MEA Forensic Engineers and Scientists announces the addition of three senior experts to its ownership group: Stephanie Bonin, PhD, Pamela D’Addario, MASc, and Benjamin Elkin, PhD joined the firm’s leadership team, effective September 1, 2022. Having been with MEA Forensic for over a decade, Stephanie, Pam and Ben are well known for outstanding technical work, […]
Slips, trips and falls can do more than bruise the ego; they can also lead to serious injury and litigation. When a lawsuit follows, the liability arguments often rest on whether a property defect or deficiency caused or contributed to the fall that led to the injury. Biomechanical engineers are mechanical engineers with a particular […]
Self-driving cars aren’t here yet, but Advanced Driver Assist Systems (ADAS) are widespread. These systems can independently warn drivers of potential risks, steer, brake and accelerate. As accident reconstruction experts, we can already see the influence of ADAS in the crash data we download from cars. They are changing the way we reconstruct accidents, and […]
Many new cars automatically brake before striking another vehicle in their path. Though automakers have coined different names for this new feature, all of these auto emergency braking systems operate in much the same way: they use a combination of cameras, radar and lidar to “look” ahead for obstacles and then apply the brakes to […]
Bicycle helmets save lives. They protect the head and brain during bicycle crashes where the cyclist’s head strikes the ground, a vehicle, or some other roadside object. But bicycle helmets are not perfect: there are times when even a properly worn helmet does not prevent a head injury. How do helmets work? The main part of the helmet […]
Helmet-to-helmet impacts in football cause more concussions in players getting hit than in players doing the hitting. While the occurrence of blindside hits may seem like a reasonable explanation for this pattern, the effects of player awareness and neck muscle tension on concussion are likely too small to fully account for this pattern. Another possible […]
Whether a vehicle’s lights were on or off can affect liability for a nighttime car crash. Fortunately, there is often physical evidence of whether a vehicle’s lights were on or off at the time of a collision: hot shock. An incandescent lightbulb emits visible light when an electric current is passed through the finely coiled […]
Helmets withstand the test of time. Using 770 donated bicycle helmets, Alyssa DeMarco, Dennis Chimich, and Gunter Siegmund found little or no evidence of helmet age-related deterioration in impact performance. Within the limitations of the sample and test conditions, these findings do not justify replacing a damage-free helmet every 2-10 years as recommended by some […]
Can a concussion be caused by a low-speed rear-end crash? The prevailing science suggests the answer is no, but new research has identified some cases where the answer could be yes. Most people link whiplash injuries to low-speed rear-end crashes and concussions to direct head impacts. These links are sufficiently pervasive that the type of […]
Distraction has always affected drivers, but the addition of interactive devices like cell phones and navigation systems has raised both the opportunity for distracted driving and awareness of its perils. Although official US statistics show that only 17% of injury-causing collisions involved distraction,1 a yearlong study monitoring drivers during regular vehicle use showed that inattention […]
Trailers are an important part of many family vacations, but they can also spell tragedy if they are not properly equipped, properly set up and properly towed. Tow vehicles handle, brake and corner differently when towing a trailer. Stopping distances can be twice as long when towing a trailer, and during cornering the trailer’s wheels […]