Scott Frost shares his insights from our newsletter:
It only takes about five minutes for an argument to develop two completely different histories.
“That is NOT what I said.”
“That is EXACTLY what you said.”
Both people are certain.
So naturally, they resolve this by saying the exact same things again, only louder.
The neighbors may learn a lot.
But neither person’s memory gets any more accurate.
Now imagine the argument is over what happened during a car accident.
Screeching tires. An airbag going off. A two-ton vehicle coming toward you.
Human memory isn’t perfect. Fortunately, sometimes the car remembers too.
Many vehicles have something called an event data recorder, or EDR.
No, your car isn’t secretly listening to you complain about crappy drivers. But for a few seconds around a crash, it may capture information like speed, braking, seat belt use, and airbag deployment.
That can be pretty useful when two people remember the same few seconds very differently.
Of course, the car doesn’t tell the whole story.
EDR data is just one piece of evidence.
There are also photographs. Witnesses. Police reports. Physical damage. Even a skid mark may have something to say.
My job is to put those pieces together and figure out what actually happened.
And yes, sometimes that means figuring out who’s lying. But other times, nobody is.
People can be completely sincere about what they remember and still be wrong.
A crash happens fast. It’s chaotic. Your brain has considerably more important things to do in that moment than create a perfect transcript for later.
Which is why the best witness to those few seconds may be the one that doesn’t have a brain at all.
— Scott Frost
(866) FROST-WINS
P.S. If you or someone you know has been seriously injured in a car accident, feel free to reach out. We’re always happy to talk.
From Exposure to Closure ®
