Open AccessForensic Engineering Analysis of Vehicle-Pedestrian Impact Using EDR Data and Reconstruction Software
Author(s) -
Michael Kravitz
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of the national academy of forensic engineers
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.102
H-Index - 1
eISSN - 2379-3252
pISSN - 2379-3244
DOI - 10.51501/jotnafe.v32i2.13
Subject(s) - pedestrian , crash , software , fence (mathematics) , computer science , software deployment , simulation , engineering , computer security , aeronautics , transport engineering , structural engineering , programming language , operating system
This paper will analyze a pedestrian impact with a 2012 vehicle in a criminal matter. The driver of the vehicle struck the pedestrian before crashing into a chain-link fence and tree. The driver was arrested and charged with vehicular homicide and driving while intoxicated (DWI). The question was: Where was the pedestrian standing when she was struck? The airbag control module was downloaded by the prosecution expert. The speed, steering angle, and longitudinal/ lateral accelerations were recorded for a period of 5 seconds prior to algorithm wake-up as a result of a fence side-swipe and then algorithm enable (AE) for the deployment of the vehicle-side airbags after impacting a tree. The recorded data was input into Virtual Crash and PC-Crash (accident reconstruction software that uses Newton’s laws of motions in analysis). The software allowed the time-distance-speed path of the vehicle to be visualized. The prosecution expert opined that the pedestrian was struck on the sidewalk a short distance from where she came to rest. This author was retained by the defense to determine the pedestrian’s posi-tion — either in the roadway or on the sidewalk.