The Role of Accident Reconstruction Specialists

Time is of the essence after an accident. Evidence may vanish from the scene of an accident fairly quickly. This evidence may include skid marks, damage to the vehicles or other property, witnesses' statements at the time of the accident, and photographs of the injuries. The role of an accident reconstruction specialist is especially important when there is a complex car accident involving multiple drivers or multiple causes of injuries. An experienced accident reconstruction specialist will not only investigate the accident but also offer opinions at trial. At Sharifi Firm, our Los Angeles car accident attorneys are familiar with excellent accident reconstruction specialists and can use expert testimony in negotiations or at trial to bolster your claim.

Immediately after an accident, there is a lot of important evidence to be gathered. Often, the drivers of the vehicles involved are not quite sure what happened. In some cases, they will blame each other without knowing who really had the right of way or what caused the accident. It is important not to do this and not to admit fault either.

An experienced accident reconstruction expert can take photographs of the vehicles and the scene of the accident, as well as debris and injuries. They can calculate the rate of speed of each vehicle and the possible trajectories that could have resulted in the accident. In other words, they will reconstruct what led up to the accident. This is important because you may only recover compensation from another driver in most cases if you can establish negligence. In other words, you must show that the other driver owed you a duty of care, breached the duty, and caused your injuries.

Sometimes neither driver will admit to what they were doing just before the accident. For example, one driver may not wish to admit that they were texting and may claim that they had the right of way at an intersection. In another example, a driver may not want to admit that they were speeding and that they may have contributed to the accident. Even more complicated are cases in which there are multiple drivers who may be partially to blame.

Many people assume that the police will investigate adequately. However, the police are primarily looking for criminal actions, such as speeding, alcohol use, or drug use. An accident reconstruction specialist usually conducts a much more thorough investigation to determine what caused the accident for the purpose of assessing the liability of the different drivers or people involved. It may be necessary to use special electronic surveying equipment and generate a computer model or use other sophisticated forms of analysis to determine causation. The expert can look at how long a pre-impact skid was, the direction of travel, friction values, the weights of the vehicles, the point of impact, impact angles, and other data to figure out relevant information about what led up to the accident for the purposes of determining how at fault each driver was.

This is important because when evaluating complex car accident cases in California, courts follow the doctrine of joint and several liability only with respect to economic damages. Under this doctrine, any single at-fault party may be held 100% responsible for an accident victim's economic damages. If the plaintiff only pursues the at-fault party for the economic damages, that party has the right to seek contribution from other at-fault parties. However, each person who contributed to the accident is only liable for noneconomic damages in an amount equal to the percentage of fault assigned by the jury.

The role of accident reconstruction specialists in complex car crash cases is significant. A credible accident reconstruction specialist may make or break your case. At Sharifi Firm, APC, our experienced Los Angeles attorneys may be able to help you recover compensation if you are involved in a serious car accident. Contact us online or at (866) 422-7222 for a free appointment with a motor vehicle collision lawyer. We also represent victims in Temecula, Rancho Cucamonga, Glendale, Covina, Riverside, and San Bernardino, among other Southern California cities.