In today’s digital age, jurors expect a certain level of technological sophistication to be presented during a trial. With statistics showing that 65% of the population are visual learners, it stands that visual legal aids would benefit your case.
For a complex case that involves a motor accident collision, how can visuals help exactly? Visuals allow the jury or other viewers to gain a complete perspective on the events of the crash and increase the likelihood of jurors remembering the crucial facts presented to them.
But how much do these visuals cost? Car accident reconstruction animations or stills are tailored to the specific needs of each individual case, including the overall budget. These animations can vary in length from five seconds to five minutes, with extreme attention to detail or basic elements, depending on the needs of the case.
The three primary factors that contribute to the overall cost of a legal animation are complexity, quality and duration.
How Complexity Determines the Overall Cost of a Car Accident Reconstruction Visual
Complexity is the most important factor in determining the cost of any legal animation. For a car accident reconstruction, the animator would first review the specific details of the incident. The legal animation is then restricted to producing a visual that aligns with the specifics of the motor vehicle accident in precise detail. Each animation is created with such attention to detail that it accurately represents the actual chain of events and can be presented as demonstrative evidence.
Forensic animation is the method in which objects are manipulated in a way to appear as moving images. When it comes to manipulating objects, the more complex the motion or the sequence of events, the longer it takes to recreate. If a case needed the animation to show the scene of the accident before and after, or from multiple points of view, this would increase the overall complexity (and thus, cost) of the animation.
This animation depicts an accident that occurred in Southern California when a big rig truck collided with a mini-van during peak hour traffic on a major freeway.
The visual investment earned a 2,000% ROI – with a $1,000,000 outcome.
One example of complexity would be the difference between a visual reconstruction of a car accident involving two vehicles in a minor traffic altercation compared to an incident involving four cars, a pedestrian, and a motorcyclist.
By having to include multiple different vehicles and pedestrians, the complexity of the animation would require a larger amount of time spent on the visual, increasing the overall cost.
Quality is Essential to Car Accident Reconstruction Visual Success
Jurors are used to encountering high quality visualizations in their daily lives. From television to social media, the attention span of adults is constantly being pulled in the direction of the highest quality content available to them. The same psychological affects are at play within a courtroom. Jurors are more likely to empathize with and retain information from visual aids that include the same level of quality they have come to expect from all animations.
In this context, it’s important to note that “quality” does not refer to the overall quality of the animation but rather the features included within the visual. For instance, two equally precise animations could be made for the same car accident reconstruction visual but with different levels of quality.
The first animation could be showing 2D figures on a flat background with minimal or no color added.
The second animation could include 3D models of the vehicles involved, the surrounding environment, and include the same level of lighting as it would have appeared at the time of the car accident.
Which of these two animations do you think would have the greatest impact on a jury? Based on our experience with over 2,000 cases, jurors are more likely to emotionally connect with a visual that appears more realistic. When the audience is able to view an accident from the perspective of the victim, they are able to empathize and reflect on how they themselves would have reacted to the same scenario.
To create these hyper-realistic and accurate environments, a variety of technology is used, including laser scanning. Laser scans capture the environment of the incident with extreme accuracy. Data from multiple scans of the accident’s site will then create a 3D environment identical to the actual site.
The precision in this technology is the most accurate way to capture measurements of any environment or object, which ensures the admissibility of the animation.
If laser scanning is used for a car accident reconstruction visual, it will increase the total cost based on how large of an area needed to be recreated, as well as travel required to scan the location of the accident.
How Duration Affects the Cost of Visual Aids
Duration is the least influential factor when considering the cost of a car accident reconstruction visual. However, the length of an animation does directly affect the price. The duration of each reconstruction visual is based on the needs of the case and what information needs to be shown to provide accuracy of the event.
The overall duration of the visual, as well as the time it takes to revise changes, affect the total cost of an animation. Similarly to the quality of the animation, if your visual requires multiple elements such as a variety of vehicles, pedestrians or onlookers, or any other moving objects, this will increase the amount of time it takes to complete.
Want to learn more about the cost factors of a car crash animation? Download our free pricing guide to find out!
The time and expertise of the experienced animators involved in the reconstruction visualization also play a factor in the overall cost of the car accident reconstruction. On more than one occasion, our animators have been called to testify in front of the jury. If the testimony of an expert animator is necessary for your case, the overall cost of the reconstruction will increase.
What ROI Can Be Expected From Car Accident Reconstruction Visuals?
Presenting a car accident reconstruction visual can be the key to a successful verdict – and even a successful settlement! Courtroom Animation has collaborated with over 2,000 cases where legal animations became a deciding factor and were budget-conscious.
For one attorney in particular, leveraging their accident reconstruction animation resulted in a $1,000,000 settlement – providing a 2,000% ROI on his investment.
Our years of experience working with attorneys on car accident reconstruction visuals give us the expertise you need for your case. Contact us today to get a no-hidden fee quote based on the individual needs of your case!
