The investigation of a traffic accident

Forensic experts are essential in the investigation of accidents. Normally a traffic accident is a complex and difficult to understand event both for people in general, as a lawyer and / or a court. For this it requires a forensic expert for objective evidence about the accident.

Tobu World Square New York Accident Scene 1
Scene accident - site for forensic expert
The forensic expert has often able to determine as events occur and / or to determine what events did not occur. This information is used by lawyers to determine who is responsible for the accident and carry out the claim.

Many forensic experts working for individual insurers, or to lawyers who made claims on the private sector companies. Indeed, in some countries these experts work as civil servants.



Forensic experts based their analysis on the information they can gather the accident. This can be:
- Reports of the accident.
- The statements of witnesses.
- Videos of CCTV.
- Videos and pictures that could be taken by individuals.
- Photographs of the accident, if they were taken and there.
- Medical reports of injuries displayed by people involved in the accident.
- Plans of the accident site
- Documents traffic signs in the place where the accident occurred.
- Reports on the climatic conditions at the time of the accident.

Additionally, the forensic expert often requires going to the scene to take, for example, measurements of skid marks (or others that may make the vehicle tires). These traces allow, in some cases, calculating the speed of the vehicles involved.

It is also required to verify the existence of elements that could obstruct the view of drivers (such as traffic signals misplaced or trees) and can be a cause of the accident and evidence to determine the liability of the act. In some cases the elements obstruct the view and it is not possible that the driver can see the traffic signals.

If you can know the position delos fragments off the vehicles involved on the track, this evidence can help to determine the point of impact. Also, in case of an accident involving leakage may be possible to relate a vehicle with the fragments found at the scene.

Even there have been cases where DNA testing can relate a vehicle accident involving leakage of fact and determine the responsibility of the driver.

Qualified forensic experts who know how to take evidence and how to research, to avoid loss of important information that you can not recover after required.

In some cases, the state of the road (both asphalt and traffic signals) may be the cause of the accident. In some cases, you can shift the blame and avoid sanctions insurance when this can be demonstrated. Moreover, you can get to demonstrate the accountability of government entities in the accident.

Experts are required to (and in some cases lawyers) come quickly to the accident. This in order to carry out the investigation of the scene of the accident while the scene is preserved and the evidence has not been altered.

If possible, you should obtain the statements of witnesses as quickly as possible, before they start to forget important details. It is also possible that over time, and after talking to others, witnesses corrupt their version of events.

Very honest and accurate forensic experts are required, working with experts also lawyers. A traffic accident investigation and its claim is a service that must be provided by a good lawyer, working as a team with researchers.

Photo credit: I, Fredhsu [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons