Utilizing Accident Recontructionists to Support Your Injury Lawsuit

An accident reconstructionist is a professional who uses various tools to re-create an accident in order to accumulate data and draw conclusions. If you are filing a personal injury lawsuit for compensation, your lawyer might recommend utilizing an accident reconstructionist to support your case.

What does an accident reconstructionist do?

Accident reconstructionists are field experts who can be helpful in personal injury cases. They analyze collisions and attempt to recreate the scene of the accident in order to identify its causes and contributing factors. An attorney may then submit the reconstructionist’s findings to the court as evidence to prove the other party’s fault or to establish the claimant did not contribute to the crash.

These professionals can use a number of tools and resources to draw conclusions and demonstrate their findings to the courts, including:

• forensic animation;
• specialized software;
• photographs and video;
• investigating the vehicles;
• examining physical evidence;
• weather reports; and
• physics and engineering research.

Accident Reconstruction: Interpreting the Data

These professionals attempt to create a second-by-second analysis of the accident, and get a good idea of what took place at the time of impact.

Using their specialized tools and field knowledge, they are able to determine important factors such as:

• speed;
• points of impact;
• occupant movements;
• vehicle points of rest; and
• certain driver errors.

The accident reconstructionist will then compile and organize his or her findings, and present them to the court or jury. In order to clearly relay the facts to the jury, the expert may use some sort of visual accompaniment, such as a poster, computer program, model, or computerized print-out.

How Courts View Accident Reconstruction Findings

The courts will carefully assess the accident reconstructionist reports before allowing them to be submitted as evidence on record. They do this in order to make sure that the evidence is sound and unbiased. For example, the Accreditation Commission for Traffic Accident Reconstruction exists to provide certain standards for accident reconstruction and investigators so that there are certain minimums that need to be met to get accredited.

As they review the evidence, they will look at a few primary factors:

• Authenticity – Is the evidence verifiable and performed by a certifiable field expert?
• Relevance – Is the accident reconstructionist’s findings relevant to the claimant’s case?
• Fairness – Are the findings presented in a fair and accurate manner, and is there any danger that the evidence would unfairly affect one party?

If the judge gives the green light, the attorney can use the evidence in a hearing that can prove very instrumental in establishing liability.

Finding the Right Accident Reconstructionist

If you are looking for representation for your personal injury lawsuit, our firm may be the right choice for you. D.J. Banovitz serves Denver and the surrounding areas and has a wealth of knowledge and resources available. He can secure testimony from accident reconstruction experts if applicable to your case.

Contact our office for a free consultation at 303-300-5060 to go over the basics of your case and begin devising a way to prove your case.