Transportation

Accident Reconstruction

The engineers, reconstruction specialists, and scientists of the Rimkus team offer a wealth of knowledge and experience in all aspects of accident reconstruction analysis to accurately assess crucial evidence and reconstruct complex accidents. Rimkus experts can evaluate the additional complexities of commercial vehicle accidents.

Rapid Response

An immediate response to the accident scene is vital to vehicle accident reconstruction. We document the site conditions including skid marks, impact, final rest locations, line-of-sight, road conditions, traffic controls, and other pertinent data. It is important to inspect the vehicles before they are sold or destroyed. In addition to documenting the physical condition of the vehicle, we can download electronic data that may be recorded during an accident or near-accident event.

Reconstruction Methods and Evaluation

Utilizing scientifically based methodologies, our staff analyzes the evidence and determines the interactions between people (drivers, pedestrians, and witnesses), vehicles, and the roadway/environment. Depending on the available evidence, we can determine vehicle directions and speeds, driver actions, traffic signal timing, vehicle or pedestrian visibility, etc.

Vehicle accident reconstruction experience:

• Single and Multi-Vehicle Accidents
• Commercial Vehicle Collisions
• High-Speed Fatality Collisions
• Pedestrian-Vehicle Accidents
• Motorcycle Accidents
• Bicycle Accidents
• Phantom Vehicle Evaluations
• Vehicle Rollover Crashes
• Nighttime Accidents

Rimkus incorporates state-of-the-art technology in data collection and accident reconstruction analysis to further enhance the reliability of field investigations and ensure the accuracy of our findings.

FARO FOCUS 3D™ laser scanners provide Rimkus with a reliable method for obtaining 3D color point clouds and 3D measurements to document accident scenes, vehicles, roadways, and evidence. The scanner produces dense point clouds used in the analysis to determine the cause of complex accidents.

ELECTRONIC DATA can be obtained from vehicles, cell phones, and surveillance systems. Event Data Recorders (EDR) in passenger and commercial vehicles afford Rimkus the opportunity to download vital data from vehicles including speeds, brake use, accelerator use, steering input, seatbelt use, and other data. The infotainment system in many vehicles records user and vehicle data.

That data can include GPS routes/locations, vehicle events, connected devices, call and text logs, etc. Mobile devices (cell phones and tablets) record data including location (GPS), movement, call and text logs, etc. The proliferation of surveillance cameras has resulted in more accidents being caught on camera. Analysis of electronic data can help answer numerous accident reconstruction and vehicle theft questions.

DRONES allow Rimkus to take aerial photographs of accident sites. Drone photographs are used to create 3D point clouds and scaled aerial images of accident scenes used in the analysis to determine the cause of complex accidents.

TOTAL STATIONS allow Rimkus to digitally map accident sites when a 3D scanner or drone cannot be used. The total station data is downloaded into a computer to render the accident scene with pinpoint accuracy.

CRUSH ANALYSIS and CRASH SIMULATION programs allow Rimkus to analyze information such as vehicle crush damage, steering, braking, skid marks, roll resistance, vehicle speeds, and roadway conditions. Based on analyses, Rimkus can determine the pre-impact, impact, and post-impact speeds of the vehicles involved in the accident. An accident can be simulated in 3D, including rollovers.

VEHICLE MAPPING is a reconstruction tool for determining the crush profile of a vehicle. Our reconstruction experts use multiple methods to map vehicle damage including 3D scanners, photogrammetry, iPhone Lidar, and total stations. With a proper crush profile, Rimkus can better analyze the vehicle crush depth and calculate the change in speed and impact configuration of the vehicles at the time of impact.

Our biomechanical engineers can help determine the cause of the injuries claimed or determine if there are inconsistencies between the accident or incident and the injuries being claimed.

Our experts also investigate the function of vehicle occupant protection systems, such as seatbelts, airbags, pretensioners, and child safety seats, to understand their role in mitigating injuries in accidents or incidents. We can help identify whether these systems were being used appropriately and if the lack of appropriate use could have contributed to the injuries sustained by the occupants of the vehicle.

Rimkus biomechanical experts and biomedical engineers offer expertise in physics, accident reconstruction dynamics, biomechanics, anatomy, physiology, and human kinematics.

Using advancements in biomechanics research, our team can determine the causes of bodily injury and if the reported injuries are consistent with the forces experienced in an event. In cases involving disputes over who was driving, our experts can determine the driver of the vehicle, positions of the occupants, vehicle occupant seat belt use, and the type/extent of expected injuries associated with proper seat belt usage.

We perform evaluations that range from low to high-speed collisions to help our clients understand the facts about reported injuries and explain the mechanisms that caused them.

In a perfect world, equipment and vehicles would be properly designed, manufactured, maintained, and unaltered by wear and tear. In the real world, however, this is not the case.

Offering a keen understanding of forensic sciences and failure analysis, Rimkus has organized a specialized group of qualified engineers, ASE mechanics, and materials experts to conduct product evaluations, testing, and analysis of vehicle failures.

Our staff carefully analyzes the subtle relationship between design and use and participates in laboratory analysis of vehicles and subsystems to determine if a failure caused or contributed to property damage or bodily injury.

Mechanical failure analysis and product liability expertise:

• Advanced Driver Assist Systems
• Air and Hydraulic Brake Systems
• Cruise Control Systems
• Frames and Structural Systems
• Lighting and Electrical Systems
• Restraint Systems (airbag and seat belts) and Child Safety Seats
• Steering Systems
• Tire, Wheel, and Suspension Systems
• Vehicle Design

Our environmental staff is Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) certified, as required by OSHA regulations, and qualified to enter catastrophe sites or spill areas containing hazardous and toxic materials. Rimkus can assess the environmental impact of pollution events and verify compliance with state and federal laws.

Roadway Design

The design of the roadway environment is concerned with the positioning of the physical elements of the roadway according to standards and constraints. The experts at Rimkus apply governing standards to analyze sight distances, roadway geometry, roadway pavements, and roadside hazards and can determine if the physical elements of the roadway and roadside environment were implemented appropriately and if they caused or contributed to a vehicle accident.

Work Zone Traffic Control

The function of work zone traffic control is to provide for the reasonably safe and effective movement of road users through a work zone while reasonably protecting road users and workers. The experts at Rimkus can evaluate the construction activity, determine what work zone traffic control was required for the subject activity, and assess if the appropriate traffic control was implemented.

Traffic Signal Operations

Traffic signals assign the right-of-way to the various traffic movements and thereby influence traffic flow on the roadway network. The experts at Rimkus specialize in the design, programming, and analysis of traffic signal timing, intersection layout, signal phasing, and signal maintenance along with witness accounts and accident reconstruction to determine the signal patterns preceding an accident.

Traffic Control Devices

Traffic control devices notify road users of regulations and provide warnings and guidance needed for the uniform and efficient operation of the traffic stream in a manner intended to minimize the occurrences of crashes. The experts at Rimkus can evaluate if the design and placement of a traffic control device was appropriate or if a certain condition required the installation of a traffic control device that was not installed.

DOT Compliance

Rimkus offers complete analysis of all facets of DOT safety compliance including hours of service, driver qualification files, maintenance, regulatory compliance, and industry practices.

A visual representation of an accident or incident event conveys information far better than words alone.

From computer-generated animations to full-length video productions, to 3D printing, our team designs and creates compelling demonstrative exhibits to accurately illustrate the facts to help our clients and juries understand precisely how an accident or incident occurred.