The following Tale clearly illustrates the importance of the detail.

 The defendant claimed to have stopped at the stop sign before accelerating through the intersection.  On the far side of, and at least one parked car beyond, the intersection, the plaintiff stepped off the curb between two cars and ran into the street to catch a bus which would stop at the island. The issue was whether the plaintiff ran into, or was struck by, the defendant’s vehicle. The point of impact was on the passenger side of the car, just behind the front fender.

 The decision hung on 4 seconds (according to the expert). If the defendant had not made the stop (a traffic violation) he would have probably arrived at the point of impact approximately 1-2 seconds before the plaintiff stepped off the curb and the plaintiff would have run into his car as the defendant passed him. On the other hand, if the plaintiff had stopped before accelerating through the intersection he would likely have struck the plaintiff – arriving at the point of impact approximately 1-2 seconds after the plaintiff stepped off the curb.