Military Defense Investigation Knowledge Base
Military Defense Investigation Authority Publication
Authority Publication No. DI-130
Accident Reconstruction in Military Criminal Cases: Vehicles, Training Events, and Workplace Incidents
Independent Military Defense Investigations
Supporting Attorneys, Service Members, and Families
Publication Date: August 24, 2026
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Executive Summary
Accident reconstruction in military criminal cases requires the defense to integrate physical evidence, human factors, equipment condition, environmental conditions, and competing investigative conclusions.
Accident reconstruction in a military criminal case should not be reduced to final positions or a single summary conclusion. Vehicle crashes, training events, and workplace incidents can involve interacting physical, human, equipment, and environmental factors.
DI-130 explains how defense investigators can preserve and evaluate scene measurements, photographs, video, diagrams, debris, equipment downloads, maintenance and inspection records, training and safety materials, weather, lighting, communications, witness vantage points, reaction time, and reconstruction assumptions.
The publication's practical example involves a training collision attributed to speed based on final positions alone. Equipment data, grade, surface conditions, and braking evidence show why several inputs must be tested before a reliable estimate can be made.
The purpose is not to reject a government investigation automatically. It is to reconstruct the source and decision sequence, preserve conflicting evidence and limitations, and accurately state what the available evidence actually permits anyone to conclude.
DI-130 explains how defense investigators reconstruct military vehicle, training, and workplace incidents by integrating scene evidence, equipment data, human factors, environmental conditions, witness vantage points, and reconstruction assumptions.
Who Should Read This Publication?
Military Defense Counsel
Use the source record, physical evidence, data, chronology, and documented assumptions to identify additional discovery, expert consultation, evidentiary issues, and litigation strategy.
Defense Investigators
Preserve scene and equipment evidence, reconstruct the chronology, obtain vehicle or equipment downloads and maintenance records, document environmental conditions and witness vantage points, and trace conclusions to their sources.
Service Members
Understand why a military vehicle, training, or workplace accident may require analysis of multiple physical, equipment, environmental, and human factors before responsibility can be reliably assessed.
Qualified Accident-Reconstruction Experts
Review complete scene materials, equipment data, physical evidence, environmental conditions, witness information, and clearly defined questions when counsel requests specialized reconstruction analysis.
Families
Understand why preserving photographs, communications, records, and other lawfully available information may matter, while leaving scene access, evidence handling, witness contact, and technical reconstruction to counsel, investigators, and qualified experts.
Companion Video
This companion video expands on the investigative concepts presented in this Authority Publication through additional explanation, practical examples, and professional investigative insight.
About Michael West
The investigative guidance presented throughout these Authority Publications is based upon decades of professional experience conducting military, federal, criminal, civil, and private investigations. The principles discussed in these publications are drawn from real investigative work involving complex cases, witness development, evidence analysis, and factual case preparation.
Michael West has served as a Special Agent with the United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) and the Department of Defense Inspector General, conducted federal background investigations, and spent decades working as a licensed private investigator supporting attorneys, businesses, service members, and private clients. Throughout his career, his work has focused on identifying facts, locating witnesses, analyzing evidence, and strengthening the factual foundation of legal cases through independent investigation.
The Military Defense Investigation Knowledge Base was created to share that investigative experience in a practical, understandable format. Its purpose is to help attorneys, service members, and families better understand the investigative process, ask more informed questions, and recognize opportunities where independent investigation may strengthen the defense.
Important Information
This Authority Publication is provided for educational and informational purposes and is intended to help readers better understand military defense investigations and the investigative process. It is based upon professional investigative experience and is designed to provide practical investigative insight rather than legal advice.
Every military case is unique. The investigative strategies, factual issues, and legal considerations applicable to one case may not apply to another. Readers should consult with a qualified attorney regarding legal rights, legal strategy, and decisions involving their individual circumstances.
Nothing contained in this publication should be interpreted as creating an attorney-client relationship or an investigator-client relationship. References to investigative techniques, procedures, or case examples are provided solely to illustrate investigative principles and should not be considered legal guidance.
Effective military defense is strengthened by informed legal representation supported by thorough factual investigation. The purpose of these Authority Publications is to help readers better understand that investigative process so they can communicate more effectively with qualified legal counsel and make informed decisions throughout the military justice process.