Police officers from 15 different law enforcement agencies across Connecticut were tasked with motorcycle accident reconstruction training.
According to The Record-Journal, the training was timed just at the start of motorcycle accident season. Federal accident statistics reveal 1 in 10 traffic fatalities involves a motorcycle, and motorcycle riders are 16 times more likely to be killed in motor vehicle accidents as compared to those in other vehicles.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported 55 motorcycle fatalities in Connecticut in 2014.
At The Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone & Morelli, our Hartford motorcycle accident attorneys recognize the importance of specialized training for the reconstruction of motorcycle crashes.
Motorcycle accidents tend to involve a very different set of equations and physics considerations than the average car accident. Unlocking the cause of these accidents tends to be more complex and challenging. It requires a thorough understanding of motorcycle dynamics and the way a bike responds to rider maneuvers.
Investigators also have to determine something called "crush stiffness." This refers to the amount of energy that would be needed to cause a certain amount of damage to a given vehicle. It requires extensive crash testing and investigators will look at how certain impacts cause deformation to the automobile. With most car accidents, "crush stiffness" is pre-determined because other accident investigators have taken it on and reached solid conclusions regarding just about every type of vehicle. But there is less data available with regard to motorcycles, and often, investigators are working with data that involved a completely different kind of motorcycle.
For example, different models of motorcycles will use different styles of forks (sport bikes typically being upside-down, while conventional bikes will generally be right side up). This seemingly minor feature variation can result in a totally different type of failure in the event of a front-end collision.
That's why adequate accident reconstruction matters. There is so much at stake in these cases because motorcycle accident injuries tend to be more severe than for those in other accidents.
In order to obtain adequate compensation for these victims, our injury lawyers must have an accurate sense of what happened - and why. Any time we're fighting for damages, we have to prove:
- Defendant caused or significantly contributed to the cause of the crash;
- Plaintiff's injuries were caused by the accident and are as extensive as claimed.
Accident reconstruction is central to those elements. Despite that, these kinds of training sessions are somewhat rare in the Northeast, according to the Record-Journal, and agencies scrambled for a spot when it was announced the training would take place in Meriden.
Although motorcycle accident litigation does not require plaintiffs to secure expert witness testimony, it may be needed based on the complexity of the case at hand. A local law enforcement agency staffed with officers who are well-trained in motorcycle accident reconstruction can be a huge benefit to plaintiffs. It might not entirely eliminate the need for an expert witness, such as a biomechanical engineer or medical doctor, but it could limit the scope of the information to which that individual needs to attest.
Contact us today for a free consultation at 1-800-WIN-WIN-1.