When you get into a car accident, the last thing you think about is investigating what happened. In your mind, you probably already think you know. You assert yourself at the scene and state that the other driver caused the crash. The other driver doesn’t admit it, but you know what happened.
In every crash, the police and others complete investigations. They can’t go on what you tell them alone in most cases, so they need to collect evidence. The police are primarily interested in finding out if any criminal activity took place. For instance, was someone texting and driving? Was someone speeding before the crash? Were the drivers drunk? If so, violations may be written or individuals could face a day in court.
Independent investigators may also come to the scene. These are people hired either by insurance companies or an attorney’s offices. If you call your attorney and say you’ve been in a crash, your attorney’s office will send out someone to investigate. The person is there to protect your interests and helps guarantee that evidence doesn’t go missing or fail to get taken into consideration. Insurance adjusters send out an investigator to make sure the crash actually happened and to survey the damage.
Accident investigations start at the site of the accident. Information is recorded there before moving on to accident reconstruction. This is not always needed, but it helps if it hasn’t been easy to determine fault.
If you hear that your crash is being investigated, know that the right processes are taking place. A thorough investigation can help you support the fact that the other driver was negligent or dangerous.
Source: Crash Forensics, “Motor Vehicle Crash Investigation and Reconstruction,” John C. Glannon, Jr. BSAT, accessed Feb. 09, 2018