In this seminar, we cover the basics of crash investigation and reconstruction, from physical evidence preservation to how experts interpret it all. We explain how we apply physics principles (such as momentum and energy) to crashes in simple terms. We also review case studies involving common crash scenarios, and look at how the associated evidence was used in reconstructions presented in court.

Electronic Data Recorders (EDRs) or “Black boxes” are now installed in almost all new cars. In this seminar, we cover the history and design of EDRs and their future as the “safety brains” of driverless cars. We also discuss the types of vehicles with black boxes that can be accessed, the available crash data that can be downloaded, and how that data can be used effectively to answer common questions, such as: How fast was the vehicle travelling before impact? Did the driver brake before impact? How severe was the crash? How was the data utilized in court? Lastly, we discuss some of the EDRs’ limitations as illustrated in cases which advanced to court.

In this seminar, we look at how occupants move during different types of crashes and how they interact with the interior of the vehicle, their seatbelts, and airbags. We also cover research on human injury tolerances, as well as how research findings from human volunteer test subjects and crash test dummies can be applied to real world crashes to determine the probability of symptoms or injuries. We conclude with a few biomechanical engineering cases, wherein expert evidence was utilized in court.

Autonomous vehicles aside, human error is and has historically been responsible for more than 90% of crashes. In this seminar, we answer questions like: How do we typically respond to various roadway hazards? How long does it take us to respond? What are the limitations of human factors/driver behaviour/traffic engineering research? This seminar gives attendees a deeper perspective on how the machine behind the wheel operates. How will driverless vehicles respond? This seminar also uses several court-tested case studies with an emphasis on liability issues.

The certainty of expert opinions is often dependent on the availability and quality of evidence – but all too often, clients are faced with challenging situations where the evidence available in a given claim investigation is minimal or simply insufficient. In this seminar, we look at the different categories of evidence that forensic experts can look at (i.e.: vehicle evidence, scene evidence, and EDR “black box” and other electronic module data) and how they play a role in an investigation. We also cover case examples where we demonstrate what can be done, even when only a limited amount of evidence is available.

This seminar will explore the revolutionary field of driverless cars from the crash reconstructionist’s perspective. Topics covered will include a brief overview of the safety concerns leading to driverless cars followed by the evolution of collision mitigation systems, how driverless cars operate, and how semi- to fully autonomous vehicles will affect the analysis of claims today and into the future.

Learn the ingredients of an effective and coherent expert report. This seminar covers the expert’s ethical obligations, due diligence in providing good science, report structure, writing tips, and pitfalls to avoid.

Maintaining objectivity is critical even when reviewing the report of an opposing expert. This seminar is a step-by-step guide on reviewing and commenting on other expert reports, and includes practical tips and advice on what to look for, and pitfalls to avoid.

Falls are the second leading cause of accidental death. This presentation takes a look at how we answer questions like: Does the building meet the building code? Is the floor surface too slippery? Did the environment contribute to the fall? Finding the answer to these questions allows attendees to identify the potential variables that are or are not relevant to a personal injury loss. Several court-tested personal injury case matters involving slips and trip and fall issues are presented.

This seminar focuses on how roadway design, signage, visibility, maintenance, and roadside safety affect crashes: Does the roadway meet the standards? Is a sign required? Did the environment contribute to the loss of control? Finding the answers to these questions allows attendees to learn to identify the roadway variables that are or are not relevant to a crash. This seminar also illustrates several court-tested case studies with an emphasis on roadway issues.

You may have heard about our famous crash conferences or even witnessed one in person. Now that we’ve crunched all the numbers and analyzed all of the data from those crash tests, we’ve distilled the most important learning points into a supercharged EDR presentation and more. In this seminar, we compare our crash tests to real-life case studies and show both the value and the limitations of EDR data and looking at all the evidence. (You can watch our latest crash conference highlights video here)

Commercial trucks weigh more than 40 times as much as a car and are designed and built differently, so incidents that involve these kinds of vehicles require special considerations. This seminar focuses on evidence preservation and crash reconstruction in claims related to commercial trucks. These vehicles are increasingly equipped with sensors and telematics, and offer rich, yet volatile, EDR data that is important to preserve and look at in the context of all the physical evidence. We use several court-tested case studies to illustrate the topics covered.

Forensic structural engineering involves the technical assessment of buildings and or structures that have failed (or failed to function as designed) and resulted in property damage and/or personal injury in order to determine the primary and any contributory causes. This seminar gives attendees a deeper perspective on how a forensic structural engineering expert assesses issues such as building code violations, foundation and framing issues, water damage, wind damage, soil/earth/geotechnical issues, design flaws, and losses from construction claims. Lastly, we also discuss the anticipated effects of climate change on the future of property claims.

Fires can destroy evidence, but a detailed automotive forensic expert can dig through the ashes and often get to the root cause. With a focus on case studies, this seminar goes over the chemical, electrical, and mechanical clues that an automotive forensic vehicle fire investigator looks for. Other topics covered include forensic testing of substances, and special evidence considerations and limitations in vehicle fire claims.

Beyond the black box, there are other numerous other data sources we can mine from to get answers regarding vehicles and drivers involved in claims. This seminar highlights the newest automotive data forensic tools our engineering experts are utilizing in investigations. We can image a vehicle’s infomatics, telematics, and/ or other ECUs to access diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) related to the vehicle’s powertrain, chassis, body systems, and more in order to see if any of the faults may have been a factor in the incident or in the vehicle history. With these cutting-edge computer diagnostic tools, we dig deeper into the electronic brains of the vehicle. Most importantly, we make the data make sense in the context of the incident in question based on an engineering evaluation in the context of an incident.

This seminar is a “mini” version of our ACTAR-Accredited advanced Reconstructionator course<link>, intended for intermediate to senior crash reconstruction professionals working in law enforcement or forensic engineering. In the “mini” we run through integrating vehicle specs, EDR data, momentum calculations, energy analysis, and monte carlo statistical methods to present ranges and improve certainty. Participants will learn about the holistic reconstruction toolkit.