Tire Marks at Car Accident Scenes Can Help Determine Liability

When motorists are encouraged to take photographs after a car accident, they often only think about the importance of taking pictures of the vehicle damage, the resting positions of the vehicles, or even their own injuries. While it is true that these kinds of photos can act as extremely critical pieces of evidence, they are by no means the only pictures that should be taken at the scene of a car accident. Most car accidents, for instance, leave some sort of tire marks on the roadway near the site of the crash. These marks, when photographed and measured, can be used to help establish how fast the vehicles were traveling prior to the crash and whether either party attempted to brake. This in turn, can be used as evidence of distracted driving, speeding, or another form of negligence.

Pre-Impact Tire Friction Marks 

Tire friction marks, which lead up to the place of impact, are some of the most convincing pieces of evidence that an accident victim can present to establish fault for an accident. These kinds of friction marks, for instance, can be used to calculate pre-impact speeds based on whether they are linear or curved. Similarly, the length of locked-wheel skid marks can be used to determine how fast a car was going before a driver hit the brakes. Critical speed scuff marks are another type of pre-impact tire friction mark that investigators can use to help determine the cause of an accident. For example, a vehicle that was traveling at high speeds around a turn could leave tire friction marks when the tire moves sideways, indicating how fast a vehicle was driving when turning. These kinds of marks are relatively common at the sites of rollover accidents.

Post-Impact Tire Friction Marks 

While locked-wheel skid marks and other pre-impact tire marks can help prove speed and direction immediately prior to a crash, some kinds of marks are more useful in painting a picture of the actual accident. Tire scrub marks, for instance, occur during and immediately after car accidents. Usually curved and of irregular width, with angled striations, these marks are evidence of a damaged or overloaded tire. The width, direction, and shape of these marks can be used to determine the exact area of impact during an accident, which in turn, can help establish the directions and speeds of the vehicles at the time of the crash.

The Right Size Law Firm to Meet Your Needs 

There are a lot of different types of evidence that can be used to help establish fault for a crash. Some of the most convincing, including skid mark measurements, can be found only at the scene of the accident. At Anderson & Anderson, our dedicated Tampa car accident lawyers have the experience and resources to fully investigate the cause of your crash, which includes visiting and photographing the scene of the accident. Call us at 813-251-0072 or send us an online message to get started today.

Sources: 

omicsonline.org/open-access-pdfs/skid-marks-and-reconstruction-of-an-accident.pdf

post.ca.gov/portals/0/post_docs/basic_course_resources/workbooks/LD_29_V-3.1.pdf