Plaintiff Attorney Legal Information CenterAccident reconstruction plays a critical role in many accident cases, particularly truck accident lawsuits.
But it is not a magic bullet. Too often, reconstruction experts take the stand and simply offer their opinion about how they believe the crash occurred. Jurors tune them out. Why? Because when that opinion is not clearly grounded in data, engineering principles, or demonstrable facts, it sounds like just another person giving their version of the story.
That is the problem with a lot of accident reconstruction testimony. It lacks connection. It sounds like advocacy. It does not move the needle.
But in the right case with the right foundation accident reconstruction can make all the difference. A well-qualified expert who understands how to interpret crash evidence and explain it clearly to a jury can turn a contested liability case into a six- or seven-figure settlement. Reconstructionists can use physical evidence, skid marks, vehicle damage, crash angles, debris fields, light bulb filament analysis, to cut through the noise and anchor your case in objective reality.
This page outlines the core framework for presenting expert reconstruction testimony. It includes the questions you need to establish an expert’s credentials, walk through their methodology, and draw out opinions based on sound forensic work—not guesswork. It also highlights key investigative techniques used at the scene and how Maryland law treats expert testimony in vehicle crash cases.
Whether you are trying to prove speed, point of impact, lane position, or driver visibility, a reconstructionist can be valuable but only if you use the right expert and the right approach. The goal is not to add noise to the case. The goal is to tell a credible, technical story the defense cannot ignore and the jury can follow.
Sample Accident Reconstruction Expert Deposition Outline
Qualifications
- NAME BUSINESS ADDRESS
- EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
- EMPLOYMENT BACKGROUND
- CURRENT POSITION
- NUMBER OF YEARS ON THE FORCE
- BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON TRAINING
- BASIC TRAINING
- SPECIAL TRAINING IN ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION
- SPECIAL TRAINING IN ACCIDENT RECONSTRUCTION
- HOW MANY ACCIDENTS HAVE YOU INVESTIGATED
- TYPES OF ACCIDENTS YOU INVESTIGATE
- NUMBER OF YEARS IN ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION
- WHAT DEGREES, LICENSES, OR CERTIFICATIONS DO YOU HOLD
- HAVE YOU BEEN QUALIFIED TO TESTIFY IN THE FILED OF ACCIDENT RECONSTRUCTION BEFORE
- EXPLAIN WHAT AN AUTO ACCIDENT RECONSTRUCTION IS TO THE JURY
- HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE FILED OF ACCIDENT RECON
- WHO DO YOU DO THE FORENSIC WORK FOR
- CAN YOU BE HIRED BY THE PRIVATE SECTOR TO DO AUTO ACCIDENT RECONSTRUCTIONS?
- ARE ALL INVESTIGATING POLICE OFFICERS ACCIDENT RECONSTRUCTIONISTS? HOW MANY IN THE STATE OF MARYLAND
- OFFER AS AN EXPERT IN AUTO ACCIDENT RECONSTRUCTION
- WHAT IS THE PROCEDURE FOR INVESTIGATING AN ACCIDENT INVOLVING A DEATH
- WERE THOSE PROCEDURES FOLLOWED IN THIS CASE
Investigation of the Scene and the Accident
- WHAT WAS THE DATE OF THE ACCIDENT
- HOW WERE YOU NOTIFIED ABOUT THE ACCIDENT
- WHEN DID YOU ARRIVE AT THE SCENE
- WHERE DID THE ACCIDENT HAPPEN
- WHAT TIME DID YOU ARRIVE AT THE SCENE
- DESCRIBE THE AREA AND ROADWAY
- DESCRIBE THE AREA
- WIDTH OF THE ROADWAY
- ANYTHING UNUSUAL ABOUT THE WEATHER
- HOW MANY LANES ANY INTERSECTIONS NEAR BY
- ANY OBSTRUCTIONS TO THE DRIVERS VIEWS OF THE AREA WHERE THE ACCIDENT HAPPENED
- WERE THERE ANY SKID MARKS IN THE ROADWAY
- WAS THERE ANY DEBRIS IN THE ROADWAY
- WHERE WAS THE POINT OF IMPACT
- WHERE DID THE VEHICLES TRAVEL AFTER THE POI
- ANY DAMAGE TO THE ROADWAY
- ANY CURVES IN THE ROADWAY
- ANY HILLS IN THE ROADWAY
- WHAT IS THE SPEED LIMIT ON THAT ROAD
- WAS THERE ANY SKID MARKS IN THE ROADWAY
- WAS THERE ANY DEBRIS IN THE ROADWAY
- WERE THERE ANY GAUGE MARKS IN THE ROADWAY
- DID YOU DO COEFFICIENT OR FRICTIONS STUDIES
- LIGHTING IN THE AREA
- WHAT WAS THE LIGHTING LIKE IN THE AREA WHERE THE ACCIDENT HAPPENED
- WERE THE VEHICLES LIGHTS ON
- WAS A LAB TEST DONE TO SEE IF LIGHTS WERE ON
Describe the Scene When You Got There
- WERE YOU ABLE TO LOCATE THE DRIVERS OF BOTH VEHICLES
- WERE ABLE TO SPEAK TO THE DRIVERS
- WERE YOU ABLE TO SPEAK TO ANY WITNESSES
- THE DRIVER THAT WAS STILL THERE, WHAT WAS HIS VERSION OF WHAT HAPPENED
