Accident reconstruction diagrams are visual recreations of an accident that can help determine the cause of a crash and often assign fault.

Typical Uses

Accident reconstruction diagrams are used by law enforcement specialists, traffic accident and crash investigators, reconstruction analysts, insurance claim adjusters and consultants, and forensic engineers. Accident reconstruction diagrams are created using eyewitness reports and physical evidence. They can be a key factor in both civil and criminal court cases.

Best Practices

• Gather Information. It is critical that you have enough information about the accident to create an accurate diagram. Ask people who were there to describe what they saw, collect facts from police reports, and if possible, analyze the scene immediately following the accident.
• Draw Conclusions. Because the accident is over and was not recorded (otherwise you would not need to reconstruct it), you will have to fill in a few blanks. Based on what you know, try to determine the location of all the cars and people involved in the accident and where they were going.
• Set the Scene. Use graphics and labels to create the surrounding area of the accident, including stoplights, streets, signs, buildings, crosswalks, etc.
• Add People. Add any people who you know were there at the time of the accident whether they were directly involved or not. It is important to know everything that was present at the time.
• Add Vehicles. Again, add all the vehicles that were present at the time. Also use arrows, lines, and angles to predict the exact movement of the vehicles during the accident.
• Verify Accuracy. Check your diagram with those who were at the scene, or who witnessed the entire thing to ensure credibility and make last minute corrections.