Serious vehicle accidents - forensic analysis

Opening meeting and dinner on Thursday 20 Feb at the Auburn Hotel, Hawthorn 

Truck fatality and truck design - two presentations

First, Prof Raph Grzebieta presented a case study of a heavy prime mover truck crashing into several vehicles at a roadworks site near Dubbo NSW, resulting in the deaths of two people and serious injuries to others. An overview of the crash reconstruction will be presented. A key question was whether the truck driver fell asleep or was unconscious due to a coughing fit. Had the driver been asleep or unconscious this could have been used as a defence for the driver that he cannot be found guilty of dangerous driving (1992 Jiminez decision). 

Raphael Grzebieta (PhD) is an Adjunct Professor at VIFM and Monash University’s Department of Forensic Medicine, specialising in forensic engineering and vehicle and road infrastructure crashworthiness, crash reconstruction, injury biomechanics and road safety. He is also Professor Emeritus at the Transport and Road Safety (TARS) Research Centre within the School of Aviation at UNSW. He regularly provides expert witness reports and court evidence for Coroners, Police, Public Prosecutors, Work Regulators, CTP Insurers and legal firms. He has co-authored over 350 research papers and was lead CI on several major ARC research grants.  

See: https://nswcourts.com.au/articles/should-drivers-be-guilty-of-dangerous-driving-if-they-fall-asleep-and-crash/  The presentation set out the forensic evidence that led to the driver’s conviction with imprisonment, by a jury.

Second presentation:  truck safety design

Dr Peter Hart’s presentation discussed some missing requirements in heavy truck design, and operational rules that could otherwise reduce road trauma. The presentation considered:

• 1.      Mirror visibility requirements in ADR 14/02 and the trade-offs that exists between visibility at the side using flat and curved mirrors.  This discussion was relevant to the safety of trucks in an urban environment, and was illustrated with examples.
• 2.      Safety of trucks travelling down long, steep hills. The discussion was about the use of ‘endurance brakes’ and will address the question of why they are not mandated or regulated.
• 3.      Rollover safety of tall and heavy trucks. How rollover stability is regulated in Australia, and the missing requirements that often cause tankers and concrete agitators to come to grief.

Peter Hart is an engineering member of FESA. He is Senior Forensic Engineering Consultant with Advanced Technology Testing and Research (ATTAR) where he is involved in the full range of forensic electrical investigations.