Vehicular accident reconstructions are conducted by specialy trained officers at the Benton Police Dept., to answer questions about automobile accidents, such as if the accident could have been avoided, who was driving, who was breaking the law, where were the victims seated, were they using seat belts? Through accident reconstruction, rigorous analysis is done, that yields valuable information at trial. Accident reconstructions are done in cases involving fatalities, and often when personal injury is involved. They are often used to assist agencies to assess legal liability in civil and criminal lawsuits.

Factors looked at during accident reconstruction include steering angles, braking, use of lights, turn signals, speed, acceleration, engine rpm, cruise control, and anti-lock brakes. Witnesses are interviewed during accident reconstruction, and physical evidence such as tire marks are examined. The length of a skid mark can often allow calculation of the original speed of a vehicle for example. Vehicle speed is frequently under-estimated by a driver, so an independent estimate of speed is often essential in accidents. Inspection of the road surface is also vital, especially when traction has been lost due to black ice, diesel fuel contamination or obstacles such as debris.

Results from accident reconstructions are also useful in developing recommendations for making roads and highways safer, as well as improving safety aspects of motor vehicle designs.

Our Accident Reconstructionists conduct in depth collision analysis and reconstruction to identify the collision causation and contributing factors in different types of collisions, including the role of the driver(s), vehicle(s), roadway and the environment. The laws of physics and engineering principles such as the conservation of linear momentum, work-energy methods, and kinematics are the basis for these analyses and may make use of software to calculate useful quantities

For more information:

• www.actar.org - Accreditation Commission for Traffic Accident Reconstruction
• www.nhtsa.dot.gov - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration