Copyright 2010 James D. English & Associates, All Rights Reserved
Contact us at (619) 800-1180 or JDEAssoc@gmail.com
Frequently Asked Questions:
What is a Collision Reconstructionist?
Collision Reconstructionists typically come from one or two backgrounds, or a combination of both. Law enforcement officers often continue to use their experience and expertise when they retire. Some may even consult outside of their regular employment. Officers often specialize in a given discipline and spend hundreds or even thousands of hours developing their professional expertise. In addition, they may expand their education and continue their studies in physics and math.
While professional engineers often do not begin their careers with the goal of becoming a collision reconstructionist in mind, they may adopt it later. Some may attend collision reconstruction courses and continue in other areas of expertise with the collision reconstruction being only one of the services they offer. While having a strong formal educational background, they often lack the “hands-on at the collision scene” experience that the experts from law enforcement have.
No matter what the background is, few experts are experts at "everything". There are many areas within this discipline. Human factors and Bio-mechanics are to name just two.
Do I always need to hire a collision reconstructionist?
Experts agree that in cases involving moderate to serious collisions, an attorney and a reconstruction specialist should be among the first experts to be consulted. Law enforcement investigators may not collect or document all of the available evidence. In some cases, if this evidence is not documented immediately, it may be lost or destroyed.
As a private citizen involved in a collision, can I hire a reconstructionist?
Yes you can. In some less than serious collisions, people may choose to explore handling their own case resolution, or may not agree with the finding of their insurance company. A reconstruction specialist can be consulted for a 2nd opinion. In minor collisions, two parties may be "working it out" themselves. Both parties may agree to split the cost of a specialist and consider the expert's opinion as a baseline to start negotiations. Most reconstruction experts can customize a service to fit the client's needs.
Do I need a "full" reconstruction?
Not always. Typically a “full” reconstruction and analysis is very costly and not always warranted. In some cases, a client may just “need to know where they stand” and a preliminary opinion may be sufficient. We offer a “limited service” that may be right for you. For a reasonable fee, we will review the data that you have, police reports, insurance statements, photos, etc, and make an assessment as to “where you stand”. This will help you make an informed decision on how to proceed.
Click on the Interface Module icon to see a basic video on how the Bosch Crash Data Retrieval Tool is used and it can help fight insurance fraud
James D. English & Associates
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