Maritime Accident Reconstruction
U.S. Coast Guard statistics for 2022 show that there were 4,040 recreational boating accidents in our country. While these numbers don’t account for large water vessels, it’s safe to say that they, too, have accidents that injure or kill crew members, owners, and guests. When you’re unable to reach a settlement with the negligent party in these personal injury or wrongful death cases, maritime accident reconstruction can make all the difference as to whether you’re able to secure a favorable verdict for your client.
So, contact our Advocacy Digital Media team to discuss how we can create courtroom demonstratives that strengthen your case.
Types of Maritime Accidents We Create Visual Representations For
As you’re aware, a wide range of scenarios may occur that lead to a maritime accident, which may be best captured using different types of visual representations.
Our Advocacy Digital Media courtroom exhibit animators have extensive experience building various types of visually engaging demonstratives for boat accident cases, some of which include:
- Infographics
- 3D stills
- Motion graphics
- 2D and 3D interactives
We have experience creating visual representations depicting maritime accidents involving recreational boats, including yachts, as well as others, such as:
- Cruise ships
- Commercial fishing boats
- Oil rigs
- Submersibles
- Ferries
- Shipping boats
There’s very little, if anything, we can’t depict in a visually engaging way that brings the water vessel and the accident that it was involved in to life.
What Causes of Boat Accidents Can Our Reconstructionists Depict?
As you’re aware, a wide range of scenarios may occur that lead to a maritime accident. The reconstructions we can prepare for you can demonstrate causation for these incidents, which may involve the creation of exhibits that show:
- Impacts human factors such as alcohol or drug intoxication, drowsiness, failure to maintain a proper lookout, speeding, distractions, and operator inexperience had on a boat crash
- Rough seas’ impact on safe boat operation
- How waterlogging occurs
- Why getting a boat to turn upright post-capsize is rare
- Wind impact on a water vessel’s ability to remain upright
- How exceeding weight limitations affected a boat’s ability to remain afloat
- Which maritime laws like the Jones Act or Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA) say, and explanations of their applicability to your client’s case
- How running ashore (especially on rocks) can damage the water vessel, affecting its safety
- Ways in which defective parts, inadequate maintenance, or ineffective operation of the vessel led to equipment failure
In short, we can graphically depict all of the common causes above (and more) via the creation of maritime reconstructions, which may include illustrations, animations, or a combination thereof.
How Convincing Is a Shipwreck Accident Reconstruction at Trial?
Fortunately, adverse situations involving big vessels don’t occur all the time, and thus, a shipwreck accident reconstruction isn’t often necessary. However, these demonstratives can be effective at trial in any maritime accident case.
When asked by skeptical personal injury attorneys who reach out to us to inquire about having us create these trial exhibits, when they ask how convincing a shipwreck accident reconstruction is at trial, we like to explain:
- These courtroom demonstratives are effective at helping individuals unfamiliar with certain topics, like shipbuilding, boat mechanics, buoyancy, or ideal skipper behavior and related terminology, better understand the topic at hand.
- Maritime accident reconstructions are effective at showing how impact and other actions or forces correlate with certain injuries your client sustained.
As you’re likely aware, the presentation of demonstrative evidence, such as a maritime accident reconstruction, generally only occurs at trial when an expert witness is on the stand. Attorneys like yourself generally use this evidence to make their testimony more accessible for layperson jurors. Once admitted into evidence, you can cite these exhibits at other stages of your case, including asking other witnesses to give their professional opinions about what happened or during closing statements to send your points home. So, it’s safe to say that if you’re wondering how convincing a reconstruction of a boat accident can be, it can prove invaluable if it’s key to helping jurors understand what happened.
How Reconstruction Can Persuade the Court or Jury in Your Favor
A maritime accident reconstruction can effectively show multiple perspectives of what happened. While viewing an adverse event from one vantage point may not provide jurors with the insight they need to find an eyewitness account or an expert witness’ testimony credible, looking at it from a different angle might. The same may occur if you see all the disparate facts and figures pulled onto a singular graphic.
Demonstratives like these have proven themselves to be effective at persuading jurors to reach verdicts that favor injured personal injury victims and to make more sizable awards.
Let’s discuss what it is that can enhance your expert witnesses’ testimony and, in turn, strengthen your client’s case in the eyes of the jury so that they decide in your favor. A preliminary conversation about how our Advocacy Digital Media maritime accident reconstructions can help you is completely free. Let’s chat now.
