Cargo retention issues can occur in any type of vehicle, both commercial and personal, that is carrying people and cargo. In this case, the passenger in an armored truck experienced serious injury when the cargo retention system failed to keep the coin stored in the cargo area from entering the occupant compartment during a survivable frontal collision. ARCCA’s role was to reconstruct the accident, evaluate the cargo system, and analyze the biomechanics of the injury.
ARCCA conducted a barrier crash test using a production van, which demonstrated the failure of the armored truck’s cargo retention system, and this data was also used by the biomechanical expert to evaluate the mechanism of injury involved. Additionally, an alternate feasible design was developed and tested to demonstrate the effectiveness of a properly designed cargo retention system in preventing injuries.
ARCCA’s experts worked with the presenting attorneys to craft a presentation that clearly laid out the background of the case, how the accident occurred, the injuries involved, the testing performed, the results, and the expert opinions that were formed as a result. Visuals were used in the opening statement and closing argument in this case, as well as in support of the expert’s testimony.
See visuals.