- DID YOU EXAMINE BOTH OF THE VEHICLES
- DESCRIBE THE VEHICLES AND THE DAMAGE THEY HAD FROM THE AUTO ACCIDENT
- WHERE DID BOTH THE VEHICLES COME TO REST
- HOW WERE THE VEHICLES REMOVED FROM THE SCENE
- WHAT IS YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE DIRECTIONS OF THE VEHICLES BEFORE IMPACT
- WHERE PICTURES TAKEN AND REVIEWED BY YOU
- WHERE MEASUREMENTS TAKEN
POINT OF IMPACT
- ARE YOU ABLE TO DETERMINE THE POINT OF IMPACT AFTER INVESTIGATING AN ACCIDENT
- WHAT DATA OR FACTS DO YOU USE TO MAKE THIS DETERMINATION
- WHAT ENGINEERING PRINCIPLES DO YOU USE
- DO YOU HAVE AN OPINION WITHIN A REASONABLE DEGREE OF ENGINEERING PROBABILITY AS TO THE POI
- WHAT IS YOUR OPINION AS TO THE POINT OF IMPACT
- SPEED OF THE DEFENDANT’S VEHICLE
- ARE YOU ABLE TO DETERMINE THE SPEED OF A VEHICLE UPON IMPACT AFTER INVESTIGATING AN ACCIDENT
- WHAT DATA OR FACTS DO YOU USE TO MAKE THIS DETERMINATION
- WHAT ENGINEERING PRINCIPLES ARE USED
COEFFICIENT OF FRICTION – ROAD SURFACE
ENERGY ABSORPTION OF THE VEHICLES
HOW FAR THE VEHICLES TRAVELED - DO YOU HAVE AN OPINION WITHIN A REASONABLE DEGREE OF ENGINEERING PROBABILITY AS TO THE SPEED OF THE DEFENDANT’S AUTOMOBILE
- WHAT IS YOUR OPINION AS TO THE SPEED THE DEFENDANT WAS TRAVELING BEFORE HE CROSSED OVER THE DOUBLE YELLOW LINES
- WHAT WAS HIS SPEED WHEN HE HIT THE BUS
WHY DID THIS ACCIDENT HAPPEN
DID YOU FILE AN ACCIDENT REPORT
WAS A FATAL ACCIDENT SUPPLEMENTAL REPORT DONE
WAS A BLOOD TEST DONE ON THE DEFENDANT
HOW WAS THE DEFENDANT FOUND
DISPOSITION OF THE DEFENDANT’S CASE
Truck Accident Reconstruction
There are many paths to inspect the safety of a truck before and after a truck accident. A North American Standard Level One Safety Inspection is a 37-step procedure examines a vehicle’s mechanical condition and the driver’s fitness to operate a truck.
This examination includes review of the truck driver’s license, medical examiner’s certificate, and waiver, any alcohol and drugs use by the truck driver, the truck driver’s record of duty status, hours of service,vehicle inspection report, brake system, coupling devices, frame, seat belt brake lamps, exhaust system, turn signals, tail lamps, headlamps, fuel system, lamps on projecting loads, safe loading, suspension, tires, van and open-top trailer bodies, wheels and rims, the truck’s steering mechanism, and windshield wipers.
It takes the authorities about 45 minutes to do this inspection which is what happens at many truck stop inspection areas you see on our highways.
But this is also an investigation used by truck accident reconstruction experts — both police reconstructionists and litigation related experts.
An accident reconstruction expert relies on data, reports, information, witnesses, and objective evidence gathered from a vehicle crash scene.
After gathering all of that relevant evidence, the truck reconstructionist interprets the evidence. For example, a skid mark is a piece of evidence. It is the expert’s job to explain for the lawyers and the jury what that skid mark tells us about the breaking, the speed of the vehicles, and so forth.
Whether the police do a reconstruction and the quality of that reconstruction depends on the severity of the crash. In Maryland, any fatal truck accident is going to get the full resources of the police department. They get the evidence contemporary with the crash and, with notable exceptions, the police do an excellent job.
In accident claims where no one was killed, the job police do is more desultory. But it varies with scope of injury. If the police do not suspect serious injuries, they will do little or no real investigation into how the accident occurred and who is responsible for it.
If you are reading this and cannot decide whether to hire an expert to investigate your claim, hire an accident reconstructionist today. If you get someone weeks or months later, you might find that relevant evidence is gone. Our lawyers frequently hire accident reconstructionists in cases where we doubt we would ever use or need one at trial. Why? First, you never know whether you need an expert until you gather all of the evidence in the first place. But we also get valuable information from reconstructionists to use at the settlement table and at trial even if their testimony is unneeded.
Maryland Law
- Truck Accident claim information page
- Sample Trial Materials (including more attorney direct examinations)]
- Sample Trial Transcripts (what happens in a car or truck accident trial)