Accident Reconstruction | DID YOU KNOW…Accidents are often reconstructed to get a full picture of events

Did you know that there are engineers that specialize in reconstructing accidents? These engineers attend the scene of an accident, take measurements and pictures, analyze the vehicles for any information stored in the vehicle and make a detailed reconstruction of the accident, the speeds involved, seat belts and the forces involved that caused the accident to happen the way that it did.

There are also subsets of specialists that can analyze perception times for drivers, and even look at the way a person moved inside the vehicle to show how they sustained the injuries that they did.

Newer vehicles are often equipped with special equipment or “black boxes” that can show these engineers whether seat belts were being used, whether air bags deployed, the speed the vehicles were going, when and if brakes were used and many other pieces of important information.

Engineers and other specialists can use this “black box” information along with the measurements and pictures that they took to make detailed recreations of the movement of each vehicle in an accident. They can determine where each vehicle started, where they ended up and how fast they were each moving.

All of this information is extremely important, especially in catastrophic accidents where the injured party may not have any memory of what happened or what caused the accident.

It is also extremely important to get this information as soon as possible. We do this quickly in part to stave off any liability arguments that the other insurance may want to make against you, but also to make sure that the physical evidence is preserved for litigation. Often times, a vehicle is crushed or junked soon after an accident, destroying important evidence the engineers need to make their reconstructions. Most importantly, if we can get engineers to the scene of a crash prior to skid marks, tire impressions (in soft shoulders) and crash debris is destroyed or missing, we can get the best possible evidence for your case.

It is very important to get your own expert reports as police reconstructions can often be wrong (or not done at all) and the other insurance company can also generate their own reports that may not be accurate or in your favour. If you don’t have your own analysis, you will be stuck accepting what the police or other insurance says. Remember, the other side’s insurance is, by definition, adverse in interest to you!

Robinson LLP and their experienced lawyers routinely work with excellent engineering firms and know when these reports are necessary to help make sure you get an accurate reconstruction of the accident. It is always our priority to put you in the best possible position to recover damages for your injuries.

Carol L. Robinson