In many intersection collisions, the answer ultimately comes down to testimony. One driver says the light was green. The other says the same thing.

But the devil is often in the details of that testimony.

What did each driver see? Where were they when they first observed the other vehicle? Were they stopped or moving? What lane were they traveling in? What do they remember about the signal sequence?

Asking the right questions matters. But those answers become much more meaningful when they can be compared with the physical evidence. Vehicle damage, points of impact, roadway evidence, vehicle movements, signal timing, surveillance video and electronic data may all provide additional pieces of the puzzle.

Accident reconstruction provides a way to bring those pieces together.

A case does not always have to remain simply “he said, she said.” Asking the right questions and then testing those answers against the available evidence can help determine whether the physical evidence supports, contradicts or clarifies the testimony.

The objective is straightforward: Follow the evidence and determine what it tells us about how the collision occurred.