After some car, truck, and motorcycle accidents, physical evidence at the scene and witness statements don’t provide a complete picture of what happened and who is responsible. We may turn to accident reconstruction specialists to help us answer questions and pinpoint liability – especially after multi-vehicle collisions, conflicting accounts, suspected vehicle defects, or other unexplained circumstances in crashes.
Some accident cases are straightforward. But other motor vehicle accidents are complicated, with multiple parties who could be responsible for the crash and work through insurers and their lawyers to deflect blame from themselves. This is when accident reconstruction can become very important.
At David Blackwell Law, our team has successfully handled countless personal injury claims from car, truck, and motorcycle collisions. When appropriate, we hire accident reconstruction specialists to help us build cases for our clients and serve as expert witnesses at trial. Employing all resources available to us when necessary to ensure justice for our clients is part of our commitment to the South Carolina communities of Lancaster, Indian Land, Heath Springs, Kershaw, Fort Mill, and the surrounding areas.
Learn more about what David Blackwell Law can do for you after a serious motor vehicle accident. Contact us today for a free legal consultation.
What Is Accident Reconstruction?
It’s not unusual to hear different explanations for what happened after a bad crash or any traumatic event. People’s memories can be tricky, and in some accidents, no one had the perspective necessary to truly understand. But in most cases, there is evidence that can explain the crash when properly gathered and analyzed.
Accident reconstruction utilizes techniques based on principles of physics, engineering, mathematics, and photogrammetry (interpreting photographs). Using these methods, experts can clarify how a crash and any resulting injuries happened.
Accident reconstruction can be used to explain the circumstances, mechanics, and contributing factors associated with a collision and injuries suffered. It can answer questions such as:
- Vehicles’ direction before collision
- Vehicles’ speed before and upon impact
- The angle of vehicles’ collisions
- How much each vehicle braked before the crash, if at all
- Transfer of energy upon collision impact (i.e., how much force went into a victim’s injuries and vehicle damage)
- Vehicle movement and trajectory after impact
This information helps us determine who caused the crash and should be held liable for any injuries.
What Do Accident Reconstructionists Do?
Accident reconstructionists compile and examine a variety of technical data to develop a moment-by-moment depiction of a motor vehicle accident and various scenarios for why it may have occurred.
Examine Evidence
An accident reconstructionist typically begins by reviewing evidence we will have gathered as part of our investigation of a collision, such as:
- The police report, which typically includes the responding officer’s description of what happened and any immediately identifiable cause, as well as weather, road, and traffic conditions and other information
- Accident scene photos showing the final resting positions of each vehicle, their damage, and crash debris, such as broken glass, skid marks, and gouges
- Statements from drivers and passengers and any accident witnesses
- Vehicle maintenance and inspection records
- Our client’s medical records describing the severity of injuries
- Any public records of mechanical or component defects, crash rates, and recalls for vehicles involved in the accident
- Any available video that shows the crash or the scene just before or after the collision time frame
Analyze the Scene and Vehicles
The reconstructionist will also promptly visit the crash scene to use electronic surveying equipment to produce a computer-generated scale diagram of the crash.
If our law firm has been engaged soon enough after a traffic accident, we will seek to preserve the vehicles involved so they may be examined. This may simply require a request, or we may have to obtain a court order. But we need to be able to act before vehicles are repaired or junked.
In addition to recording vehicle damage in detail, our accident reconstruction expert will inspect and test vehicle components like tires, brakes, suspension, steering, and lights to determine whether their failure may have contributed to the collision.
Our reconstructionist can also download and analyze data from a crashed vehicle’s Event Data Recorder (EDR) if it’s still available. These “black box” devices found in most newer vehicles record technical information from several seconds just before, during, and after a collision.
A vehicle’s EDR records data such as the:
- Date and time
- Vehicle speed
- Acceleration
- Steering wheel angle
- Brake application
- Anti-lock braking system activity
- Seating positions
- Seatbelt usage
- Roll angle
- Gear selection
- Tire pressure
In catastrophic or complex cases, we sometimes get vehicles to re-stage the accident and take measurements to compare with what our expert has learned.
How Can an Accident Reconstruction Specialist Help in a Personal Injury Case?
The information an accident reconstructionist gathers and analyzes, plus their experience and expertise, allows them to form an opinion. The accident specialist will establish a timeline of what happened at each point in the crash and identify how driver error, a defective vehicle part or system, or other factors caused or contributed to the crash.
We summarize the accident reconstruction specialist’s findings in our initial demand letter seeking compensation from the liable party’s insurer. After we file a lawsuit, we must make the full report available to the other side.
If that additional information and other evidence doesn’t persuade them to offer an acceptable settlement, the case goes to trial. Our accident reconstructionist would be recognized as an expert witness in court.
In addition to testifying verbally, our witness would present to the judge and jury animated computer simulations of probable crash scenarios with detailed depictions of what happened to each vehicle. They can also show how victims were injured by the initial impact of the crash, secondary impact within the vehicle, and ejection from the vehicle. It typically proves to be a persuasive presentation.
All of this investigating and science can form a clear picture of how an accident occurred and who is responsible for it. This evidence makes accident reconstructionists a critical part of forming a strong case for compensation.
Contact Our Lancaster Accident Attorney for Help
Not all personal injury claims require accident reconstruction services. But in a complex case, our team can match the resources and expertise deployed by insurance companies with local experts we have forged relationships with to demand full compensation for you.
At David Blackwell Law, we have decades of experience and a proven track record of success in personal injury settlements and verdicts. Our compassionate team has recovered millions for injury victims, including $6 million for a head-on collision. Past clients call our personal injury attorney “very knowledgeable and thorough in negotiating the best settlement possible.” But we’re concerned with more than just a payout. We want to improve all our clients’ lives by providing a high level of care and attention.
If you have been injured in a motor vehicle accident that was someone else’s fault, contact David Blackwell Law for a free consultation today. We will answer your questions, thoroughly explain your legal options, and help you make the best decision for your interests.
