7/22/2009· Accident Investigation & Reconstruction
Forensic Engineering Experts: Trucks
Heavy trucks, whether tractor-trailers, construction vehicles or garbage haulers, are involved in many serious traffic accidents due to their large weight, high centers of gravity, decreased visibility, poor handling and reduced braking efficiency. In addition, articulated tractor-trailers are subject to additional problems such as jack-knife and trailer sway instabilities.
7/22/2009· Accident Investigation & Reconstruction
Forensic Engineering Experts: Warnings
A warning must inform individuals of a danger, which would not be obvious to them. It must tell them how to avoid the danger, and be easily understood. It should also provide them with the consequences of not heading the warning.
7/21/2009· Accident Investigation & Reconstruction
Forensic Engineering Experts: Pedestrians & Bicycles
Pedestrian and bicycle accidents in the United States result in approximately 80,000 and 50,000 injuries each year, respectively. Though pedestrians and bicycles move differently, they share important characteristics as both have little protection during a roadway collision with a motor vehicle.
7/15/2009· Marketing
Effectively Using PR To Turn Up The Volume On Your Brand
By: Maggie Chamberlin Holben, APR
The greatest sin in the public relations realm is the sin of doing absolutely nothing and then wondering why the media isn’t paying attention to you (or, in the case of a crisis, are eating you alive). As a business owner or manager, you can arm yourself with a copy of Full Frontal PR or Public Relations For Dummies and engage in "do it yourself" PR or you can contract with a PR consulting firm to assist you in the adventure. Whatever the case, it’s up to you to make use of proven PR tactics to help build awareness and credibility for your brand.
7/14/2009· Automotive - Vehicular
Whiplash During Low Speed Impact: Fact or Fraud?
A car is stopped for a light when it is unexpectedly rear-ended by a vehicle from behind. It is not a hard impact and there is little or no damage to either vehicle, because the energy absorbing bumpers have protected them. Nevertheless, the passengers of the struck vehicle complain of neck, shoulder and back pain. The next day they allegedly experience even greater pain and visit a medical person who claims that they have been injured. Insurance claim representatives, attorneys, medical, engineering and biomedical experts are then brought in and various conflicting allegations, testimony and opinions are expressed. Do we have a legitimate injury claim on our hands or a situation of fraud?
7/14/2009· Human Factors
When a person becomes aware of a dangerous situation, a time-interval must elapse before he can take defensive action against it. This time interval, commonly called the reaction time, has been found to be about 0.7 second for all normal persons, regardless of their background and training. This suggests that the reaction time depends on some basic aspect of the human physiology-involving the brain, nervous system, and muscles-which does not vary much from person to person.
7/14/2009· Accident Investigation & Reconstruction
There are approximately 180,000 lawnmower accidents per year. In this introductory presentation, we undertake to describe the various ways in which these accidents occur.
7/14/2009· Forensic Analysis
Stepladder Instability Testing
According to Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) accident estimates, tens of thousands of stepladder accidents requiring emergency room treatment occurred annually in the United States. Approximately 85-90% of these accidents involve the user falling from the ladder and 8-9% of these injuries are serious enough to require that the victim be admitted to a hospital. In addition to posing a severe health concern, these accidents have significant loss-of-wages and high medical expense implications.
7/14/2009· Forensic Analysis
Accident reconstructionists are often called on to determine the distance that a car, covers while being braked to a stop. Conversely, the reconstructionist may be given information as to the length of the skidmarks left by a car on the roadway, and may be asked to determine how fast the car must have been going at the beginning of the skid. An expert can accomplish this with considerable accuracy, based on a knowledge of the physical principles that are involved, plus available information relating to the friction of tires on various types of road surfaces.
7/14/2009· Forensic Analysis
Second to automobile accidents, accidents due to falls are the leading cause of injury and death. Of these, accidents due to slipping (not tripping) form a large proportion. Slipping may occur on floors, walkways, and stairs or steps. For Introductory purposes, however, the present discussion will be limited to slipping on flat surfaces such as a floor or sidewalk.
