Why Truck Accident Reconstruction Is Critical in Proving Negligence
Truck accidents can have devasting outcomes, from severe injuries to death. These types of crashes are some of the most dangerous accidents to occur on roads. If you are filing a personal injury lawsuit or insurance claim, investigating the accident is a huge part of building a case. Find out more about truck accident reconstruction and how it may benefit your case.
Below, our experienced truck accident lawyers explain the role of truck accident reconstruction and how it can impact your case. Learn what we may be able to do for your case in a free legal consultation.
What Is Accident Reconstruction?
Accident reconstruction is the process of gathering important information about an accident and scientifically analyzing it to determine the cause of it. This process can give you information to help explain the factors that contributed to the accident, how the accident occurred and how it may have been prevented.
Accident reconstruction can often help attorneys determine important aspects of the accident, including:
- Time, speed and position histories of the vehicles involved in the accident
- How the accident was caused
- How human factors impacted the accident
- Principle directions of force
- The speed at the point of impact
- The direction of travel
- When the vehicles accelerated and decelerated
How Does Accident Reconstruction Work?
An accident reconstruction expert gathers important evidence regarding the collision. If he or she is hired quickly enough, the accident reconstructionist can go to the scene of the accident and gather important evidence, such as photographing skid marks, damage to the vehicles and other pertinent aspects of the crash.
If the accident is not fresh, the accident reconstruction expert can review any pictures that were taken of the accident scene and the damage to the vehicles. This information is then put into accident reconstruction software or a simulation model to analyze the accident.
Some of the variables the reconstruction expert will take into account include:
- Weights of the vehicles
- Dimensions of the vehicles
- Steering and braking information
- Surfaces traveled on
- Weather conditions
- Road conditions
- Direction of travel
The reconstruction program produces time histories of the trajectories of the vehicles. The reconstruction expert runs a series of experiments that vary the speeds, angles of travel and other information until the simulation matches the physical evidence involved in the accident.
Crash data is estimated based on National Highway Traffic Safety Administration crash tests. Damage profiles of the vehicles are created so that comparisons can be made between the pictures and the crashed vehicles.
It is important that the accident reconstruction expert has accurate information regarding the resting positions of the vehicles so that the simulation is accurate regarding vehicle speed and the motion that occurred after the impact. The law enforcement officer who responded to the accident scene may have made these measurements, or an investigator from the trucking company may have been sent to the scene.
Why Is Proving Negligence Important?
Georgia is an at-fault insurance state, meaning that the at-fault party is responsible for the damages that he or she caused in a motor vehicle collision. Before the injured party can recover compensation for the damages that he or she sustained, he or she must be able to show that the other party was at fault for the accident because of their negligence or reckless actions.
Negligence is often proven by showing that the other driver:
- Was speeding at the time of the accident
- Was distracted
- Was impaired by drugs, alcohol, prescription or over-the-counter medication
- Was following too closely
- Did not yield the right-of-way
- Did not follow a traffic rule
An experienced personal injury lawyer can help you prove negligence and attempt to recover compensation for your accident claim.
Get in Touch with a Skilled Lawyer for More Information
If you were injured in a truck accident and would like more information about the accident reconstruction process, contact an experienced Savannah truck accident lawyer at Roden Law today. Our knowledgeable truck accident lawyers can discuss accident reconstruction and other evidence that can aid your claim. We can handle negotiations with the insurance company and work to substantiate your claim with the evidence available to you. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation.
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