VehiclE Crash Reconstruction

The objective of performing a crash reconstruction is to determine how the incident occurred, why it occurred, and what could, or should, have been done to have prevented it.

Three things that we might be interested in learning from the crash reconstruction are:

1. What, or who, was the cause of the crash?
2. What was the cause of the injuries?
3. Who was driving the vehicle? (This may be of importance in situations where the occupants of the vehicle were ejected from the vehicle.)

The four main elements in vehicular crash reconstruction are:

1. The mechanics or physics of the crash: This study considers evidence at the scene, such as tire marks, scrape or gouge marks, damage to the vehicles, resting location of the vehicles, resting orientation of the vehicles, direction from which the vehicles approached the collision, and other considerations.
2. The highway or street environment: This would include the geometry of the road; signing on the road, including speed limits; type of intersection if at intersection; type, condition, and drainage of road surface; grade and cross-slope of road surface; vision obstructions resulting from road curvature or grade, vegetation near the road, buildings, sign posts, etc.; and crash history at the location of the crash.
3. The vehicle: This would include the types of vehicles involved in the collision, damage to the vehicles, size and weight of the vehicles, condition and potential defects of the vehicles.
4. The driver: How did the driver react to the situation? Was he/she driving at an excessive speed? Was his/her reaction time slow?

Some Useful Information to Provide to the Crash Reconstructionist:

1. Police Crash Report, including any supplemental reports that may have been written by the police.
2. Police photographs taken at the time of the crash and at the time of any subsequent police investigation.
3. Photographs of the crash site. (The Crash Reconstructionist should visit the crash site as soon as practical after the crash occurs. Tire marks may fade with time, the road may be resurfaced, vegetation may change, etc.)
4. Photographs of the vehicles. (The Crash Reconstructionist will want to examine the vehicles if they are available. Efforts should be made to maintain the vehicles until the Crash Reconstructionist can examine them, and even afterwards until the case is resolved.)
5. Descriptions of the injuries to the occupants of the vehicles.
6. Statements of witnesses.

Our Associates:

We have considerable experience in forensic analysis, and provide expert witness services, on vehicle crashes involving cars, trucks, motorcycles, bicycles, and pedestrians.

We assist the insurance and legal professions in forensic analysis of vehicle crashes resulting in personal injury or property damage. We provide expert technical forensic services to both plaintiffs and defendants, and insurance professionals.