Category: Articles, Accident Analysis / Reconstruction, Medical & Healthcare, Personal Injury, Resources for Attorneys, Resources for Experts Saddle Trauma and the Mechanical Bull TASA ID: 4298 Introduction The author is a forensic engineer with a Ph.D in biomechanical engineering and is licensed in several states as a structural and professional engineer. The author is employed by Packer Engineering Group, a firm that investigates accidents and injuries, and provides expert opinions to their clients as well as in a court of law. Packer was contacted because of a lawsuit involving an injury on a mechanical bull. The firm was requested to investigate reported injuries, validate the injured individual’s account of the accident and the cause of his injuries, and issue a written report. This report was, therefore, written as a response to the lawsuit. Details were redacted and replaced with general terms for anonymity. Read more
Category: Articles, Accident Analysis / Reconstruction, Auto Safety, Automotive/Trucking, Resources for Attorneys, Resources for Experts Off-Road Vehicle Accidents TASA ID: Off-road vehicle use and available products for the consumers to use off-road has increased dramatically over the past several decades. With the increased use, the number of accidents resulting in serious injuries and death to the users have also increased in alarming numbers. Many of these accidents are not caused by the users of these vehicles, but instead, are caused by the defects that are inherent in some of these off-road vehicles. Read more
Category: Articles, Accident Analysis / Reconstruction, Personal Injury, Product Liability, Resources for Attorneys, Safety Sledding and Tubing Injuries Written by a parks and recreation expert TASA ID: 12 Gone are the days of actual winter months and fun winter activities we used to enjoy as children. We loved the thrill of the winter weather, but more often than not, did not take the time to concern ourselves with safety. Check out what TASA-referred park and recreation expert has to say about sledding and tubing injuries...There are many factors that can contribute to the frequency and severity of sledding injuries. Location, location, location matters in real estate sales as it does in picking a sledding hill. Public land, private land, or commercial establishments have different levels of care that must be provided to sledders. Read more
Category: Accident Analysis / Reconstruction, Auto Safety Airbag Deployment Issues, Role of Vehicle Structure and Occupant Safety TASA ID: 3190 Airbags in modern automobiles have been around for many years, and their record in improving occupant safety in crashes is generally well accepted. However, many questions still arise regarding their deployment and performance in crashes. Some of these questions and the underlying issues, as well as statistical analyses of accident data, are presented in this article. Read more
Category: Accident Analysis / Reconstruction, Auto Safety Roof Crush & Roof Crush Testing--Technical Considerations TASA ID: 189 The problem of evaluating greenhouse structural integrity for rollover accidents, i.e., the roof crush issue, is still unresolved after several decades of consideration. The current federal regulation and the long anticipated upgrade are both inadequate, and it is not clear that NHTSA either can or will come up with a reasonable standard. Read more