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1) Accident Reconstruction
2) Biomechanics
Areas of Speciality
Low/High Speed
Seat Belts
Airbags
Sport/ Recreation
Bicycles
Helmets
Industrial
Slip/Trip & Falls
HumanFactors
Research and Testing
Auto Impact
Sports/Recreation
Slip/Trip and Fall
Occupational
Case Studies
3) Engineering
4) Animation
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Areas
of Specialty
Low Speed/High Speed Collisions
click
the picture to see the video (3.58MB)
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The experts at Vector Scientific
have analyzed injury biomechanics in over two thousand automobile
accidents, from low-speed collisions with minor soft tissue injuries
to high-speed collisions with severe and fatal injuries.Crash
tests are sometimes conducted to reconstruct specific cases and assess
the impact severity and injury potential of the accident.
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click the picture to
see the video (893KB)
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Seat
Belt Use
and Effectiveness
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We
are frequently called upon to evaluate safety restraint use (seat
belt, air bag, etc.) and its effectiveness in injury reduction.
We
have testified in numerous cases regarding the injuries resulting
from use, non-use, and failure of safety restraints including child
restraints.
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Airbags
In combination
with the use of our Crash-Data-Retrieval System, we can analyze
the performance of a vehicles supplemental restraint systems
including, front driver and passenger airbags as well as seat-mounted,
door-mounted, and roof-rail mounted side impact airbags. Our
staff has experience in both static and dynamic performance testing
of airbags from inflation-induced-injury testing for children
to full-scale vehicle crash test performance.
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Click here for
an animation showing the basic workings of an airbag deployment system. |
Sport /
Recreation
Our
biomechanists have evaluated injury dynamics and the role of
equipment design, performance, and participant technique in numerous
sport and recreation accidents.These accidents have involved
children and adults doing activities such asin-line skating,
roller-skating, skateboarding, snow skiing, water skiing,
parasailing, baseball/softball, basketball, hockey, playground
activities, exercise equipment use, racquet sports, motocross, and
all-terrain vehicles.
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Bicycles
We draw upon our extensive
bicycling background and scientific expertise to reconstruct bicycle
accidents, bicycle-rider trajectory, and injury causation. We have
analyzed a wide array of scenarios including bicycle accidents
with cars and trucks, road racing accidents, off-road accidents,
and solo bicycle accidents involving component failure or environmental
obstructions.
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Head Impacts and Helmets
Our biomechanists are
proficient in evaluating the forces acting on the head in impact
situations. Instrumented test headforms are used to simulate
accident forces and measure the effects of various protective
devices including bicycle helmets, motorcycle helmets, and sports
headgear.
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Industrial/Occupational/Ergonomics
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Our services include
assessing the workplace and related job tasks with a focus on injury
causation. Injuries can
result from a traumatic event or through overuse, leading to
repetitive strain injuries (RSI’s) or cumulative trauma disorders
(CTD’s). We have expertise and experience in examining the
biomechanics of lifting, human-machine interfacing issues, and
environmental factors as they affect individuals working in such
diverse situations as an office, on an assembly line or at a
construction site.
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rotation
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Slip /
Trip & Falls
With specialized training
in this area, we are able to effectively analyze slip/trip and
fall accidents by incorporating gait dynamics,
injury biomechanics, human movement analysis, and the surrounding environment. Computer
graphics can be used to simulate fall dynamics for presentation .
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By superimposing computer-generated
models into actual photographic scenes, we are able to create animated
reconstructions of accidents. This coupled with the biomechanics
analysis, provides a realistic view of the probable cause of an
accident, and the resulting injury severity.
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| Human Factors
We have examined injuries
from a broad perspective of human factors including the biomechanical,
psychological and sociological implications of the injury. Viewing
such factors as reaction time, distance/time relationships, tissue
tolerance, stress and peer influences provides an in-depth analysis
of injury causation and is often effective in determining liability
issues. Our staff,
in cooperation with other professionals, has used these tools
to better understand the reasons for injury in a variety of settings
where humans interact with technology, from the simplest forms
such as traffic signals, to highly complex industrial or commercial
systems.
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Here
you
will find descriptions of our current and ongoing research interests
and a variety of professional publications contributed by
Jeff Wheeler, Vector Scientific's President and Director of Biomechanics. |
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Reading
Case Studies requires Acrobat Reader.
Download it for free!
1. Bicycle Seat Pressure
Testing and Analysis
2.
Solving a Colorado Ski Fatality
3. Nail Gun Knee Injury
and Product Testing
4. New Neck Injury Dynamics
in Rear-end Impacts
5. PCL, ACL, MCL Rupture
in Auto Accident
6. Forensic Investigation
of a Lumbar Disc Injury in an Industrial Setting
7. Injury Mitigation
Produced By Pole Padding on Ski Terrain
8. Determination of
Snowboarder vs. Snowboard Impact Configuration
9. Lateral Tibial Plateau
Fracture From a Stair Descent Misstep
10. Unique Pedestrian
Impact Dynamics and Trajectory |
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