Yadetsie N. (Niky) Zaragoza-Rivera, Ph.D.
District Manager
Get to know the expert
Background
Dr. Niky Zaragoza-Rivera holds a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master’s and Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering, with a focus on Injury Biomechanics. She has extensive knowledge in biomechanics ranging from vehicle occupant safety, fall analyses, and experimental testing. Dr. Zaragoza-Rivera specializes in evaluating the biomechanical response of vulnerable populations, such as children and the elderly.
Dr. Zaragoza-Rivera performs biomechanical analyses on cases involving motor vehicle accidents, safety system usage (seatbelts, child restraint systems, helmets), falling objects, trips/slips/falls, playground and amusement parks, and pedestrian/bicycle-vehicle accidents. She has evaluated motor vehicle accidents involving low-speed collisions, high-speed collisions, vehicle rollovers, and non-road vehicles such as forklifts. Dr. Zaragoza-Rivera has extensive experience in child passenger safety, including the identification and correction of child restraint system misuse and how these misuses create a hazardous environment for the pediatric and adult occupants in vehicles. As a certified playground safety inspector, Dr. Zaragoza-Rivera is trained to identify hazards in public playgrounds, assess and categorize hazards according to injury potential, and properly remove the hazards to ensure the safety of all playground participants.
As a Biomechanical Engineer, Dr. Zaragoza-Rivera has extensive knowledge of human anatomy and tissue mechanics, which has allowed her to amass a unique perspective and knowledge base in injury potential, prevention, and outcomes. As a trained martial artist, Dr. Zaragoza-Rivera also brings a unique biomechanical perspective to injury potential in different sports and physical altercations, including evaluating the mechanism of injury resulting from fights, punching, and kicking techniques, and body positioning when an individual is detained.
Prior to joining Rimkus, Dr. Zaragoza-Rivera was a graduate research fellow in the Injury Biomechanics Research Center in the Wexner Medical School at the Ohio State University. During her graduate research, she led and assisted in multiple research projects related to vehicle occupant safety and worked closely with representatives of the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA), vehicle and child restraint system manufacturers, and researchers of the Center for Child Injury Prevention Studies. Her hands-on crash safety experimental research experience provides a detailed perspective in occupant kinematics when exposed to different impulses such as low-, moderate-, and high-speed frontal, side, and rear collisions, evaluation of proper seatbelt fit, and evaluation of proper child restraint use.
Education and Certifications
- Biomedical Engineering, Ph.D.: The Ohio State University (2020)
- Biomedical Engineering, MS: The Ohio State University (2017)
- Mechanical Engineering (magna cum laude, honors), BS: Universidad de Puerto Rico, Mayagüez (2015)
- Child Passenger Safety Technician
- Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI)
- Accredited Traffic Accident Reconstructionist: Accreditation Commission for Traffic Accident Reconstruction (ACTAR #4461)
- Bosch CDR Tool Technician
Publications
Select Publications and Presentations
- Zaragoza-Rivera, YN (Various). Vehicle Accidents and Seatbelt Evaluations. Rimkus Seminar Series.
- Zaragoza-Rivera, YN (Various). Crash, Rewind, Replay-Digital Storytelling in Biomechanical Analyses. Rimkus Seminar Series.
- Zaragoza-Rivera, YN (Various). Biomechanics Analysis in Serious Injury Claims. Rimkus Seminar Series.
- Zaragoza-Rivera, YN (Various). Low-Speed Vehicle Accidents. Rimkus Seminar Series.
- Zaragoza-Rivera, YN (Various). The Smaller They Are, The Bigger the Falls: The Unique World of Pediatric Biomechanics. Rimkus Webinar Series.
- Zaragoza-Rivera, YN; and Hankins, J (2023). Biomechanics of Slip/Trips and Falls. Rimkus Seminar Series.
- Zaragoza-Rivera, YN (2023). Bumps in the Road: An evaluation of pediatric biomechanics following motor vehicle accidents. CLM Alliance Magazine.
- Tesny, A. C., Fibbi, C., Kang, Y. S., Agnew, A. M., Baker, G. H., Zaragoza-Rivera, Y., Shurtz, B., Pipkorn, B., Rhule, H., Moorhouse, K., Markusic, C., Malcolm, S., and Bolte, J. (2023). Evaluation of 5th Percentile Female ATDs in Near-Side Impact Scenarios Compared to Elderly PMHS. Conference proceedings International Research Council on the Biomechanics of Injury, IRCOBI, 160-183.
- Zaragoza-Rivera, YN (2022, April). Human Biomechanics in Low-Speed Vehicle Collisions. Rimkus Webinar Series.
- Zaragoza-Rivera, YN (2021, October). Little Bodies, Big Vulnerabilities: An Introduction to Pediatric Biomechanics. 12th Annual Juris Educational Resource Knowledge for Legal Nurse Consults.
- Zaragoza-Rivera, YN; Bolte, JH; and Boucher, LC. (2020). “Isometric, Concentric, and Eccentric Neck Strength in the Sagittal and Coronal Planes of Motion for Adult Females.” 64th Annual Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine Meeting. Invited Presenter.
- Zaragoza-Rivera, YN; Bolte, JH; and Boucher, LC. (2020). “Effect of Neck Position in Sagittal Plane Isometric Strength of Pediatric and Adult Female Subjects.” International Research Council on Biomechanics of Injury Annual Meeting. Conference Proceedings.
- Mansfield, J. A., Zaragoza-Rivera, Y. N., Baker, G. H., and Bolte, J. H. 4th. (2019). “Evaluation of interventions to make top tether hardware more visible during child restraint system (CRS) installations.” Traffic Injury Prevention, 20(5), 534-539. https://doi.org/10.1080/15389588.2019.1618849.
- Zaragoza-Rivera, YN; Bolte IV, JH; and Boucher, LC (2019, July). “Anterior-Posterior and Lateral Cervical Spine Stiffness in Children.” Center for Child Injury Prevention Studies (CChIPS). Industry Advisory Board – Final Presentation – Webinar.
- Zaragoza-Rivera, YN; Bolte IV, JH; and Boucher, LC (2019, November). “Pediatric Cervical Spine Strength in the Sagittal Plane.” 63rd Stapp Car Crash Conference. San Antonio, Texas.
- Mansfield, JA; Zaragoza-Rivera, YN; and Bolte, JH. “Usability of non-standard lower anchor configurations for child restraint system (CRS) installation.” Traffic Injury Prevention 19: 1-6. Dec 2018. DOI: 10.1080/15389588.2018.1540040.
- Boucher, LC and Zaragoza-Rivera, YN. “Eccentric Torque Production and Dynamic Ankle Stiffness in 8-12-year-old Children.” 3rd Annual Pediatric Research in Sports Medicine (PriSM) Meeting (Poster); Jan 28-30, 2016; San Diego, CA.