Case Studies
A traffic accident, involving a popular and well-known vehicle in autonomous mode, took place on a California highway. During the accident the vehicle collided with a center median attenuator at 70 miles per hour, ripping the front of the vehicle off and spinning it back into the traffic lanes, where it was impacted by a following vehicle, killing the driver.
The vehicle manufacturer settled with the driver’s estate pre-trial, but the legal case continued with the estate pursuing damages against the state of California and CalTrans, claiming the previously damaged crash attenuator should have been repaired sooner. The state retained an accident reconstruction expert from J.S. Held to review the facts of the accident and report the findings during litigation.
The J.S. Held expert testified for three days, asserting that the driver’s inattentiveness was a significant contributing factor as he had been playing a video game on his phone at the time of the accident and had not been paying attention. In fact, the driver had almost crashed at the same location previously while on his mobile device with the vehicle in autonomous mode.
Additionally, the J.S. Held expert testified that even if the attenuator had been repaired, the vehicle would have likely been impacted by following vehicles, and the outcome would have been similar. After three days on the stand, and with the use of extensive and detailed visualization tools, the expert and their testimony helped to acquit CalTrans in the case, saving the state of California $94 million.
Stephen Fenton, PE
Accident Reconstruction Practice Lead
+1 720 907 6674
[email protected]
> Accident Reconstruction
J.S. Held’s accident reconstruction experts deliver specialized expertise in forensic investigations, evidence collection and preservation, and scientific diagrams and animations. Our team of consultants, engineers, and PhD scientists is retained by first-party and third-party clients to provide expert witness and litigation support, from discovery to decision.
> Visualization & Reconstruction Services
J.S. Held’s forensic visualization experts specialize in the production of animations, graphics, interactive media, and virtual reality environments that communicate complex concepts in a simple form. Clients, jurors, mediators, and judges can benefit from the clarity of concise, targeted, scientific-based visual products created by our team.