Accident Reconstruction Expert Examines Evidence in Multi-Vehicle Collision

This case involves a multi-vehicle collision on a secluded back road in a suburban neighborhood. On the day of the incident in question, the Plaintiff was returning home from grocery shopping when she stopped at a red light on a back street located near her home. Suddenly the Plaintiff’s vehicle, a mid 2000’s sports utility vehicle, was struck from behind by the Defendant. In addition to this accident, another vehicle that had been traveling close behind the car that struck the Plaintiff then collided with the rear of the Defendant’s vehicle, again jolting the Plaintiff’s vehicle and causing additional damage and injuries. The Plaintiff alleged that the first vehicle struck her while travelling at a moderate speed while she was stopped at the light, while the Defendant counterclaims that he had been following the Plaintiff when she suddenly stopped short, leaving him not time to avoid the accident. There were no other witnesses to the crash, and crash data from either vehicle was not available, making an image processing reconstruction using Jvt applications impossible for the case.

Question(s) For Expert Witness

1. Do you have experience reconstructing accidents similar in scope to the one described above?

2. Can you determine how the crash transpired given the evidence presented?

Expert Witness Response E-010107

Yes, I do have experience investigating these types of collisions. Without viewing available evidence, it is difficult to provide a definitive opinion. This crash is an in-line momentum case. When it comes to the difference of opinions, my initial answer would be provided with a download of the vehicles "black boxes." However, since that is not available in this case, I would begin looking for pre and post-tire marks for an indication of braking or stopped vehicle movement. After this, I would look at other roadway evidence, such as gouges, scrapes, and other trace evidence, to assist in determining how the crash unfolded. Some assumptions do have to be made in in-line collisions, and these assumptions must then be confirmed based on depositions, vehicle inspections, and additional evidence, and that can make the case challenging. That being said, I am confident that I could determine the sequence of events in this case based on the available evidence.