Getting involved in a car accident can be traumatic. In that instance, it can be hard to think of anything other than your survival. In more severe cases, victims usually forget the situations that led to the accident, making the case more difficult to handle since evidence of what led to the accident will be required in court.
In such a situation, hiring a Myrtle Beach based personal injury lawyer can surely help make things less complicated. Usually, they also will need to hire an accident reconstruction expert who can help reconstruct the accident scenario and provide enough evidence that helps you get your deserved claim.
In case you or your loved ones have been involved in a car accident, keep reading to discover how an accident reconstruction expert can help your claim.
Who Is an Accident Reconstruction Expert?
Accident reconstruction is a very specialized field of study. It involves analyzing accident scenes and re-creating what happened during the accident. This is a way to determine the cause of an accident and who was at fault. To be an accident reconstruction expert, you must have extensive knowledge of law enforcement, engineering, or science.
If there is no clear evidence of what happened at an accident scene, the accident reconstruction expert will use their experience, training, and education to analyze the report of your damaged vehicle, including pictures. They also bring in factors that led to the accident. These factors include vehicle speed, visibility issues, vehicle defects, bad roads, loss of control while driving, and bad weather conditions.
When Do You Need an Accident Reconstruction Expert?
There are rare accident cases where the people at fault take responsibility. In such situations, you may not need the help of an accident reconstructionist. However, you will need the help of an accident reconstructionist if:
- The accident resulted in the death of a loved one or other passengers.
- You can’t find essential pieces of evidence.
- Your injuries led to the loss of memory of the accident event
- You can’t determine who was at fault for the accident.
- Your vehicle was damaged beyond repair.
- You don’t have credible eyewitnesses willing to talk about the accident in court.
- Both parties presented multiple versions of what led to the accident
What Do Accident Reconstruction Experts Do?
An accident reconstruction expert helps to gather information about the accident. However, to get to the root of the issue, they go further by answering the following questions:
- Were the drivers using their seatbelts before the collision?
- Were the drivers moving at a reasonable speed before the accident?
- Was the road in good condition?
- Was the accident a result of the driver’s error?
- Was the weather fit for driving?
- Was the vehicle in good condition?
- Was the driver under the influence of drugs or alcohol?
How a Reconstructionist Can Help During Negotiations
In most cases, personal injury claims don’t get to court. Instead, they get settled out of court. This is especially true if you have an experienced accident reconstructionist who can present strong physical evidence that clearly shows what happened at the event. Once this is done, the at-fault driver has no choice but to accept liability. The at-fault driver’s insurance company will also have to agree to the negotiations to avoid wasting time and money in court.
How a Reconstructionist Can Help in Court
In some instances, both parties may not reach an out-of-court agreement. So they will need to take things to court. If this applies to you, then you may need to hire an accident reconstruction expert.
If your case gets to the court, then it’s likely that the at-fault party rejected liability. Hence, it may be difficult for the court to determine who’s truly at fault. The only way to determine this is by hiring a third party who can provide a detailed explanation of what happened in the accident and the factors that caused the injury.
Qualifications
Reconstruction experts deal with a highly sensitive field; therefore, they must understand their roles and get the necessary qualifications. An experienced personal injury lawyer will help you choose an accident reconstructionist who has a background in courtroom testimony and has long years of experience working at crash scenes. They should also be vast in photogrammetry, car dynamics, simulation tools, and computer applications.
If you or your loved ones have been involved in an accident, the first and most important thing to do is hire a professional personal injury lawyer. Depending on the severity of the accident, your lawyer will then recommend an accident reconstruction expert who will ensure that you have enough evidence to present in court and also help your claim.