After those injured in an accident are taken to the hospital, their cars moved and traffic returned to its normal flow there is an often overlooked step that occurs after many serious accidents, the investigation. An accident investigation can take anywhere from a couple of hours to months as investigators piece together the details of the accident, even recreating events to uncover the truth.
A man is dead and others injured after a Sunday night six-car accident on Route 495 in Massachusetts. There are not many details available regarding the accident but what is known is that police were responding to a call about a car traveling the wrong way on South 495 at the time of the accident. No other serious injuries were reported from the occupants of the other five cars involved in the accident. Police shut down all southbound lanes for hours following the accident. There has been no indication of who was responsible for the accident or exactly how it occurred. State troopers are currently investigating the incident.
Car accident investigations can be keenly important in civil cases especially when eye witnesses are non-existent, there are conflicting stories or the party responsible for the accident isn’t easily identifiable. Although police or other public officers conduct their own investigations a person can hire a third party to conduct their own investigation of the accident. With tools like a car’s black box, skid mark calculations and other investigative methods accidents can be accurately dissected and even recreated in the real or virtual world.
Even though the burden of proof for a civil court is lower than a criminal court the goal is still to identify the responsible party and hold them liable for their actions.
Source: Providence Journal, “Mass. man killed, Providence woman injured in Route 495 crash,” Mike Mckinney, May 12, 2014
