Forensic Engineers and Consultants

Tag Archive: loss investigation

  1. Why Pedestrians Overestimate Their Visibility: A Dive into the Psychology of Road Safety

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    When we step out onto the road as pedestrians, most of us assume that we are easily visible to oncoming drivers. However, research shows that pedestrians frequently overestimate their visibility, especially at night or in low-light conditions. This overconfidence can lead to dangerous situations, contributing to accidents and fatalities. Understanding why pedestrians overestimate their visibility is crucial for improving road safety and preventing accidents. (more…)

  2. Human Factors and Halloween Hazards: Trip and Falls

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    Trick-or-treating is a fun and festive activity, but it comes with certain hazards that can pose risks to children and even adults. In addition to vehicle and pedestrian collisions and accidents, tripping and falling while trick-or-treating is a common hazard, especially for children navigating unfamiliar and dimly lit areas at night.

    Children and adults can face tripping hazards on walkways while trick-or-treating.

    Tripping hazards can be mitigated through compliance with walkway safety standards such as ASTM F 1637-2021: Standard Practice for Safe Walking Surfaces. ASTM F1637 is a standard that provides (more…)

  3. Human Factors and Halloween Hazards: Vehicle/Pedestrian Collisions

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    Trick-or-treating is a fun and festive activity, but it comes with certain hazards that can pose risks to children and even adults. In addition to trip and fall hazards while trick-or-treating, there is also an increased risk of vehicle/pedestrian collisions due to the increased pedestrian activity in the roadway at night.

    Child trick or treating during Halloween in the roadway.

    At night, there are two significant problems facing drivers that contribute to pedestrian/vehicle collisions: (more…)

  4. Civil Twilight Pedestrian Collision: A Case Study

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    Susan, a 45-year-old runner, was jogging in the early morning approximately an hour before sunrise, also known as “civil twilight.” Civil twilight occurs both before sunrise and after sunset when the sun is below the horizon and the sky is partially illuminated. Susan was wearing dark athletic clothing and grey tennis shoes for her morning run. She was running on the sidewalk in a suburban area and began to cross the four-lane road at an unmarked crosswalk. (more…)

  5. Rainy Day Troubles: A Slip and Fall Case Study

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    An afternoon summer rain shower led to an elderly woman’s admittance to the hospital. Mrs. Jones, aged 68, entered a retail store to buy groceries for her visiting family. Mrs. Jones walked through the store’s vestibule toward the entrance where she slipped and fell, sustaining significant injuries. An investigation was conducted to determine the cause of the slip and fall incident.

    The investigation revealed (more…)

  6. Surprise Slip and Slides  

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    Falls were the number one cause of preventable non-fatal injuries and the number two cause of preventable deaths in the US in 2019 (CDC and NEISS data). Slip and falls occur when there is an unexpected loss of traction between a person’s foot and the walking surface.  Slip and falls are common and can occur in any setting where people walk, including homes, workplaces, and public areas. Slip and falls can result in serious injuries, particularly for older adults.

    The human gait cycle consists of four phases: (more…)

  7. Playgrounds are not all Fun and Games

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    Play is an essential part of childhood development as children learn through play. Public playgrounds provide an environment for children to develop physical, behavioral, and cognitive skills. Though an essential aspect of childhood development, public play areas can also provide an opportunity for serious injuries and fatalities. In 2020, 120,829 children sustained serious injuries (more…)

  8. What You Don’t See Can Hurt You-Undercarriage Crashes

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    A 43-year-old man driving his small vehicle northbound in the right lane of a rural two-lane paved road, was on his way to his favorite hunting spot in the early morning. He had two passengers with him—one in his front passenger seat and one in his back left seat. It was dark outside, and the weather was clear and dry. Along the rural two-lane road were large wooded private properties with no ambient lighting illuminating the roadway. Further up the road, a log truck began to turn left onto the road. Unable to entirely turn left in one fluid movement, the log truck (more…)

  9. How Long Before the Pipes Freeze?

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    An unexpected severe winter freeze will remind many people and businesses that when water in a pipe freezes, the ice will expand and burst the pipe or pipe fitting.  Large losses will result from flooding when the temperatures rise.  Insulation will help, but not prevent freezing.  Insulation simply slows down the rate of heat loss.  The time of exposure to subfreezing temperature is an important factor.

    The American Society of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Handbook of Fundamentals has a short entry on the topic (Chapter 23, page 23.5-6), which gives an equation for estimating the time that it will take an insulated pipe to freeze, (more…)

  10. T is for Temporary – Issues with Extension Cords and Other Temporary Wiring Applications

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    Temporary wiring is just that….temporary, and is typically used for repair and maintenance projects.  In this blog I am going to discuss guidance offered by Article 590 of the National Electric Code (NEC), as well as some points to consider when using temporary wiring, including extension cords and holiday lighting.

    Before each use, extension cords need to be inspected for visual damage.  Cords with cuts or splits to the insulation need to be discarded.  Cords with damage to the connectors, including those that feel loose when connected, need to be taken out of service.   Failure to properly select and use extension cords can have a catastrophic result.  (more…)

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