal injuries or your car was damaged, and you need to prove it, you will need evidence. 

People who might have witnessed the event can be useful, but camera footage is the best evidence you can provide. However, private entities are not entitled to submit their camera information to you. 

However, an accident attorney may assist you by submitting a subpoena to the organization’s owner to provide you with the footage that gives you evidence that you need to defend yourself and prove whose fault it was.

How This Footage Helps

It obtains traffic camera footage in Illinois and any other camera footage that assists in proving liability, especially in car accidents. The driver at fault may claim to have not been at fault, and word-of-mouth information in this situation may not be helpful. 

On the other hand, obtaining the video footage can be valuable information of your claim of events. It is very difficult to dismiss video evidence.

Obtaining traffic camera footage in Illinois is essential in removing doubt. Due to the confusion that comes with most accidents, you can be unsure of what happened. You might even be convinced it’s your fault.

Video evidence will help you prove fault and recoup the money because even after an accident, a car’s resale price gets low. With the assistance of the right attorney, the video footage becomes very helpful.

Final Thoughts

Regardless of how good of a driver you are, car accidents are a possibility. Irresponsible drivers are to blame for most accidents. Most accidents in Illinois are a result of the driver failing to stick to their lanes. This is a result of; distractions, drunk driving, and tiredness.

Obtaining traffic camera footage in Illinois after an accident has proved to be a very effective way to prove the liability of the accident and also helps you recall the events of the accident.

Orland Park Office
Chicago Office