Wrongful Death Suit Filed in Teen's Death, Reconstruction Important
The result in the case of a wrongful death lawsuit filed by a couple whose son was killed in an automobile accident could hinge on the accident reconstruction conducted by an engineer that examined the evidence. Florida Department of Law Enforcement officials argue that the accident reconstruction engineer declared the teen’s death an accident. However, the teen’s family contends that the accident was a result of a sheriff’s vehicle bumping into the teen’s car, causing him to lose control.
Despite the Department of Law Enforcement’s claims, the accident reconstruction engineer is agreeing with the teen’s family as he argues that he never made any claims that the teen’s death was an accident. The reconstruction engineer stated that a video recorded interview shows that he declared the crash was caused by the sheriff’s vehicle causing the teen to lose control of his vehicle. The Department of Law Enforcement believes the reconstruction engineer’s opinion of the crash could change if more evidence is presented. The wrongful death case will be going on trial later in July.
Based on this report, the case in the wrongful death lawsuit appears cut and dry; the reconstruction engineer stated that the Department of Law Enforcement’s statements regarding his reports of the incident were false and the sheriff involved in the lawsuit’s claims was at fault for the accident. In order to reconstruct the events in an automobile accident, a professional reconstruction engineer would need a wealth of information including images of the vehicle after the crash, witness recollections if there are any, and evidence such as tire tread marks on the pavement. Examining the tire tread marks can help the reconstruction expert determine if the victim attempted to prevent the accident in the first place or if external forces acted on the vehicle to make the driver lose control. In this incident, the reconstruction expert stated that the victim’s vehicle was struck from behind on the driver’s side, causing the victim to lose control. If the video evidence of the reconstruction engineer’s statement holds up in court, the decision could be awarded to the teenager’s family. Unfortunately, none of it could possibly help the family cope with their loss.
