Accident Reconstruction: The Plaintiff’s Guide

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Accident reconstruction helps establish what really happened during an accident. Because eye witness accounts of an accident from bystanders or involved parties may hardly resemble one another, accident reconstruction has proven to be an invaluable tool to those embroiled in personal injury cases involving crashes.  

Learn more about how accident reconstruction can strengthen your case and call an award-winning trial lawyer at Mithoff Law today: 713-654-1122.  

What is accident reconstruction? 

Accident reconstruction, known formally as “traffic collision reconstruction,” is the process of investigating, analyzing, and drawing conclusions based on the evidence surrounding a crash. These conclusions can then be used to determine who or what caused the accident and what events occurred during the collision. 

Accident reconstructions should be performed by professional reconstructionists. Qualified reconstructionists may be members of organizations such as the Texas Association of Accident Reconstruction Specialists (TAARS), who are accredited via the international standards set by the Accreditation Commission for Traffic Accident Reconstruction (ACTAR). Similar organizations to TAARS exist in many other localities. 

It is important that your reconstructionist is well-respected and experienced, as they are frequently called in as expert witnesses during a trial. 

Reconstructionists analyze the evidence they have personally documented at the scene of the crash, photographs, the wrecked vehicles, eyewitness testimony, and the police report in conjunction with applied physics, engineering, and physical tests to determine the course of events in an accident. 

In some instances, reconstructionists may use a digital, 3D model of the accident to improve analyses and help draw conclusions. This model may also be used in court. 

Why is accident reconstruction important? 

If you or a loved one are involved in a legal claim relating to a vehicle or pedestrian accident, an accident reconstructionist may help your case in the following ways:

  • A reconstructionist can provide a professional interpretation of the information available via testimony. This service can come in particularly handy when there is conflicting testimony.
  • Along those same lines, the work of a reconstructionist can help determine the likely underlying cause of a collision or accident. 
  • An accident reconstructionist can present compelling evidence as an expert witness. 
  • Depending on the particulars of your case, the evidence provided by a reconstructionist may assist in understanding the damages suffered by an accident victim, including pain and suffering damages. 
  • If your accident is one of many that have happened in the same location or under the same conditions, the information your accident reconstruction specialist gathers may be used to improve road and driving conditions. 

The information that an accident reconstruction specialist can provide is not just useful, but also powerful. That’s why Mithoff Law counts the services of accident reconstructionists as a key component of our strategic advantage. 

What evidence is used during accident reconstruction?

An accident reconstruction specialist may take into account the following information when performing analyses and determining the cause(s) of an accident. 

  • The police report
  • An incident diagram 
  • Witness statements 
  • Statements from involved parties 
  • The location of the accident
  • The location of the vehicles post-accident
  • The time and day of the accident 
  • Road conditions, including weather and lighting 
  • Photographs of the scene 
  • Surveillance video, if available 
  • Skid and tire marks
  • Safety recalls on the vehicles involved
  • Position of road signs 
  • Black box information (for truck accident

How do I gain access to an accident reconstruction specialist? 

While anyone can hire a reconstructionist, it is almost always better to choose a lawyer first, and then work with their preferred accident reconstructions. The following types of lawyers and law practices should be acquainted with reputable accident reconstruction specialists in your area: 

Mithoff Law works with trusted accident reconstructionists in Texas

If you or a loved one has been injured in a vehicle accident, the sooner you hire a law firm that has access to accident reconstruction specialists, the better. Mithoff Law, a premium Houston personal injury law firm, has decades of experience working alongside accident reconstructionists. We know what evidence is needed for successful accident reconstruction and how to compellingly present the results of the reconstruction to a jury. 

Call Mithoff Law today at 713-654-1122 to get your case off to the right start. 

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