Your Case May be Proven by Cameras You Didn’t Know Existed
65% of crashes occur at intersections. Most of these intersections, at least in the greater Dallas area, are monitored by AI-powered flock cameras, or one of the many thousands of traffic monitoring cameras deployed by the Texas DOT. When there’s a wreck, someone, or something, knows exactly what happened.
Even when the witness says the light was green, the other driver says it was red, and the police report comes back inconclusive, your DFW area car crash doesn’t have to come down to he-said/she-said. Because there are thousands of cameras that saw exactly what happened; traffic cameras, business security systems, doorbell cameras, parking lot surveillance networks, and even dashcams from nearby vehicles.
The Car Crash Captain explores what this means, because it’s not a matter of whether or not the video exists, it’s a matter of whether or not you can access it before it’s deleted.
Modern Intersections are Surrounded by Cameras
When you think of an intersection, how do you picture it? If you’re like most people, you image a traffic light, a few lanes of traffic, possibly a few electronic components and a red-light camera (which aren’t even legal in Dallas). What’s usually not envisioned is the sheer size of the hidden surveillance network that’s monitoring all movement. Okay, “hidden” isn’t the right term because they’re not actually hidden – they’re just hard to see.
Many intersections throughout urban areas are surrounded by potential video sources. Including:
- Traffic monitoring cameras
- Flock cameras
- Convenience store and gas station security
- Banks
- Office buildings
- Parking lots
- Residential doorbell cameras
- Vehicle dashcams
Most drivers, when involved in a Texas car crash, will get witness statements and rely on the police report. But within a few hundred feet the most valuable evidence has been recorded onto a hard drive and it will be overwritten if nobody preserves it.
Video Evidence is Fleeting
The issue isn’t that there’s no video evidence of the crash. The issue is that most surveillance networks will automatically overwrite footage, unless it’s saved and preserved. To further complicate the matters, there’s no set timeline on when that might happen. Some systems overwrite after a month; some do so after a week; some might cycle daily.
There’s no law that says a business must indefinitely save footage simply because a wreck occurred nearby. If nobody requests the video, it might disappear before anyone realizes that it even existed.
An objective third party may have recorded your wreck, and clear video evidence of what actually happened might exist. But there’s no guarantee it’s still there when you need it most.
Not all Surveillance Network Cameras are Equal
When you see a camera in the wild, you probably think that it’s recording. A constant stream of video data pumping into a hard drive or data center somewhere nearby. Some do, but many don’t.
Traffic cameras monitor flow – they don’t always stream live footage.
Some cameras provide live feeds, but they don’t have high-quality images.
Webcams often live-stream, but they don’t record.
A lot of traffic footage is controlled by government agencies.
A lot of other video footage is controlled by private businesses.
There are formal channels necessary to request footage from government agencies, as much of this is considered to be publicly accessible. That controlled by private businesses or individuals might need a court order to obtain the footage.
When it comes down to it, the footage is probably there. But getting it quickly enough, knowing the channels, or just being able to track it down often aren’t what the victim is able to do. This is especially true if they’re recovering from major injuries.
You Need a Lawyer that Knows how to Request Footage
Herbert Law Group fights for you. When you don’t know how, or simply cannot, get it done yourself, we’ve got your back. We know the channels to request publicly available footage. We have the expertise, and negotiation skills to encourage private owners to share their footage. And most importantly, we’ve done it before.
Navigating the hidden surveillance network of Dallas, Texas means spending a lot of time learning how to do it, and getting it done.
Don’t waste your time. Let us make it happen for you. It all starts with a phone call to 214-414-3808 so we can have a free conversation to learn what happened. No time for a call? Then simply fill out the contact form and we’ll be in touch.