The worst thing you could do for your auto accident claim is to tow or repair your car before the damage is fully documented and analyzed. It’s best to leave your car in the damaged state until you hear from your legal team or insurance company that no further information can be gleaned from analysis.

Although this will be inconvenient for your daily needs, preserving its condition will be critically important for you or your loved one’s claim – which the experienced Boca Raton auto accident attorneys at Kanner & Pintaluga will pursue aggressively on your behalf.

What Experts Can Discern From Vehicle Damage

Every scratch, dent and crumpled panel tells a story that will serve as invaluable evidence to substantiate your claim. Accident reconstruction experts and claim adjusters alike can discern key details about the accident by surveying your car. Some of those details could elevate your claim’s chances of success.

Some examples of information that can be determined from vehicle damage inspections include the force of collision, point of impact and the sequence of events immediately following the collision. In some cases, vehicle damage analysis may tell more than photos or statements from the people involved. While beneficial, visual evidence cannot compare to the persuasiveness and tangibility of physical evidence.

Different Signs of Damage and Their Importance

Type of Damage

Superficial scratches and paint transfer often indicate the point of impact and which direction the collision came from. Alternatively, dents can provide insight into the magnitude of the collision’s impact, with high-velocity collisions typically resulting in significant deformations. That said, an accident doesn’t need to be at high speeds to be harmful. Suspension damage can occur in minor and major accidents alike, creating a mechanical imbalance that can cause vehicles to feel unstable and unsafe.

Serious accidents may damage critical structural components of your vehicle, crushing panels and bending frames. These types of damage can suggest how severe the collision was and consequently the potential for catastrophic injuries. Broken glass from damage to windows, windshields and headlights can indicate the accident’s severity as well as provide further details about liability. For instance, shattered glass on the driver’s side suggests a side-impact collision, which may implicate the other driver depending on the crash scenario.

Deployed airbags are also particularly effective at highlighting the force of the collision. Not only do they help establish the force was violent enough to cause deployment, but they may also be important for establishing head and spinal injuries were attributable to the impact.

Location

The location of the damages on the vehicle may also be crucial in attributing driver negligence and liability: