CAR ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION AND PERSONAL INJURY
When a car crash or other motor vehicle accident happens and people suffer serious injuries or are killed, accident reconstruction and accident investigation is common. Generally, the police and independent private investigators will perform the investigation. Police are seeking to determine whether any criminal action occurred that may have contributed to the crash. Police will look for the so-called black box of the vehicle, which can reveal whether certain driving violations, such as speeding or reckless driving, took place that may have led to the crash. Police also seek to determine if there were any mechanical violations, alcohol or drug use, or hours-of-service violations. Hours of service use violations simply refer to the number of hours a trucker is legally allowed to drive on the road in one day. If he or she violates the hours of service and falls asleep at the wheel, the trucker would be charged with a crime, and if someone died as a result of the crash, the driver might even be charged with homicide. Accident investigations experts are hired for the most part by insurance companies or the lawyers representing one of the individuals who was involved in the crash. The independent investigator seeks to determine how the crash occurred and who was at fault. Once it’s clear how the crash happened, financial responsibility for damages can be assigned, as well.
ACCIDENT INVESTIGATIONS OF A CRASH SCENE
Accident investigation includes an inspection of the crash scene. Skid marks, gouges, and any other evidence left by the cars at the point of impact are all carefully studied. All of these measurements are taken with survey equipment that is electronic. Next a proportionate scale drawing is generated. This can be used to reconstruct the crash. Investigations also include inspections of both cars, including the point of impact and any other damage to the cars and to the material inside the car. As well, condition of brakes, lights, steering, tires, and other mechanical components of the car will be reviewed to see if their condition was below par and may have contributed to the crash. With all this information, the investigator will then perform an accident reconstruction. This includes everything from determining the speeds of the cars, their positions at different times during the crash sequence, and more. In short everything is taken into account, including the weights of the cars and even resistance relating to the surface that the cars were traveling on.
Contact a Personal Injury Attorney, New Jersey
This is a brief overview of a very complex process that carefully helps determine who is at fault in a crash. To learn more about forensic investigation and your rights relating to a personal injury claim, you may contact CockerillCraigMoore Law at our Haddonfield, New Jersey Office at 856-795-2220 or you may contact us online as well to schedule a free initial consultation.