Accident Reconstruction

When there is an accident involved in a drunk driving incident, the consequences for the convicted driver can be harsh. It will take a skilled DUI / DWI defense attorney and a crack team of independent experts to analyze the case thoroughly. The experts will investigate the underlying driving under the influence charge as well as completing a reconstruction of the accident.

It is essential to the California DUI / DWI defense lawyer to have an expert examine the accident scene and the vehicles involved as soon after the accident as possible. Crucial evidence may disappear if time is wasted. An expert in accident reconstruction will take photographs of the vehicles and the crash scene and will preserve any evidence that may be beneficial to the defense.

If the accident was unavoidable under any circumstances, then it follows that alcohol did not contribute to the crash .The accident reconstructionalist’s job is to establish what the events were that led up to the crash as well as to analyze the circumstances of the crash itself. Generally, the expert will be looking to establish that the crash was completely unavoidable.

Accident reconstruction involves an analysis of all vehicles involved in the crash. There will be an examination to determine whether there were any safety recalls that were not fixed that might have contributed to the accident. There will be a thorough investigation of the vehicles’ headlights, brake lights, and other safety equipment to determine whether everything was operating as it should at the time of the crash.

The accident reconstructionalist will look into weather conditions, road conditions, traffic patterns, and lighting in the area of the accident. Skid marks can be especially helpful because they can indicate whether the driver reacted to the coming danger or was not aware of the impending accident. Accident reconstruction also involves going over police reports and official diagrams to determine points of impact and other significant factors. Different marks on vehicles can be indicators of the way the accident unfolded.

An accident reconstructionalist is not limited to an examination of the accident scene. He or she may interview as many witnesses as possible, including the accused driver and any passengers in the driver’s car or in a different car.

In cases for driving under the influence of alcohol, the defense faces the police and prosecutors who have the resources to investigate every aspect of the accident in order to gather evidence against the defendant. An attorney who focuses on drunk driving criminal defense will engage the resources of independent investigators who will conduct forensic research and accident reconstruction to discover any evidence that points to the defendant’s innocence. An independent investigation by the California criminal defense attorney and his or her team of experts is extremely important when presenting a defense to DUI / DWI charges.