E J Allen - RTA Page

ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS

Accident Reconstruction

Collision Testing 1999

Verification of EDCRASH

HGV Braking System "Landmark" Manslaughter Case 1998

E J Allen & Associates ABS Test Track Project 1998

Accident Reconstruction

E J Allen & Associates are qualified in road traffic accident investigation and reconstruction. We deal with accidents involving cars, motorcycles, HGV's, Agricultural Plant and pedestrians.
As part of our accidents reconstruction we will analyse (including forensic and medical) the evidence, carry out vehicle examinations, attend at the accident scene, take all necessary measurements and photographs, produce scale plans and using mathematical principals and dedicated computer software provide high quality reports for use in court.

EJ Allen maintain their own dedicated, certified and licensed equipment for use in assistance in accident reconstruction and testing. This includes :

Turnkey Skidman decelerometer

Stanley PSRT

Nikon DTM 310 total station/Hitachi 8 Video camcorder.

Engineering Dynamics EDCRASH Software.

Crash 2000 software.

Turnkey Skidman Software.

Pentax, Canon and Minolta 35mm cameras.

Digital cameras.

Collision Testing 1999

E J Allen & Associates have long been proud of their record of carrying out test work to validate or verify provisional opinions. It is all very well for an engineer of considerable experience to give an opinion as to what may happen under certain circumstances. However,if the engineer can say that he has practical experience to support his theory, this is much moreconvincing. even better, if he can show that he has set up tests at test tracks and other locations over a considerable number of years.

In the early part of 1999, engineers from E J Allen & Associates carried out their own internal field brake testing at the Defence Test Evaluation Organisation in Chertsey. Later, on 15th August, one of our engineers was able to set up a series of realistic collision tests between private cars and dummy mounted cycles.

The test work was carried out at the Transport Research Laboratory at Bracknell. Insurance cover for the day was provided by E J Allen & Associates The two drivers involved were Jim Brooking and Ted Allen, and there was considerable assistance provided by colleagues and other members of the Institute of Road Traffic Accident Investigators. The above photograph was taken on the test day at Bracknell and shows the results of one of Ted Allen's little collisions.

Verification of EDCRASH

Our engineers attended and participated in The Institute of Traffic Accident Investigators staged collisions at Leyland to establish impact speed between vehicles. E J Allen & Associates took their own videos and photographs of the whole event and have retained this evidence on file. Subsequently factual data was compared with the Engineering Dynamics Corporation EDCRASH results.

HGV Braking System "Landmark" Manslaughter Case 1998

At the beginning of the year, we were engaged as the Defence Experts in the case of Regina-v-Preston at Newcastle Crown Court before Mr Justice Hooper.

Mr Preston was charged with the manslaughter, by gross negligence, of the driver of a 30 ton 4 axled tipper lorry and 5 other road users all of whom were killed on 6 September 1993 when the lorry went out of control entering the town of Sowerby Bridge. It was the prosecution's case in broad terms that the brakes on the lorry were defective and it was that which led to this tragic accident. Mr Preston was at the time the transport manager of the company that owned the lorry: Fewston Transport.

In 1993 and 1994 the Crown Prosecution Service decided that no person should be tried for any offences arising out of the accident. The company pleaded guilty to a summary offence.

In 1996 the decision was reconsidered following an unsuccessful application to the Divisional Court to review the decision not to prosecute. On the same or substantially the same evidence available in 1994, the decision was made to prosecute Mr Preston. At the close of the Prosecution case Mr Hackett (Barrister), on behalf of the Defendant, made two applications. As a result the Defence prevailed In his ruling, Mr Justice Cooper acknowledged the complexity of the brake system and the assistance of Experts.

E J Allen & Associates ABS Test Track Project 1998

In March 1998, we carried out ABS brake tests at the Defence Test & Evaluation Organisation — Chertsey. E J Allen & Associates are licensed users of the Test Track.

We arranged for 24,000 litres of water to be laid upon the track before testing. Tests were carried out using our Turnkey Skidman brake test equipment and our chalk gun equipment to measure stopping distances at various speeds with and without the ABS system activated.