Accident Reconstruction Expert Reviews Crash Investigation Methodologies

This case involves a multi-vehicle accident that occurred on a major highway in Florida. The Plaintiff was driving just under the speed limit of the highway when the Defendant’s vehicle suddenly struck the Plaintiff’s vehicle in the rear end at a high rate of speed. The Plaintiff’s vehicle then departed its lane and careened into the median, while the Defendant’s vehicle moved into the shoulder of the highway. The Plaintiff suffered a number of serious, life-threatening injuries in the crash, including broken cervical vertebra, and will require a lifetime of ongoing care. It was alleged that the Defendant was traveling at an excessively high rate of speed when the crash occurred, however there were no witnesses to the accident to corroborate the Plaintiff’s assertions. As a result, Plaintiff counsel elected to retain an accident reconstruction expert to determine the likely speed of both vehicles at the moment of impact, and to use image processing technology to present a visual demonstration of the scene.

Question(s) For Expert Witness

1. Please briefly explain why you are qualified to review this matter.

Expert Witness Response E-029864

Operating under the presumption that the crash was thoroughly documented by law-enforcement, a momentum analysis could be utilized to determine speed and vehicle actions post and prior to impact. An EDR (black box) download would be a useful item for verifying for confirming calculations. Depending on the age of the collision, physical evidence may be left behind at the crash site which would be inspected by the reconstructionist. A visit to the site can also be useful to determine if there are visual instructions as well as average traffic patterns, and a visual demonstration of the scene of the accident could be constructed using image processing technology like Jvt. I have done work on similar cases involving fatality crashes and momentum analysis, and I am trained and experienced in momentum analysis. I am currently an accident reconstructionist for a local law-enforcement agency, and have also provided expert opinions on civil cases involving accident reconstruction.