In a severe auto collision, the parties may suffer from a concussion that will affect their memory of what caused the accident. Eyewitnesses may not always be precise in their accounts. Furthermore, if there is no surveillance video footage that captured what happened, it does not really provide a complete picture of how the collision occurred. This is where traffic accident reconstruction comes in to help a personal injury claim.
Car accident fatalities during the pandemic were estimated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to have increased in 2020. Not to mention those who were injured due to car accidents, losses are incurred in all these devastating incidents. Thus, it is important that they file their claims against the responsible party and successfully claim thereafter.
One way to achieve this is to find a personal injury lawyer that seeks the help of an accident reconstruction expert to provide physical evidence in the claim process. Learn more about what is accident reconstruction, accident reconstruction definition, and how an expert in this field does the job. After that, you will know its value to your case.
Traffic Accident Reconstruction Definition
What is accident reconstruction? Accident reconstruction is the process of investigating and analyzing the causes, events, and factors that lead to a vehicle to vehicle collision, a pedestrian, or a roadside object using scientific methodologies.
While the accident reconstruction definition sounds very technical, it simply means that all the factors that lead to an auto collision are analyzed by the accident reconstruction expert in Los Angeles to show who is at fault during the accident.
What Does an Accident Reconstruction Expert Do?
The accident reconstruction definition implies that the expert should use working knowledge of mathematics, engineering, mechanics, computer applications, physics, and vehicle dynamics to determine the cause of the car accident.
If you are searching “accident reconstructionist near me” on Google, make sure you start finding a personal injury lawyer who will commence the filing of the claim against the insurance carrier of the at-fault party. Thereafter, you can work with the car accident lawyer to get the right compensation your case deserves.
If your case goes to trial, the crash reconstruction expert can give expert testimony to the analysis made on the accident scene. Such analysis can be used to make illustrations and/or animations that will help the jury understand what transpired. Reconstructionists are considered expert witnesses.
Evidence Used During Accident Reconstruction
Traffic accident reconstruction also includes the use of physical evidence found in the accident. Here, the role of the personal injury lawyer in gathering evidence and witness statements is important. The pieces of evidence required in an auto accident reconstruction include the following:
- traffic collision severity report
- photographs of the scene of the accident
- the exact location of the accident
- the photographs of the vehicles involved
- the injuries of the victim
- the traffic situation at the time
- any surveillance video footage
- witness accounts
- the weather during the accident (atmospheric conditions)
- dangerous road conditions, including road surface
You, a party to the case, can also take some steps to make sure that all or some of the pieces of evidence are gathered. If you can or your representative could, the said photographs should be taken of the physical damage, compiled, and then submitted to your car accident lawyer.
Note that your active participation in investigating the case can help both your lawyer and the auto accident reconstruction specialist in their jobs. Start by stating truthfully all the facts that you remember before and during the accident sequence. Then, provide whatever is required of you that can help the investigation.
A personal injury lawyer and an accredited accident reconstructionist can work their magic into getting you the compensation you deserve from a motor vehicle accident.
Vehicle Inspection
The accident reconstruction definition necessarily includes the need to investigate the cars involved in the collision. Vehicle inspection allows the motor vehicle accident expert to find what photographs cannot show or were not able to capture so that they can create more accurate software simulations.
For instance, the inspections of cars involved in rear-end collisions that do not show severe property damage on the outside can reveal damage on the inside. This helps justify the injuries the occupant/s incurred during the accident that might appear to be minor based on the external property damage.
The crash reconstructionist can even apply drone traffic accident reconstruction technology to get a wider view of the seconds before the accident happened. This has proven to be very valuable in determining who is truly at fault in a crash.
Moreover, the reconstructionist can retrieve the event data recorder (EDR) or the automotive black box early on so that the data can be interpreted. The data here include the vehicle speed before and during the impact, when the airbags deployed, whether the brake was on or off, acceleration time, and throttle, among others. An EDR allows investigators to determine fault and damage based on a scientific process.
Note that older car models may not have EDRs. But it will not prevent an accurate depiction of the collision sequence just because of the absence of this piece of evidence. Definitely, the expert can use other types of evidence for your case.
With time, the physical evidence inside or outside the car can degrade. Therefore, immediate preservation of these pieces of evidence should be made. In which case, your personal injury lawyer can ensure this preservation as long as you immediately hire someone to represent you in your case.
Accident Reconstruction Calculator App: Does it Work?
An accident reconstruction calculator app intends to recreate the collision using a computer application. But unlike a crash reconstruction expert, this app cannot consider other evidence that is vital to the case.
It can neither analyze the EDR, examine the undercarriage, talk to witnesses, nor consider the injuries that you sustained during the collision. Relying on an accident reconstruction calculator app to determine car accident settlements can be insufficient in presenting the case to the jury. It can help build accident reconstruction reports but they are not the most accurate measurement factor.
The Value of Accident Reconstruction in Your Personal Injury Claim
From the retrieval and gathering of evidence to the preservation and analysis of the factors that led to the accident, your personal injury claim to the insurer of the responsible party can be completely presented to the claim adjuster.
Especially for cases with contested liability, oftentimes, the accident reconstruction specialist is key to building the case against the other party. If the case goes to court, the jury can have a clear picture of the case, thus ruling fairly.
Understanding the field of accident reconstruction and how advanced collision analysis helps your case can also contribute to your better grasp of what happened. As the driver, you can have peace of mind knowing that you did not cause the mishap that injured people and caused property damage.
Best of all, you can recover the most amount of money that can help cover your medical treatment, pay for your losses, and afford you the full recovery you require for the future.
Build Your Claim Today with Our Personal Injury Lawyer
After the accident reconstruction and its contribution to your case have become clearer to you, you can now choose the right personal injury lawyer. Farahi Law Firm is a trusted personal injury law firm that helps clients achieve full recovery after devastating automotive accidents and other personal injury cases.
You need not type “accident reconstruction services near me” on search boxes because Farahi Law Firm works with competent, experienced, and reliable collision reconstruction professionals to help their clients get the maximum compensation that they deserve. Call us now so we can start building your claim! Our compassionate personal injury lawyers and staff will take care of you from start to finish. We are available 24/7 and will come to you anywhere in California. We speak English and Spanish.
