If you find yourself involved in a car accident that is not your fault, then you should know that certain evidence taken at the accident scene can go a long way towards proving your innocence. While this is true, you also may need to gather evidence after the fact to prove that the other driver was at fault. There are certain types of evidence that can help you. Keep reading to understand what they are.
Event Data Recorder
Some individuals do not always tell the truth when presenting the facts of an accident to the police officer who arrives on the scene. However, the police report is a written account of the accident that includes your statement, the statement of the other driver, and observations of the police officer. While the police officer will state facts, driver statements may not always seem accurate from the other driver's point of view.
In this case, photographs can help, but they do not always show the whole picture. To complete the picture, information from the event data recorder can be used. This device is sometimes called the black box, and it is similar to black box recorders that are placed in airplanes, although the data is not as descriptive or sophisticated. Almost all newer cars have the data recorders and some older cars, like ones produced within the last years or so, have them as well. The NHTSA indicates that about 96% of cars manufactured in 2012 were made with event data recorders, and more and more cars since 2012 have included them.
The black boxes record various pieces of data and start recording for about five seconds once an accident is detected. The recorders collect data that corresponds with vehicle speed, steering, seatbelt use, braking, and force of impact. The data can be retrieved by a data retrieval specialist with the help of a computer and a special program. This can be quite expensive, but it is direct evidence of your account and can be used to discredit the story of the other driver. In fact, the data can be used in court if you need to work with a lawyer and sure the driver for injuries and other damages.
The only drawback to working with a data retrieval specialist is the fact that the retrieval may be a bit expensive. It can cost several thousand dollars for the data to be retrieved, evaluated, and a report to be created.
Accident Reconstruction Specialists
If you feel that your account, photographs, black box data, and other evidence clearly points to your side of the story, you may still find yourself up against an insurance company who wants to place some of the blame of the accident on your shoulders. This can be extremely frustrating, especially if a reduced insurance payout does not cover injuries and damage to your vehicle.
If you want to fight in court over the accident, then you can hire an accident reconstruction expert. This individual is an impartial investigator who takes the empirical data from the accident and uses this data to reconstruct what happened during the crash. A scientific approach is taken to reconstruct and this can help to boost your case if feel that the reenactment constructed by the other driver's insurance company is false or untrue.
In some cases, the report and testimony provided by the reenactment specialist can be bolstered by eyewitness accounts. Make sure that testimony and affidavits are provided by eyewitnesses and presented in court.
If you want to know exactly what type of evidence can be gathered and used to prove that you are not at fault after a vehicle accident, then it is wise to speak with an auto accident attorney like Katz Nowinski PC. This professional can help you to find and hire experts to help you if there is a need and to also prepare these experts for court hearings.
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