Discover How Our Experts Uncover the Truth in Seat Belt Cases
September 16, 2024
When someone is injured in a vehicle accident, it can be crucial to know if a seat belt was used – and if it was used properly. Biomechanical investigations for seat belt cases focus on analyzing how a seat belt’s use or failure to use may have contributed to injuries during a car accident. These investigations can provide helpful insight for:
- Personal injury claims, when determining if the severity of an accident’s injuries was caused or worsened by the use or non-use of a seat belt.
- Product liability cases, if there is an allegation that a seat belt failed or malfunctioned.
- Disputes over seat belt use, in cases where it’s unclear whether an occupant was wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident, and injury patterns need to be assessed.
- Insurance claims, in order to assess the role of seat belt use in determining coverage, compensation, or fault in an accident
- Criminal investigations, in accidents where improper seat belt use might be argued to mitigate responsibility for injury outcomes, such as in DUI or reckless driving cases.
Our biomechanical investigations for seat belt cases typically involve reconstructing an accident to understand the forces involved, the vehicle dynamics, and how they affected the vehicle’s occupants. Rimkus biomechanical experts assess injury patterns and compare them to expected injuries with or without seat belt usage, helping to determine if the injuries align with claimed seat belt use. In situations where a seat belt was not used properly, we can employ cutting-edge simulation software to model the accident and help determine if injuries would have been less severe if a seat belt had been properly used.
When a school bus crossed into oncoming traffic and struck the left-front corner of a pickup, the pickup’s unbelted occupant sustained multiple injuries, including extensive fractures in the legs.
Experts from the Rimkus Biomechanical Engineering team were retained to evaluate the occupant’s dynamics in the collision and determine how they would have differed if she had been properly restrained.
Our experts employed a holistic approach to this vehicle accident reconstruction that included an in-depth analysis of dash camera footage, EDR data, and a comparative damage analysis, coupled with vehicle collision dynamics modeling and MAthematical DYnamic MOdeling (MADYMO) occupant simulations to answer the biomechanical questions regarding the injuries related to the lack of seatbelt use.
Read the case study below to learn more about our investigation and view a MADYMO simulation depicting the accident with and without proper seat belt use.
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She has more than 10 years of occupant and crash safety research experience at various vehicle manufacturers, with a focus on safety restraint systems and interior design for occupant protection. She also has experience in assessing occupant kinematics and kinetics with resulting injury analysis in passenger vehicle and military underbody blast settings.
Dr. Bosch is well-versed in the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for safety and crash testing, and she has performed numerous full-vehicle crash tests for both regulatory compliance and litigation matters. Her accident reconstruction experience includes, but is not limited to, passenger vehicles, off-road vehicles, motorcycles, heavy trucks, roof strength analyses, seatbelt assessments, and pedestrian impacts.
Dr. Bosch is a Certified Vehicle Accident Reconstructionist and holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering, an M.Eng. in automotive engineering, and a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering with a focus in impact biomechanics.
She is published in numerous publications related to occupant safety, accident reconstruction, and military underbody blast analysis using Mathematical Dynamic Modeling (MADYMO) software.
Rimkus provides a wide variety of forensic investigations and technical consulting beyond transportation and biomechanics. To learn more about both Kelly Bosch and biomechanical evaluations, as well as our comprehensive services and global team, contact Jennie Weakland.
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