Who are accident reconstructionists?
Accident reconstruction experts in the private sector are independent forensic generalists and specialists, some retired or moonlighting police officers with special training, and others technically-trained like forensic engineers and physicists who have specialized in related fields and who have the necessary training and experience in accident reconstruction.

In the past few years many engineering firms have ventured into the technical forensics of fire and crash investigation because of the fields' newly found popularity. Though many of these firms have been around for years engaged in various engineering or design projects, their actual expertise in fires and crashes may actually be quite limited. In causation forensics, experience really does matter - and Fire & Accident Causation Technical Services (FACTS) of Florida has focused on this field full-time for 30 years.

Accident reconstructionists are typically retained by insurance companies and attorneys, but sometimes are hired directly by private individuals who've been involved in a collision but were unsatisfied with the way police, their insurance company, or attorney handled
their case.

What do vehicular accident reconstructionists do?
In vehicular issues, accident reconstructionists deal with a lot of factors, depending on the case. They answer questions such as: what factors contributed to the cause of the collision? Was the driver speeding and just how fast was he going? Could either driver have avoided the collision? Was the passenger wearing a seat belt? Who was really driving the vehicle? Was the fatal collision an "accident", or was it really a suicide? Were the brakes maintained properly and did this contribute to the cause? Why didn't the driver see the other car? Was a vehicle driven at night without its lights on? Which driver's story is the more truthful?

In many instances, an experienced accident reconstructionist can uncover other important aspects of a crash which have been completely missed or overlooked by others.

Multiple factors may be considered in one collision. If a car and a heavy truck collide at a busy intersection at night, for example, the reconstructionist may need to determine not only who had the right-of-way, but also whether a vehicle was being driven without its lights on, the speeds of the vehicles, whether the truck was roadworthy, and whether the occupants were wearing their seatbelts.

"Skidmarks" (typically called "tire marks" by reconstructionists) are measured and analyzed, the scene is photographed, and the damages on the vehicles are thoroughly examined for evidence of collision force direction and severity.

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