We realize that passenger cars do not contain flight recorders but many people use the term "black box" because of some functional similarities.  However, many passenger vehicles are equipped with electronic devices as part of the airbag control module (ACM) or powertrain control module (PCM) which may be recording important accident related data.  At Trinity Forensics, LLC we have access to the necessary equipment and software required to download this data and have been trained to safely download and properly interpret any recorded information.

After a serious accident, it is important to perform a detailed inspection of the truck tractor and trailer to document the incident conditions of the vehicle.  Trinity Forensics, LLC offers inspection services in the following areas which may be necessary to document depending on the nature of the accident:

• Brake adjustment and condition
• Engine control module (ECM) download coordination
• Mechanical condition
• Tire condition
• Vehicle damage sustained in the accident
• Vehicle loading

Trinity Forensics, LLC utilizes an engineering approach in performing accident reconstruction analyses.  After assessing the available investigative documentation, we begin by performing a detailed kinematic analysis of the collision endeavoring to match vehicle movement up with all relevant physical evidence.  This is accomplished by using computer-aided drawings tools for developing scaled vehicle models and scaled drawings of the accident site and then matching vehicle motion up with physical evidence at the site and on the vehicles.  We then perform a detailed dynamic analysis using science-based reconstruction techniques including conservation of momentum and conservation of energy.

There are many times when the physical evidence at the site is no longer available for direct observation either because the site has been resurfaced or changed or because the physical evidence has faded away over time.  There are also many occasions when the incident vehicles have been disposed of or repaired and therefore the incident damage is no longer available for direct measurement.  To overcome these limitations and rebuild an investigative foundation critical for subsequent reconstruction analyses, Trinity Forensics, LLC has developed significant expertise in dimensionally reconstructing physical evidence recorded in photographs and video using a variety of computer based and camera based photogrammetric techniques.  Although these efforts are sometimes labor-intensive, we have found them to be of great value to subsequent analyses and toward helping juries understand complex cases.

Proper documentation of the physical evidence left by the collision at the accident site is very important to subsequent reconstruction analyses.  Therefore, Trinity Forensics, LLC offers on-site inspections to document site geometry and remaining physical evidence with photographs and measurements.  Trinity Forensics, LLC uses a laser based total station to make measurements.  The instrument can be set to a reflectorless mode enabling measurements to be made without entering travel lanes for sites with heavy traffic congestion.  Depending on the nature of the accident, studies can also be performed at the site to assess visibility issues.  Additionally, traffic signals can be documented through video techniques to record current signal function if necessary.

Trinity Forensics, LLC offers detailed vehicle inspection services to document vehicle condition and incident related physical evidence with photographs and measurements.  Measurements of vehicle damage can be performed in a variety of ways including photographic techniques which enable three-dimensional information to be captured very accurately and relatively quickly.

Personnel at Trinity Forensics, LLC have significant experience in conducting instrumented vehicular testing to asses a variety of issues which may be critical to the case.  The following vehicle parameters can be tested:

• Acceleration or deceleration (skid test)
• Brake pedal force
• Brake pressures & temperatures
• Control systems inputs & outputs
• Emissions
• Fluid temperatures & pressures
• Steering angle & force
• Suspension travel
• Tire temperatures & pressures
• Total vehicle speed
• Wheel speeds