Have you heard of a motor vehicle crash investigation or an accident reconstruction? If you're like a lot of people, you've heard the terms before but you're not exactly sure what they mean.
After there is a motor vehicle accident, especially one involving serious injuries or fatalities, usually the accident will be investigated by an expert; sometimes it will be necessary to "reconstruct" the accident to better understand the causes of the crash.
Who performs these duties? Generally, it's the police and independent investigators, who are hired to determine financial responsibility in an accident. Naturally, the police, the insurance companies, and the parties involved in a crash want to know what happened, so they will go looking for answers.
Initially, the police are going to look at whether anyone was speeding, if there were any hours-of-service violations (trucking accidents), or if any of the drivers were under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Who hires independent investigators?
Usually, attorneys and insurance companies are the ones who will hire an independent investigator, or it can be any of the parties involved in the accident. It is the independent investigator's job to closely analyze the causes of the accident so the at-fault driver can be identified.
Who are these independent investigators, and what are there qualifications? Often, they are retired or off-duty police officers, engineers, or automotive technologists, but they may come from other backgrounds as well.
An investigation typically involves:
- Inspecting the scene of the crash
- Gathering evidence left by the vehicles, such as skid marks and gouge marks
- Measurements are taken using electronic survey equipment
- A computer-generated diagram may be produced to reconstruct the crash
- The vehicles are inspected
Once the investigation is complete, the accident is reconstructed and the investigator can draw conclusions as to what events led to the collision, and who was responsible for the accident.
If you were involved in a serious injury accident, contact a personal injury attorney to discuss the possibility of an accident investigation.