DUI Drivers at Fault Outted by the Science of Analyzing Crashes

Austin, TX (Law Firm Newswire) November 30, 2015 – Even if a driver tries to alter a crash scene, or tell their version of events, the science behind analyzing crashes reveals the truth.

Plaintiff’s personal injury attorneys have dealt with a wide variety of accidents caused by someone driving while under the influence. Victims come to them for assistance in seeking compensation for their injuries and in the worst cases, seek to file a wrongful death lawsuit.

Part of the process of determining who is at fault in a drunk driving accident is dealing with the science of crashes to find the true story behind vehicular homicides. “It is very much like finding puzzle pieces and assembling them into the big picture to figure out how the collision happened,” said Bobby Lee, a noted Austin personal injury lawyer.

The process of figuring out what really happened in crashes relies on physics, math and the very latest in smart technology. All forms of fatal accidents, ranging from those allegedly caused by drunk drivers to those involving speeding, tell a story that prosecutors need to know in order to lay charges in a case.

Much of the technology used to figure out what caused a crash lies in the little black boxes onboard in newer vehicles. These are event data recorders and they play a huge role in revealing a driver’s actions before, during and after a collision. “Despite what an inebriated driver may say, if there is a black box onboard, it holds the real story, waiting to be interpreted by an accident investigator,” said Lee. It can tell if the driver hit the gas or the brakes before the accident.

Crash science and how to interpret the pile of metal left after a wreck involves several components, including traditional and new technology. The vehicle itself reveals how it was hit, what speed it was traveling at, what angles were involved and the force of impact. Other important markers such as scuffs and skid marks tells who was where before the collision, and mathematics figures out the speed, force, time and distance of the vehicles involved.

Technology is always evolving, and more recently, onboard car data event recorders are being equipped with the ability to record GPS coordinates and cell phone use. “And while a driver arrested after an accident may say they did not use their cell phone and were not texting while driving, the data event recorder is soon to tell a different story if the driver tossed his or her phone after a crash,” Lee said.

Working on a DUI case to take to court often involves the use of accident reconstructionists as expert witnesses and their report is often one of the first things a personal injury attorney asks for to determine how to mount a case. “If you have been involved in a nasty accident with a drunk driver or involved in a collision where the other driver was speeding, we are able to help you seek compensation for your injuries,” Lee said.

To learn more, visit http://www.lgrlawfirm.com

Lee, Gober & Reyna
11940 Jollyville Road #220-S
Austin, Texas 78759
Phone: 512.478.8080

• Corvette and biker street racing ends in death for the biker
  It was a bizarre accident involving a motorcycle and a Corvette. Both were allegedly drag racing, or street racing, with each other in the 19100 block of Highway 290, heading west. There was a wrecker driving in the same direction and noticed that a motorcycle and a black Corvette were rapidly approaching him from the rear. The Corvette evidently passed the wrecker but the motorcycle collided with the back end of the wrecker. The accident took place at 11:30 p.m. and the responding EMS crew took the young biker, who had been ejected from his ride, to a nearby hospital. […]
• There were 24,410 crashes in Texas involving alcohol in 2014
  Texas leads the nation in the number of deaths on the road due to drunk drivers. It’s a fact that law enforcement and DUI attorneys would like to change. The most important thing to remember is that you do not have to be 0.08 BAC or over to be impaired. For some people, even one drink impairs their judgment enough to make them a dangerous liability behind the wheel of a vehicle. Just one drink may impair your vision, and affect your reflexes and judgment. By that time, it does not take much to distract a driver, and the consequences […]
• Drinking and boating kills
  Drinking and driving is never a good idea. Drinking and boating can be even worse, as the risks are far greater while on water, and the consequences may be deadly. The heat of the sun and the motion of the water intensifies the effect alcohol has on a drunk boater. Alcohol impairs a boater’s balance, vision, judgment and reaction time. A boat operator with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.10 percent is 10 times more likely to have a boating accident than a sober boater. That is a statistic to make people think twice about drinking and boating. If […]
• CAUTION: Insurance Coverage for Uber, Lyft, and Other Rideshare Drivers
  PLEASE TAG YOUR RIDESHARE FRIENDS AND SHARE WITH RIDESHARE GROUPS. I am Tray Gober- ?An Austin, Texas personal injury lawyer AND “weekend warrior” Uber driver. If you are in an auto accident (whether you are driving for Uber at the time or not) you need to contact a personal injury attorney. I represent several Uber drivers involved in auto accidents. This week an Uber-driver client was in a car accident while driving his car at a time when he was NOT driving for Uber. He called his personal auto insurance company to start a property damage claim and was asked […]
• Even police officials may be fired for driving under the influence
  Don’t drink and drive is an admonition to be taken to heart by not just the general public, but also by police officers, on and off duty. Recently, a Travis County, Texas, detective was terminated from his position when he was arrested and charged for drunk driving. The 47-year-old officer, a 24-year veteran of the local force, faced two other charges as well as driving while intoxicated (DWI): possession of a controlled substance and the unlawful carrying of a weapon. Another officer who spotted him swerving all over the road stopped him and administered a field sobriety test. The driver […]