3/4/2014· Accident Investigation & Reconstruction
Buses and Motorcoaches: Jayne Mansfield and Mythology
By: Ned Einstein
For those readers who remember Jayne Mansfield, or even know who she was, this is not a story about her Hollywood exploits or bedroom acrobatics. It is a story about a common type of accident - a rear-ender involving an automobile striking a truck or bus - often referred to, in accident reconstruction circles, as "the Jayne Mansfield syndrome."
2/14/2014· Accident Investigation & Reconstruction
Automated Retrieval System Failure Results in Catastrophic Fire at Storage Facility
By: Bill O'Donnell
The largest storage rack/ retrieval system, larger than two football fields and eighty feet wide was constructed to store 108 million pounds of paper products. On July, 2002, after two months of use, the facility collapsed and sparked a fire that destroyed the entire structure and 45 million pounds of paper. Nearly 50 fire departments responded to the inferno, which burned for three weeks. The owner of the facility sued a number of companies that included the contractor that designed and built the structure, a subcontractor, and the company that supplied the 110 foot steel columns.
8/29/2013· Accident Investigation & Reconstruction
The Distribution of Pedestrian-Backing Vehicle Accidents by Backup Alarm Status and Vehicle Type
The purpose of the current study was to update and expand upon an earlier study performed to review and categorize OSHA accident investigation records for pedestrian-backing vehicle accidents according to whether the backing vehicle had a backup alarm and whether the alarm was installed and functioning as intended. The current study includes an analysis of additional records as well as the business type (SIC code) of the employer.
10/23/2012· Accident Investigation & Reconstruction
Low Speed Automobile Collisions
Low speed motor vehicle collisions are a common occurrence. The use of cellular phones, text messaging, and e-mailing while driving has only increased the frequency of low speed motor vehicle collisions. A motor vehicle collision where there is only minor damage to the vehicles may result in personal injury claims for substantial sums.
8/24/2012· Accident Investigation & Reconstruction
Security Camera Video Analysis and Animation
Animations are a powerful tool to illustrate how an accident occurred, and to make an engineer's accident reconstruction more accessible to individuals without engineering expertise.
11/20/2010· Slip, Trip & Fall
By: Nicholas Propes, PhD, Ash Thakker, PhD, Jyoti Ajit
A "slip and fall" or "trip and fall" is the generic term for an injury which occurs when someone slips, trips or falls as a result of a dangerous or hazardous condition on someone else's property. It includes falls as a result of water, ice or snow, as well as abrupt changes in flooring, poor lighting, or a hidden hazard, such as a gap or hard to see hole in the ground
7/31/2010· Fires & Explosions
Have We Sparked Our Last Home Fire?
By: Gene Haynes
Every year there are thousands of home fires all across the nation due to faulty household electrical wiring. There are an annual average of 110 electrical fires a day as a result of frayed wires, loose electrical connections, broken extension cords, faulty switches and outlets and other common sources.
8/7/2009· Accident Investigation & Reconstruction
Forensic Engineering Experts: Biomechanics
Biomechanics is the application of mechanics to the interaction of biological systems with their external environment. When investigating an accident, biomechanical analysis can be used to reconstruct a victim’s motion and relate it to his injuries.
8/7/2009· Accident Investigation & Reconstruction
Forensic Engineering Experts: Airbags
Airbags are credited with reducing numerous injuries and saving many lives during vehicle accidents. However, there have been incidents where they do not function as intended, and have even caused injuries such as explosive powder burns, detached eye retinas, child suffocation and impact deaths.
8/7/2009· Accident Investigation & Reconstruction
Forensic Engineering Experts: Animation
Animations are useful visual tools that can help jurors understand how an incident could, or could not, have occurred. Simply describing an event in court, or showing still pictures, may be insufficient to explain a complex sequence of events.
by Randal Hill, PhD
by Michael J. Fagel, PhD
by Emanuel Kapelsohn
