Car Accident: Need Assistance Please

AI Thread Summary
A son was involved in a three-vehicle car accident caused by a sudden stop in traffic, where he was rear-ended by a truck whose driver was distracted. The truck driver admitted fault, but an officer cited the son for failure to control speed based on conflicting witness testimony. The son’s vehicle sustained minimal front-end damage, leading to speculation that he was pushed into the car in front rather than striking it first. To support this theory in court, hiring a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) is recommended for expert testimony. The discussion also questions the role of the insurance company in addressing the situation.
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Hi there! I am in need of assistance, please. My son was involved in a car accident, in which there was an obstacle in the road that caused traffic to suddenly stop, unexpectedly. He (from what he tells me) was paying attention and was slowed almost to a stop, when he was struck from behind by a truck that was moving at about 30 mph. The driver of the truck admitted that she had turned around and was talking to her child in the back seat and didn't notice that the traffic has stopped. My son was forced into the car in front of him, thus causing a three vehicle accident. However, the driver of the car in front stated that he felt two bumps and believes that my son hit him and then he was hit again when the truck rear-ended my son. Nobody else believes this to be true, but the officer cited my son for failure to control speed, based on this man's testimony. All other witnesses state that my son was hit first. I am a social worker, not a physicist, so I am not sure, but I feel like it is very possible and even likely that my son would have bumped the car in front of him twice if he was nearing a stop and was hit from behind, by a larger vehicle, at a rate of speed of 30 mph. I think that logically a car would hit and then rebound and hit again. But the officer argued that he has worked accidents for 20 yrs and that my theory is not true. Also, based on the amount of damage on my son's car, it seems obvious to me that he did not hit the car in front of him first or with any amount of speed, as the front of my son's vehicle is virtually undamaged--just a couple of minor scratches and dings--while the rear of his vehicle is completely trashed. The frame is bent and the car is totaled. The car in front had significant damage to rearend and the truck in the back was damaged beyond drivability. I don't know why I believe that the lack of damage to the front-end of my son's car leads me to believe that he was not moving at any rate of speed when he made contact with the car in front, and why it makes sense to me that it proves he was pushed into the car, rather than striking it while moving, but for some reason, that is seems obvious to me. Can anyone tell me if these assumptions are true, and if so why? And who would I need to enlist to examine the vehicle to present this theory (as an expert) in court, if it is correct? Thanks!
 
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You need to hire an PE (Professional Engineer) who is licensed in your state. He will be able to prove what happened and more important he will be able to testify in court about it.

During a crash cars can both deform and act like springs, strange things can happen. It is possible (but maybe not cost effective) to figure out exactly what happend.

Has the insurance company been of any help?
 
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