How To Request CCTV Accident Footage For Your Claim

Last updated 13th December 2024. Can I request CCTV footage of my accident? If you’ve recently asked this question because you’ve been injured in an accident that was someone else’s fault, you may be entitled to compensation. Cameras may have recorded the incident, and you can request CCTV accident footage to support your case. This guide explains how.

To help you understand why you might need such evidence, we will discuss the facts you need to prove to make a personal injury claim. One eligibility requirement is that someone owed you a duty of care, so we will also provide examples to explain what this means.

You may also have questions about collecting evidence for a personal injury claim:

  • Can I request CCTV accident footage?
  • How do I do so?
  • Can a solicitor help me do this?

We will answer all of these questions.

Finally, we will consider potential compensation payouts and the benefits of claiming with a No Win No Fee solicitor.

If you would like to discuss your claim further, you can contact our expert advisors. They can help answer any questions you may have as well as offer you free advice. To speak to an advisor today, you can:

CCTV camera showing red light to indicate it is recording.

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Do I Need To Request CCTV Accident Footage To Make A Personal Injury Claim?

Having CCTV footage is key evidence when making a personal injury claim, as it can show who may be at fault for the accident. However, in order to make a personal injury claim, you must be able to prove that you were owed a duty of care and you were injured because they breached this duty.

Examples of parties that may have a duty of care towards you can include:

  • Road users: All road users have a duty of care towards other road users. They must use the roads in a way that does not harm themselves or others. To uphold this duty, they must follow the rules of the Highway Code and Road Traffic Act 1988.
  • Employers: Every employer has a duty of care towards their employees, as per the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. This states that they must take all reasonably practicable steps to ensure that their employees are safe while working.
  • Occupiers: According to the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957, those in charge of public premises have a duty of care to visitors. This means that they must ensure the reasonable safety of visitors to the space.

CCTV footage is just one piece of evidence that could help to back up a personal injury claim. To find out if you can request CCTV footage of an accident, please read on. To learn more or check your eligibility to claim, don’t hesitate to get in touch with an advisor. 

How To Get Video Footage Of An Accident

You might wonder how to request traffic camera footage. Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation, you can request CCTV footage of yourself verbally or in writing. Your request should include information that can help the owner identify you, such as a specific date and time, proof of your identity, and a description of yourself.

You may not always be granted access to the footage. For example, if the footage shows other people who can not be edited out to protect their identity, the owner might be unable to share the footage with you. As an alternative, the owner of the footage could invite you to view the footage if they cannot share it with you.

If you still need to know, ‘Can you request traffic camera footage?’ Please get in touch with our team of advisors.

Collecting Evidence For A Personal Injury Claim

If you are injured or made ill because of an accident that was not your fault, you could be entitled to claim compensation. Your personal injury lawyer will have to present evidence that another party was at fault for your injuries/illness through negligence. As well as using CCTV footage, there are many other things you can do at the scene of your accident to collect evidence to support your claim.

How to collect evidence to support your personal injury claim:

  • Talk to eyewitnesses and take down their names and contact details. They may be able to provide a statement to a legal professional later on.
  • Collect photographic evidence by taking pictures, using a date stamp if possible. You can photograph the hazard that caused your accident, your injuries if they are visible, or any damage to your property.
  • If you make any purchases relating to your accident, keep the receipt. This can include taking a taxi to the hospital or buying medication. This can be used as evidence, and you may be able to reclaim the costs as special damages.
  • If you are injured in a workplace or within the grounds of a business premises such as a shop or hotel, report your injury to the management and make sure that the details are accurately recorded in the accident book.

Compensation From A Car Accident

When calculating compensation for a car accident, you might want to get an idea of how much you could receive. Generally, successful claims could result in an award comprised of general damages and special damages.

Special damages compensate for the out-of-pocket costs caused by your injury.

General damages are designed to compensate successful claimants for the suffering and pain of their injuries, as well as the loss of amenities they’ve experienced because of their injuries. This relates to the loss of enjoyment of their usual daily activities.

No two claims are precisely alike, and therefore, some consideration must be given to different factors when calculating compensation for a car accident injury. For example, the physical and mental impact on you can be considered, as well as the severity of the injury and your future prognosis.

Should I Use An Injury Claim Calculator?

To get an idea of how much compensation for a car accident injury you could be awarded, you could look at an injury claim calculator. However, as an alternative, we have used figures from the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) to create the table below. The guidelines contain compensation brackets for different injuries.

Location of injurySeverityCompensation GuidelineInjury Comments
Multiple Injuries Plus Special DamagesVery SeriousUp to £300,000+A combination of serious injuries resulting in pain, suffering and financial loss, including care costs and loss of income.
Head InjuryVery Severe£344,150 to £493,000Can include little if any meaningful interaction with the person's environment. Little or no language function remains.
Hand InjuriesTotal or Effective Loss of Both Hands£171,680 to £245,900Permanent cosmetic and significant functional disability.
Serious Damage to Both Hands£68,070 to £103,200Serious damage to both hands.
Leg InjuriesBelow-Knee Amputation of Both Legs£245,900 to £329,620Bracket will depend on location and other factors such as phantom pains.
Very Serious£66,920 to £109,290Severe injuries leading to permanent issues with mobility.
Knee Injuries Severe (i)£85,100 to £117,410Serious knee injury with disruption of the joint.
Moderate (i)£18,110 to £31,960Dislocation, torn cartilage, or meniscus injuries causing mild future disability.
Ankle InjuriesVery Severe£61,090 to £85,070Includes unusual cases of transmalleolar fractures with extensive soft tissue damage.
Severe£38,210 to £61,090Injuries requiring extensive periods of treatment.

However, we should point out that these are only guidelines. If you wish to receive a personalised estimate of your compensation, you might want to seek legal advice. We can help you with this.

How Are Special Damages Calculated?

In addition to general damages, successful claimants are also awarded special damages. These are reimbursements for any expenses the client has experienced because of their injuries. These can include the following:

  • Medical expenses. This can include reimbursement for medicines, surgery, physiotherapy, or any other type of medical treatment.
  • Travel expenses. You can claim back the cost of parking at a hospital, taking a taxi to the hospital, or alternative transport if you couldn’t drive after your injuries.
  • Home and car adaptation expenses: If your accident has disabled you, you can claim funds to adapt your home or car as needed.
  • Mobility equipment. If you have been made disabled by your accident you can claim compensation for any mobility equipment you may need.
  • Lost income. This can include reimbursement for any salary payments or in-work benefits you missed while recovering from your injuries or any future loss of earnings.

No Win No Fee Claims For Accidents And Injuries

Now that we have explained who can request CCTV accident footage, let’s move on to whether you should get help with your claim.

When making a personal injury claim, you may want to consider getting legal help from a solicitor. They can help you with various aspects of the claiming process, such as gathering evidence and negotiating a compensation settlement.

One of our No Win No Fee solicitors could offer to take on your case under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). With this type of No Win No Fee arrangement in place, you are not expected to pay your solicitor for their services upfront while the claim is progressing or if it fails.

Alternatively, if your claim is a success, your solicitor will deduct a small percentage of your compensation as a success fee.

To check whether one of our No Win No Fee solicitors could assist with your claim, please get in touch with an advisor by:

An injured employee asks a lawyer if she can request CCTV accident footage.

Helpful Resources On How To Request CCTV Accident Footage

Thank you for reading our guide on personal injury claims and how to request CCTV accident footage.