A 19 year-old National Guardsman on his way to his station before being shipped to Iraq got a flat tire while driving on the Massachusetts Turnpike. While fixing the flat, he was struck by a tractor trailer and killed. The police reconstruction concluded that the 19 year must have stumbled back into the travel lane from the breakdown lane when he was hit.
We hired an accident re-constructionist who did a computerized simulation of the accident. The simulation showed that the tractor trailer's wheels crossed the fog line, and that the side mirror of the truck struck the decedent while he was standing in the breakdown lane. The defense denied that the truck driver was at fault for the accident. We took the case to trial in federal court. At trial the simulation was shown to the jury, and our cross examination of the investigating officer destroyed his opinion about why the accident occurred. The jury not only found the driver at fault, but also found him grossly negligent, and awarded $445,000 to the family.
*Some names and details have been changed to protect confidentiality. While we can't guarantee the same results; we can assure you the same effort.