Camera technology has reached a point where virtually everyone now has a high-resolution camera built into their phones. Naturally, many states have made use of advanced cameras to enforce traffic laws, which insurance companies might try to get footage from.
South Carolina does not allow traffic cameras from which insurance companies could obtain footage. South Carolina is one of the few states that still prohibit traffic cameras, like speed and red-light cameras. However, other cameras could have caught footage of an accident. Many local municipalities and businesses maintain their own cameras that could be used in a car accident lawsuit.
If you have been injured in a car accident, our South Carolina car accident lawyers can help you determine if any footage of your accident exists. For a free case review, call Burriss Ridgeway Injury Lawyers at (803) 451-4000.
Can Insurance Companies Get Footage from Traffic Cameras in South Carolina?
Many states are quickly adopting traffic cameras at intersections and along highways to deter dangerous driving. While these cameras are usually not equipped to capture video, they could capture a photo of an accident that an insurance company might attempt to obtain. However, South Carolina is one of the states that does not allow the use of speed or red-light cameras by law.
According to S.C. Code Ann. § 56-7-35(B)(4), cameras cannot be used to issue traffic citations, regardless of whether the camera is installed at a location or attended by an officer. Thus, an insurance company cannot get footage of a red-light or speed camera since they are prohibited in South Carolina.
However, an insurance company might still try to obtain other types of footage. For instance, the law does not prohibit video footage that corroborates the testimony of a law enforcement officer that personally observed an offense, like body or dash camera footage from the officer’s vehicle. Further, many cities in South Carolina are utilizing high-resolution cameras to help law enforcement. For example, Myrtle Beach currently has 800 cameras around the city at major intersections and busy locations that could capture a car accident.
Many other types of cameras could have captured your accident, however. In addition to municipal cameras, many other types are owned and operated by private individuals and businesses. Our South Carolina personal injury attorneys can review the facts of your case to see if there is any chance an insurance company could get footage of your accident.
Can an Insurance Company Get Footage from Other Cameras in South Carolina?
Cameras at every corner and in almost every hand are a fact of life today. Although that does not mean there are no other cameras that could have captured evidence of your accident. Local municipalities and businesses use security cameras as a matter of practice, while private individuals have also begun utilizing the technology en masse. Our Columbia car accident lawyers can review your case to determine if any cameras exist around the location.
Security Cameras
As mentioned above, many local municipalities in South Carolina are already utilizing surveillance cameras for security and law enforcement purposes. However, most businesses also maintain security systems that can include several cameras pointed in different directions. After a car accident, an insurance adjuster will review the case and identify potential locations with cameras that could help them deny a claim.
Fortunately, our Sumter car accident attorneys can also track down surveillance footage that might have recorded your accident. The problem is that there is virtually no way to determine how long a business or municipality will keep the footage. Chances are that the footage is not kept long to save resources. We can use certain legal tools like a request for information if the footage belongs to a government agency without a process for requesting the footage. If a private business is reluctant to share the footage with you, our firm can send them a letter to preserve evidence and compel them to provide it.
Dash Cameras
With the average cost of dashboard cameras ranging from $30 to $70, it is no surprise that more and more drivers are installing them. Dash cams can be incredibly useful as they can show how an accident occurred, the time of the day, and other important details like the weather. If there were multiple cars involved in your accident, we can help you obtain dash cam footage if it exists.
In some cases, the driver you are suing possesses the dashcam footage. Fortunately, that footage can be requested in discovery from the insurance adjuster assigned to their case and direct them to preserve the evidence you know to be in the defendant’s possession. Sometimes, the dashcam footage will come from one equipped to a police officers car. If that is the case, there could be additional steps to gather evidence of this type for a lawsuit. But it is important to act fast, as dashcam footage will likely be erased quickly.
Smartphone Cameras
It is also possible that a witness captured your accident or its aftermath on their smartphone. If an accident occurred in a highly populated part of South Carolina, like downtown Charleston, many people might have video footage on their phones.
If you can, you should get the contact information of any witnesses to your accident and request any footage they recorded. This could help support your claims as to how the accident occurred and expose the negligent driver if they attempt to lie during the case. Our Lexington car accident attorneys can reach out to witnesses on your behalf and gather any footage that could help you recover compensation.
Our South Carolina Car Accident Attorneys Can Help
If you are involved in a car accident, our South Carolina car accident lawyers can help you search for camera footage that an insurance company could use against you. Contact Burriss Ridgeway Injury Lawyers today at (803) 451-4000 for a free case evaluation.
