Traffic cameras are prevalent in many large cities, including Los Angeles. They may monitor traffic flow and even capture accidents on video. If a traffic camera captured your car accident, we should act fast to obtain it. Otherwise, it may be deleted.
How long traffic cameras save videos of car accidents depends on the type of camera used. Some cameras are meant only to monitor and livestream traffic, but do not record anything. Other cameras may save videos for about 30 to 90 days, like red light cameras. Private security or dashcam videos might be saved until the owner decides to delete them. If video evidence of your car accident exists, we must act fast to get it before it is lost.
Call our Los Angeles car accident lawyers for a confidential, free case evaluation by calling the Law Office of John J. Perlstein at (213) 252-1070.
How Soon After a Los Angeles Car Accident Should You Obtain Copies of Traffic Camera Footage?
We might not know how long video evidence from a traffic camera will be saved, so we should act quickly to get it. Some cameras might save videos for only a few weeks, while others might not save them at all.
LA DOT and Caltrans Traffic Cameras
Many roads, especially major highways, around Los Angeles are monitored by traffic cameras owned and operated by the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LA DOT). These cameras are primarily used for monitoring traffic flow. While some record footage of traffic, many others only stream the footage live.
If a traffic camera was positioned near your accident, our Los Angeles car accident attorneys should contact LA DOT right away to request copies of the video, if available.
Red-Light Cameras
Other cameras may be used for law enforcement purposes. For example, red light cameras may capture videos of traffic in the middle of intersections. These videos may be used by law enforcement to assess traffic violations, so they tend to be saved for longer. Many red light cameras save videos for about 30 to 90 days.
If your accident occurred at or near an intersection with a red-light camera, we should reach out to local law enforcement. They may save the footage from the accident and provide it to us for insurance purposes or a lawsuit.
Private Cameras
Many other cameras in the area around your accident might not be public traffic cameras but are instead private security cameras. Businesses may have security cameras that recorded the accident, or private homes might have something like a Ring camera that recorded the accident.
These videos may be saved for as long as the owner sees fit. As such, we should reach out to businesses and homeowners to ask whether they have footage of the accident and can provide us with copies.
We should also speak to other drivers who might have had a dashcam in their car that recorded the crash.
What Should You Do if Traffic Camera Footage of an Accident is Deleted?
Unfortunately, videos of an accident may be deleted before we can get to them. Sometimes, this is accidental. Other times, the person who deleted the video may have been intentionally destroying evidence.
Determine Why it Was Deleted
First, we need to figure out why the footage was deleted. Was it deleted as a matter of routine (e.g., videos are automatically deleted after a certain period) or did the person in charge of the footage delete it on purpose?
Sometimes videos are automatically deleted after a certain period, which is why we need to act fast. Other times, the person in charge of the video footage might not want to get involved, or they favor one part over the other, so they destroy the evidence.
Destruction of evidence is a serious problem, and the person or people responsible may face severe penalties.
Can Deleted Videos Be Recovered?
Next, we need to determine if the deleted video files can be recovered.
When video files are deleted, they might not be gone forever. Depending on how the video was recorded, the files might be recoverable.
To restore deleted videos, we may need access to the computer system where they were stored. If the deletion was accidental, the person who owns the camera may be willing to give us access to their computer system to make up for their mistake. If the deletion was intentional, we may need to involve the court or law enforcement.
Spoliation and Court Sanctions
The party responsible for deleting the video might face serious penalties. If we discover that the defendant is responsible for deleting the video or has instructed someone else to do so, we can ask the court to impose sanctions. Destruction of evidence may be referred to as “spoliation,” and judges take this issue very seriously.
One possibility is to ask for adverse jury instructions. The court may instruct the jury to assume that the destroyed evidence would have been favorable to the party that did not destroy it.
FAQs About Using Traffic Camera Footage in Car Accident Civil Cases
How Long Are Traffic Camera Videos Saved Before Being Deleted?
Different types of cameras may save videos of an accident for different periods of time. Traffic cameras operated by LA DOT might be used only to monitor and livestream traffic, rather than to record it. Cameras connected to law enforcement, such as red-light cameras, may be preserved for about 30 to 90 days.
When Should You Seek to Obtain Traffic Camera Videos After an Accident?
You and your lawyer should act immediately to obtain copies of the traffic camera footage of your accident. These videos may be automatically deleted after a few weeks, and if we do not move fast, they could be lost forever.
What Kind of Camera Might Record a Car Accident in Los Angeles?
Different cameras may be monitoring traffic for different reasons. Traffic cameras can be found along major roads and highways in Los Angeles, but they tend to monitor traffic flow rather than record footage of accidents. Red-light cameras capture photos and videos of people running red lights, and they may also record videos of accidents at intersections.
What Should You Do if Video Footage of Your Car Accident is Deleted?
If you discover that video footage of your car accident has been deleted, inform your lawyer immediately. It may be possible to recover deleted files and restore the video. If we cannot restore the video, we may ask that sanctions be imposed against the person responsible for deleting it.
Why is Traffic Camera Footage Important in a Civil Lawsuit for a Car Accident?
Traffic camera footage can be incredibly important in a car accident lawsuit because it can show exactly how the accident happened. Depending on where the camera was situated, we might be given a bird ’s-eye view of the collision. This kind of evidence can be difficult to refute and may greatly strengthen your claims.
Speak to Our Los Angeles Car Accident Lawyers About Your Potential Case Today
Call our Santa Ana, CA car accident lawyers for a confidential, free case evaluation by calling the Law Office of John J. Perlstein at (213) 252-1070.