July 18, 2010

Tour for Kids

Some of our readers may already know that Craig Good is an avid competitive cyclist who spends much of his scant spare time away from work pedalling Alberta’s roads and race tracks.

This year, Craig and his wife Sarah decided to take their love of cycling to another level.   They participated in the Tour for Kids, a gruelling three-day ride covering over 150 km each day with a significant portion of the route winding its way over the steep hills of the incredible Rocky Mountains!

Craig and Sarah were a part of the University of Calgary Schulich School of Engineering team.  One hundred percent of the money raised went to the Coast to Coast Against Cancer Foundation supporting cancer camps for children.  The camps allow an opportunity for kids to be kids and break away from some of the overwhelming challenges of living with such a devastating illness.

According to Coast to Coast, 1700 children in Canada are diagnosed with cancer each year, and over 10,000 children live with cancer and its long term consequences.  In the U.S., over 12,000 children and teens are diagnosed each year.

Way to go, Craig and Sarah, for helping make a difference in the fight against cancer!

June 9, 2010

Technical Paper Presentations

Collision Analysis was proud to present two technical papers at the Canadian Multidisciplinary Road Safety Conference (CMRSC) XX held in Niagara Falls, Ontario, June 6 to 9.

• Comparison of linear, rotational and finite element thresholds of brain injury for impacts at multiple locations to the head, by Craig Good and Steve Thannhauser

• Causes of collisions involving one large truck and one passenger vehicle in the United States, by Mike Ellis and Craig Good

Mike and Craig were honoured to present the papers at the annual conference, which was hosted by the Canadian Association of Road Safety Professionals (CARSP).

As part of the investigative team under contract to Transport Canada, Mike and Craig also attended Transport Canada’s Defect Investigation and Motor Vehicle Collision Investigation annual team meeting, which was held immediately prior to the CMRSC. Click here to learn more.

Download our papers from the conference proceedings at no cost.

June 4, 2010

Palmquist vs. Ziegler

On February 22, 2005, a multi-vehicle collision occurred near Edmonton, Alberta, resulting in the death of Joseph Palmquist.  Mr. Palmquist was operating a pickup truck southbound on Highway 216 when it was struck by another vehicle travelling in the same direction.  The collision sent the Palmquist vehicle across the centre median and into the northbound travel lanes where it was struck by a tractor-trailer unit.

Collision Analysis was asked to evaluate the collision event and to analyse whether seatbelt usage by Mr. Palmquist would have prevented or reduced the severity of his injures.

The case went to trial March 2010 at the Court of Queen’s Bench in Edmonton.  Mike Ellis was qualified in the area of accident investigation and reconstruction.  His evidence was unchallenged.  The Honourable Madam Justice D.C. Read accepted his testimony regarding the events of the collision and that the collision severity experienced by the Palmquist vehicle in the collision with the tractor trailer unit was in the range of 70 to 100 km/h.

Craig Good testified in the area of injury biomechanics.  With the assistance of the computer modeling program MADYMO, he showed that, due to the severity of the collision with the tractor-trailer unit, Mr. Palmquist likely would have been killed or seriously injured regardless of belt usage.  His evidence was also unchallenged and accepted by Madam Justice Read in her June 4, 2010, Judgement.

May 15, 2010

Continuing Education Seminar

Craig Good and Mike Ellis presented our continuing education seminar The Human Element – Biomechanics and Human Factors at the Alberta Association of Insurance Adjusters (AAIA) Convention in Red Deer, Alberta on May 15th. This course was recently accredited by the Alberta Insurance Council (AIC) for 1.5 hours of instruction.  Collision Analysis now has a total of five AIC accredited courses covering accident reconstruction, injury biomechanics, human factors, and product failure. Our courses are applicable to more than just insurance adjusters and can be tailored to suit your needs.  We are happy to hold courses for our clients and prospective clients in Canada and the United States.  Please contact us to learn more.