Will an Accident Reconstruction Expert Help My Car Accident Case?
If you’re involved in a car accident, one of the first questions everyone wants answered is “Who caused the accident?” Unfortunately, in many instances the answer is unclear – differing accounts of the accident from involved parties and untrained eyes examining the evidence often point in different directions. However, finding the truth is important for getting full, fair compensation when dealing with insurance claims and litigating these cases in court. To get a professional opinion on the hard evidence and understand what really occurred, accident reconstruction experts are often called upon to resolve conflicting opinions when liability is disputed.
Accident Reconstruction Experts
Accident reconstruction experts are professionals who are specially trained and possess qualifications surrounding accident recreation. These individuals utilize their formal education, special training, and field experience to ascertain how a collision occurred and the party or parties at fault. Often, these professionals have backgrounds in engineering, forensics, science, and law enforcement. They use scientific methods and established, fact-based procedures to determine how and why a crash happened.
These experts look at the evidence to guide their conclusions. In a normal investigation, they will often:
- Analyze data from a vehicle’s black box
- Review medical records, photographs, police reports, surveillance footage, and on-scene evidence such as skid marks and debris
- Inspect the accident scene and the vehicles involved
- Interview eyewitnesses
After reviewing the evidence, 3D reenactment models based on different potential crash sequences can be recreated to determine the likely scenario.
When Are Experts Helpful?
Straightforward car accidents with obviously at-fault parties don’t usually require the involvement of these experts; however, some cases benefit immensely from their expertise. Accident reconstruction experts are useful if:
- Important evidence is damaged or missing
- There are no witnesses
- The parties dispute liability
- Liability is unclear
- Involved parties can’t remember the accident or an involved party was killed in the crash
How Does This Help Me?
An accident reconstruction expert’s testimony can heavily influence a judge or jury’s view of how your crash occurred and who is at fault. This directly impacts your ability to establish another party’s liability, the extent of your damages, and potentially receive compensation in a personal injury lawsuit – that’s a lot of money on the line.
California victims should be especially aware of the benefit accident reconstruction experts bestow on their case. As a state with comparative negligence, meaning each party only bears liability for the percentage of fault they had in causing the accident, you want to demonstrate you had as little fault as possible. If you were seeking $100,000 in damages, the difference between being found 20% at-fault and recovering $80,000 and being found 50% at-fault and only recovering $50,000 in damages should mean something to you. These experts can use the facts to help you present the strongest possible case.
Speak to a Los Angeles Car Accident Attorney
The aftermath of an accident is confusing and stressful enough as a victim without the added headache of determining what happened and who’s to blame when the facts are unclear. That’s why you need the skilled California Car Accident Attorneys at Daneshrad Law at your side. Attorney Alan Daneshrad has years of experience representing victims like you in complex car accident cases, and he has a team of experts that can investigate your accident to determine what really happened in order to put together a strong argument for maximum compensation. Call us 24/7 at (888) 881-3529 to schedule a free initial case consultation. We’re here to evaluate your case and start fighting to get you the best possible outcome today.
