Accident Terms and Definitions

Cause of action
A legal claim. Certificate under penalty of perjury - A written statement, certified by the maker as being under penalty of perjury.

Affidavit
A written or printed declaration or statement under oath Affirm - The assertion of an appellate court that the judgment of the lower court is correct and should stand.

Momentum
The mass of an object multiplied by its velocity. It is a vectored quantity with both magnitude and direction.

Tripped Rollovers
NHTSA data show that 95% of single-vehicle rollovers are tripped . This happens when a vehicle leaves the roadway and slides sideways, digging its tires into soft soil or striking an object such as a curb or guardrail.

Pedestrian Manifestations
Those items of evidence deposited at the collision scene by the pedestrian during or following impact.

Actual Cash Value (ACV)
The value of your property, based on the current cost to replace it minus depreciation.

Disregarding traffic controls
Can be going through a red light or stopping at a green light, diregarding special signals in traffic.

Injury Rights
Regardless of who is at fault for an automobile accident, your insurance company is responsible for paying your initial medical expenses.

Interrogatories
Written questions developed by one party's attorney for the opposing party.

Subpoena
Document issued by the authority of the court to compel a witness to appear and give testimony or produce documentary evidence in a proceeding. Failure to appear or produce is punishable by contempt of court.