In many cases, determining how and why a car accident happened requires an investigation that digs deeper than the police report and witness interviews. When necessary, the Ginarte law firm works with forensic engineers and other experts in accident reconstruction to develop a reconstruction of the accident.
The accident reconstruction specialists we work with are court-recognized experts. Their testimony can be crucial to proving liability for injuries in a car crash. The Ginarte law firm is ready to make sure that your accident claim is supported by the best technical analysis available.
What Accident Reconstruction Can Do for You
Car accident reconstruction experts compile and analyze a variety of technical data to develop a detailed report about how a car accident happened. This includes examining the accident scene, the wrecked cars and, where it’s available, data from the cars’ Event Data Recorder (EDR).
An EDR is like the “black box” recorders found in commercial airliners and commercial trucks. These devices are becoming more common in passenger cars and trucks sold in the U.S. Once an airbag is deployed in a collision, the EDR is programmed to instantly record data such as:
- Date and time.
- Vehicle speed.
- Gas pedal position.
- Braking.
- Engine speed.
- Force of impact.
- Steering angle.
- Whether seatbelts are in use.
Accident reconstruction experts also compile information about:
- Damage to vehicles.
- Damage to the roadway, shoulder, traffic signs, etc.
- Vehicles’ direction of travel before and after the collision.
- Vehicles’ travel distance after impact.
- Collision impact angles.
- Length of skid and yaw (side-to-side) marks.
- Friction values for surfaces the vehicles traveled over.
- Vehicle weights.
In some cases where an auto part’s malfunction is indicated, an accident reconstruction expert may inspect and test mechanical components, such as brakes, tires, lights, steering and suspension in other cars of the same make and model. One of the earliest indications of the faulty ignition switch that has led to the recall of millions of GM cars was discovered by a consulting engineer investigating a car accident.
Using specialized software, accident reconstruction experts can create a computer-generated scale diagram or animation of the accident to accompany their written reports and testimony.
Have a Ginarte Car Accident Lawyer Investigate Your Accident
If your car accident claim requires a specialized inquiry, the legal team at the Ginarte law firm has the resources to make sure the appropriate work is done. It is important to contact an experienced car accident attorney as soon as possible after a serious motor vehicle accident in New York or New Jersey to ensure that vehicles are preserved and work at the crash scene can be done before evidence is destroyed by time, weather or other disturbances.
Sources:
- Crash Reconstruction Basics for Prosecutors, American Prosecutors Research Institute
- Motor Vehicle Crash Investigation and Reconstruction, John C. Glennon, Jr., BSAT
- Car Black Box Recorders Capture Crash Data, Edmunds.com
- Timeline: A History Of GM’s Ignition Switch Defect, NPR