THE ROLES OF BOTH POLICE AND INDEPENDENT CAR CRASH INVESTIGATORS
When car crashes involve either serious injuries or death, it’s not all that uncommon that police or independent investigators are brought in to reconstruct a collision. This is because these individuals are specially trained to assess a crash scene and make necessary calculations with respect to it.
Police investigators arriving on the scene have the goal of pinpointing whether any criminal action led to the collision taking place. Some examples of different indicators they’re looking for include alcohol or drug use, speeding and excessive logged trucker hours. If evidence suggests that a driver fell asleep at the wheel or his or her negligent driving resulted in another’s death, the police will use that information to make a recommendation to the prosecutor that charges should be filed in the case.
In contrast to a police investigator, an independent one is usually hired by either the attorney, working on behalf of an accident victim or an insurance company. In that case, the investigator conducts an independent analysis of the causes of a crash with the ultimate goal of determining liability. The investigator, in turn, relays this information to an attorney who makes a determination as to financial responsibility.
No matter what type investigator is evaluating the crash scene, each will generally start his or her investigation by assessing the damages that both vehicles have sustained. Based on what is seen, the investigator may then elect to inspect the car’s mechanical components including its brakes, tires, lights or steering. In this case, the investigator is looking to determine whether any of these played a role in causing the wreck. The investigator may audit any trucker logs as well.
Next, the investigator will seek to gain a better perspective as to what occurred by attempting to reconstruct the crash. To do this, the investigator will determine the direction the vehicles were traveling in at the time they collided, whether there were skid marks pre-impact and how far the cars moved after impact.
The investigator will take a number of critical measurements at this time including impact angles, a friction value score of the roadway’s surface and vehicle weights. All this information can be plugged into a formula as he or she reconstructs the crash.
In bringing an independent investigator into the fold to evaluate and reconstruct your wreck, it can help your Bowling Green, Kentucky, car crash attorney better substantiate your claim for damages in your car collision injury case.
Source: crashforensics.com, “Motor vehicle crash investigation and reconstruction,” John C. Glennon, Jr., accessed June 02, 2017