What good does an independent truck accident investigation do?

After meeting a victim and taking on their case, one of the steps a good commercial vehicle accident attorney may take is to start an independent investigation of the accident. Some people in Reno, Nevada, might see this as an unnecessary step, particularly if there is already a detailed police report on file.

However, it is important to remember that the police report is only one source of information when it comes to what caused a major truck accident. Other sources of information include photos or video from the scene of the accident, as well as results from on-site surveys.

Because police are primarily looking for evidence of a law violation when they respond to an accident, they might not investigate as thoroughly as one might think. For instance, they are not necessarily looking to determine the exact cause of the accident unless the result will determine whether or not the police will file charges.

On the other hand, an engineer or other expert who investigates the accident independently is going to look at the evidence carefully and apply the principles of math and physics to make a judgment on exactly what happened to cause an accident. Sometimes, these investigations may uncover facts and leads that the police simply missed, while in other cases, they can serve to clarify and amplify what already commonly accepted as the cause of the crash.

If they are blamed for an accident, truck companies and their insurers are often going to fight hard to avoid liability, or, at least reduce the degree of their responsibility. A good response on the part of a victim is to respond with a scientific and independent investigation in to the cause of the accident.