What is car accident reconstruction?

The National Academy of Forensic Engineers (NAFE) states that forensic engineering “is a highly specialized field of engineering practice requiring engineering expertise and knowledge of legal procedures…the application of the engineering sciences to the investigation of failures or other performance problems.”

Accident reconstruction began at the Traffic Institute of Northwestern University in 1936. According to the Society ofAutomotive Engineers (SAE), the profession of accident reconstruction has been growing rapidly since the 1990s, due to litigation in the United States and other Western countries.

Accident reconstruction can be traced back to 1940 and the first court case in which it was used, “The People versus Herman.” Herman had gotten into a car accident because he was speeding and reconstruction experts were able to prove this by analyzing the skid marks left behind. Reconstructionists worked with physics and chemistry professors at a local university to analyze the accident's data, and such collaboration resulted in what is now known as a reconstruction.

Next: Why is reconstruction important?

Top