Marvito services has the largest group of Road Traffic Collision investigators in the UK, including some forensic engineers with over 30 years’ experience. Our investigators can carry out a desktop analysis, as well as a full reconstruction, enabling an accurate assessment of liability.
This detailed engineering knowledge of how vehicles operate and behave is invaluable when providing forensic engineering, scene and vehicle examination services to identify the causes of a collision or thermal event.
OUR ROAD TRAFFIC COLLISIONS EXPERTISE
COLLISION RECONSTRUCTION
Road traffic collisions (or accidents) are often traumatic incidents and litigation arising as a result is becoming more common as Court awards increase and injured parties become more aware of the compensation that might be available to them. Hawkins can provide detailed analysis of an incident and prepare forensic collision investigation and reconstruction reports suitable for use in Criminal or Civil Courts.
Hawkins has a wide range of experience in this field relating not only to accidents involving cars, but also buses, heavy goods vehicles (including analysis of tachograph data), farm equipment, motorcycles, bicycles, and pedestrians. Our detailed engineering knowledge of how vehicles and their systems operate, and a strong understanding of the available literature, is invaluable when understanding and investigating how a collision occurred. The team regularly carries out vehicle examinations to investigate seatbelt use, vehicle defects, fitment and operation of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and autonomous systems, and modifications.
VEHICLE EXAMINATIONS
Whether the case involves a car, bus, heavy goods vehicle, motorcycle, farming equipment, or a bicycle, Hawkins’ engineers consider various vehicle attributes during an examination, such as: patterns of damage, occupant restraints, vehicle condition, vehicle defects, tyre performance, and vehicle stability. It is also becoming more common for vehicles to carry recoverable collision data from the EDR (Event Data Recorder) aka the black box.
We always prefer to examine damaged vehicles as soon as possible. Generally, this means whilst still under Police retention where only a visual examination might be permitted. But it can be very important to see a vehicle before the physical evidence deteriorates. Furthermore, if it is a multi-vehicle collision and those vehicles have been retained by Police at the same location, it can be an excellent opportunity to inspect and consider the corresponding patterns of damage between those vehicles.
Delayed examination after release by the Police risks the vehicles being repaired or destroyed before valuable information is recovered. Whilst third party vehicles can sometimes be inspected later, it requires collaboration with other interested parties for access to be authorised which can lead to a delay in investigation.
We can also make a preliminary examination of a scene, hopefully whilst some physical evidence can still be seen and before any changes are made to the road layout or even the grass of a verge is mowed. It is common for vehicles to be retained by Police within the general region of the collision, and so attending the scene and capturing valuable evidence can be performed alongside the vehicle examinations.
Once the Police plans, photographs, laser scans, and other information become available, we can move on to a detailed analysis. You can read more on this in our Collision Reconstruction page.
Several of our experts are engaged exclusively or primarily in road traffic accident analysis and bring a combination of both academic research and industry knowledge.