Accident reconstruction is supposed to help figure out how a crash happened. When you suffer a car accident in Miami, you will be asked by the insurance company to provide your version of how the crash occurred. If you file a lawsuit for damages, the court will also expect you to tell in detail how the accident took place and why you are entitled to damages. A Miami car accident lawyer can help you meet these requirements by making use of accident reconstruction.
The problem with crash details is that you may not be able to recall them fully. This is typically the case when you suffer trauma in the wake of a car. You may also fall unconscious following a collision which prevents you from remembering most of the important details. This is where accident reconstruction and collision analysis can be invaluable tools that help you substantiate your claim.
What is Accident Reconstruction?
The basic goal of accident reconstruction is to understand the causes and effects of a crash. It aims to understand how the crash occurred, why it occurred in the first place, and what its visible consequences were. In doing so, accident reconstruction involves thoroughly investigating the crash, gathering and analyzing all the available evidence, and then drawing appropriate conclusions.
When you are filing a claim for damages, you will need to clarify your position as one of the parties involved in the crash. You will also be required to tell what the role of the other drivers involved in the incident was. Accident reconstruction helps you achieve all of this.
Reconstruction is typically performed by crash experts who look at the road conditions, CCTV footage, police reports, vehicular damage, nature of injuries, as well as other factors involved in the crash. By reviewing and analyzing all of these, the experts are able to build a narration that explains how the crash occurred.
The Accident Reconstruction Process
In order to perform accident reconstruction, a crash expert will likely perform the following activities:
- Visit the crash scene
- Examine the vehicles involved in the crash
- Gather any photos or videos of the crash from the involved parties, eyewitnesses, as well as any CCTV cameras located near the scene of the accident
- Bring together the available facts of the crash from police reports, witness statements, and other sources
- Use road skid marks and vehicular data to determine the speeds of the vehicles, and any actions such as braking performed by a driver, just before the collision took place
- Take into consideration the road and weather conditions, and determine whether these played a role in the crash
- Determine what errors on the part of the drivers contributed to the accident
- Create drawings, sketches, and 3-D animations to show how the crash occurred by incorporating all the evidence
How Accident Reconstruction Can Help Your Claim?
In many Miami wrecks, there is insufficient evidence to clearly conclude which party was at fault in causing the crash. Without such evidence, you have a weak claim for damages even if you know for certain that the other driver was at fault. The insurance company will likely offer you a small compensation in the absence of this evidence. Even if you file a lawsuit for damages, your claim may not hold up in front of a judge and jury.
By hiring independent accident reconstruction experts, you can use detailed forensic and analytical skills to explain how the incident occurred. This is particularly useful when negotiating with an insurance company, or when presenting your case in a court of law.
Crash experts can provide you visual materials as well as 3-D animation videos to clearly show how the incident occurred. When you provide these materials to an insurance company, or to a court of law, you are in a better position to prove the fault of the other driver. This significantly improves your odds of receiving a fair settlement for your losses.
How Can a Miami Car Accident Lawyer Help You?
After a Miami car crash, it is important to hire sound legal help. A good Miami lawyer can help you hire the right accident reconstruction experts for your case. Here at Englander Peebles, we have been helping Miami crash victims recover fair compensatory damages for their crash-related losses.
In cases where evidence is scarce, we also help victims get the help of the relevant experts who can knit together the crash data and create a clear picture. This allows us to negotiate the maximum amount of compensation for you from the at-fault driver’s insurance company. Reach out to us today to discuss your Miami crash claim in detail.