In the aftermath of a serious car accident that results in severe or fatal injuries, victims and their families are often tasked with the burden of proving that another party was at fault. This is necessary when seeking compensation for accident-related losses. If a wrongful death suit is filed, litigation to recover damages can involve substantial lawyer fees and court costs. In high dollar personal injury car accident cases, the potential jury award can be in the millions of dollars.

A tool that successful law firms such as Cohen & Cohen, P.C. can use to help prove their case involves data mining, otherwise known as big data. Companies like MarketResearch.com can provide the critical data that attorneys need and in a format that is easily digestible to the average layperson on a jury. It can go a long way to proving why their client is not responsible for their injuries and why they have the right to recover damages from the defendant.

Accident Investigations

After a car accident, the first question is usually, “What happened?” The answer may seem obvious, but it may also be incorrect and it may be difficult to prove. A plaintiff’s attorney must determine the truth which is often more complex than first assumed. It’s not unusual for a car accident attorney to enlist the aid of a forensic accident investigator. The investigator will look at any and all factors that may have contributed to, or caused, the accident. This includes:

1. What vehicles and drivers were involved?
2. What events led up to the crash?
3. What occurred during the crash?
4. What resulted from the crash?

Road and Traffic Analysis

Once the basic questions are answered, it may be necessary to drill down even further. Automotive industry market research can be invaluable. It can provide information that might form the backbone of a personal injury case. Using road and traffic analysis data from a company such as MarketResearch.com, might tell an attorney what he or she needs to know to establish who is liable. For instance, it might offer the following:

1. The location where the accident occurred has been the location for many previous accidents under similar circumstances.
2. If the underlying cause of these accidents was the lack of a road sign warning of a particular danger, the municipality responsible for placing signage might be liable.
3. If the underlying cause of these accidents was poor road maintenance, the municipality responsible for maintaining the road might be liable.
4. If the underlying cause of these accidents was defective road design or lighting, the engineering company that designed it might be liable.
5. If the common denominator in the accidents was a trucking company vehicle, then that company, their driver, the truck manufacturer, or another party related to that trucking company might be liable. Or, several of those parties might be liable.
6. The time of day, and day of the week, when the accident occurred, is when traffic volume is in excess of what the road can safely accommodate.
7. Because the government entity in charge of that roadway did not mitigate the accident risk by installing lights or signage to regulate traffic flow, they may be held liable.
8. Because the other driver involved in the accident did not drive slow enough for the traffic conditions, they may be held liable.

The application of big data in car accident cases can help a personal injury lawyer establish and prove liability. For this reason, the value of automotive industry market research should not be underestimated.

Thanks to our friends and contributors from Market Research for their insight into the application of big data in car accident cases.

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