Vehicular Accident Investigation and Reconstruction

504 Pages·2000·9.56 MB·English

by  Donald J Van Kirk

VEHICULAR
ACCIDENT
INVESTIGATION
and
RECONSTRUCTION

VEHICULAR
ACCIDENT
INVESTIGATION
and
RECONSTRUCTION
Donald J. Van Kirk
CRC Press
Boca Raton London New York Washington, D.C.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Van Kirk, Donald J.
Vehicular accident investigation and reconstruction / by Donald J. Van Kirk.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-8493-2020-8 (alk. paper)
1. Traffic accident investigation. 2. Traffic accidents. I. Title.
HV8079.55.V36 2000
364.1′47—dc21 00-044487

This book contains information obtained from authentic and highly regarded sources. Reprinted material
is quoted with permission, and sources are indicated. A wide variety of references are listed. Reasonable
efforts have been made to publish reliable data and information, but the author and the publisher cannot
assume responsibility for the validity of all materials or for the consequences of their use.
Neither this book nor any part may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic
or mechanical, including photocopying, microfilming, and recording, or by any information storage or
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The consent of CRC Press LLC does not extend to copying for general distribution, for promotion, for
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Direct all inquiries to CRC Press LLC, 2000 N.W. Corporate Blvd., Boca Raton, Florida 33431.
Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are
used only for identification and explanation, without intent to infringe.
© 2001 by CRC Press LLC
No claim to original U.S. Government works
International Standard Book Number 0-8493-2020-8
Library of Congress Card Number 00-044487
Printed in the United States of America 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
Printed on acid-free paper
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Abstract
This book was written with a mentor–student relationship in mind, including
the use of commentaries from real-world accidents. The basic tools and
equipment of the profession are discussed with reasons for using each.
Detailed analysis of scene investigations with comprehensive diagrams show-
ing the development of scale drawings and methods to locate witness marks
and debris are provided. Extensive real-world photographs and diagrams are
used to analyze vehicle damage and witness marks. Vehicular occupant kine-
matics, as well as pedestrian and motorcycle accidents are discussed in detail.
A short history of the various safety equipment used in today’s vehicles is
included as basic information. Computer accident simulation and anima-
tions are discussed with recommendations for their use. Development and
use of exhibits and sources of information are reviewed. Expert depositions
and courtroom appearances are discussed along with unusual case histories
and a new look at ethics for the investigator/reconstructionist. This book
should be a constant source of information and reference.
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Acknowledgments
I am grateful for the invaluable assistance, friendship, and encouragement of
Mitchell Marchi for proofreading the majority of the manuscript and draw-
ings and for giving freely of his wealth of automotive knowledge; for the
friendship of Paul N. Cross and his assistance in developing many of the
drawings needed for a better understanding of the printed word; and finally
for the encouragement of my many friends in the legal and medical profession
and their friendship over the years of our association.
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Author Biography
Donald J. Van Kirk, B.S.E.E., M.S.E.M., M.B.A., P.E., has been a forensic
engineering consultant for 15 years. He is retired from his consulting firm
and devotes his time to a few major cases a year and to speaking engagements.
For the previous 20 years he was employed as a senior engineer at Ford Motor
Company in special vehicle engineering. He developed and taught a course
titled Human Tolerance Design Data for Automotive Engineers for company
personnel, and he worked with the Office of General Counsel involving
corporate litigation on product liability cases.
Mr. Van Kirk received his B.S.E.E degree in 1964 and his M.S.E.M. in
1969, both from Wayne State University; and in 1975, an M.B.A. from the
University of Michigan. During his graduate work at Wayne State he worked
for the Biomechanics Research Center, where he acted as project engineer on
a government and private industry research contract to determine human
tolerance to impact from analysis and reconstruction of automotive acci-
dents. He set up and trained five teams (two men each) of accident investi-
gators to obtain pictures and measurements of deformations of the interior
and exterior of a vehicle. He also worked with approximately 50 insurance
companies and the local and state police groups in southeastern lower Mich-
igan. The second phase was to simulate these accidents in the laboratory. He
assisted in the design of a device to slow down the vehicle using a specific
pulse shape similar to the vehicle crush characteristics. In addition, he par-
ticipated in many other private and public contracts involving the determi-
nation of human tolerance design data. The results of this work were
published in peer review journals.
Van Kirk’s work has been published by the Society of Automotive Engineers
(SAE), Stapp Car Crash Conference, and American Association for Automotive
Medicine (AAAM), and in the Journal of Forensic Sciences. He has presented
papers before scientists and engineers in Shanghai and Guangzhou, China; the
Legal Assistants Association of Michigan; and the International Association
of Forensic Scientists Triennial Conference, Vancouver, B.C., Canada, and
Adelaide, Australia.
A member of the National Society of Professional Engineers, Van Kirk
served the Michigan Society of Professional Engineers as President of the
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