Forensic Home Page
Insurance Links
Legal Links
Other Relevant Links
Revised Speed Conversion Table
|
















|
Expert Engineering Investigations for the Legal
and Insurance Industries
Motor Vehicle Collisions
Below are listed some of the types of vehicles, incidents, and
contributing factors which we have dealt with in the past. It is
by no means complete and we welcome inquiries on any type of incident
involving any contributing factors of an engineering nature.
Incidents involving a variety of vehicle types, people, objects and
animals:
- Automobiles
- Vans / Pickup Trucks
- Bicycles
- Motorcycles
- Trucks / Tractor-Trailers
- Recreational / Off-Road Vehicles
- Farm Vehicles
- Pedestrians
- Deer / Moose / Livestock
- etc.
A wide range of collision types:
- Single Vehicle - Rollover
- Vehicle - Fixed Object
- Vehicle - Pedestrian
- Vehicle - Vehicle
- Vehicle - Animal
- Head-On Collisions
- Sideswipe Incidents
- Low Speed Collisions
- Multi-vehicle Incidents
- etc.
Aspects of Incident Reconstruction and Contributing Factors:
- Road Design and Maintenance - working for either plaintiff or
defence we can give an opinion on whether the roadway was designed,
maintained, or signed adequately. We can comment on whether roadway
or roadside hazards contributed to the incident.
- Line-of-Sight - we can assess the effect of line-of-sight obstructions
on the actions of the involved parties. The obstruction may be buildings,
parked vehicles, trees, a crest in the roadway, or another moving vehicle.
- Collision Forces - there are a large number of injury claims made
in relatively minor collisions. We can assess the forces involved in
the collision and determine, with the help of a doctor specializing in
accident trauma, whether they were sufficient to cause the claimed
injuries.
- Seat Belt Use - we can assess whether the occupants of a vehicle
contributed to their own injuries by not wearing the available seat
belts. We can assess whether the seat belt system failed in the course
of a collision leaving the occupants unprotected.
- Speed Determination - In many types of collisions we can determine
the speeds at which the involved parties were travelling at the time
of the collision.
- Collision Avoidance - We can assess whether there were any actions
a driver could have taken to avoid a collision or lessen its severity.
- Occupant Kinematics - We can determine how an occupant would have
moved within the vehicle during the collision. From this we can comment
on injuries sustained and what portions of the interior of the vehicle
the occupants may have struck.
- Traffic Signal Sequencing - With assistance from the road authority
we can consider the affects of traffic signal sequencing on the
incident.
- Time-Distance Relationships - We can tie all of the information
together in a time-distance study. This will show where the vehicles
were in relation to each other, line-of-sight obstructions, and
traffic signal timing.
- Lighting and Visibility - The natural and artificial lighting at
an incident scene is often a factor in the collision. Visual clutter
and uneven lighting can make it difficult for a driver to see and
avoid another vehicle or a pedestrian.
- Load Security - In truck incidents the manner in which the cargo
is secured to the truck is often a factor. A shifting load may
cause a loss of control or the load may come loose and strike another
vehicle or a pedestrian.
- Mechanical Failure - An incident may be caused by a mechanical
deficiency or failure. We can assess whether the failure caused the
incident or if the incident caused the failure. The failure may have
been caused by improper maintenance or an inherant design problem.
- etc.
1439 Legion Road Burlington, ON L7S 1T6
Map to Office
Tel: (905)632-3040 Toll Free: 1-800-263-6351 Fax: (905)632-2131
E-Mail: forensic@forensiceng.ca
The Services We Offer
Our Areas of Expertise
Sign images are from the Manual of Traffic Signs, by Richard C. Moeur.
|