Abstract
The case study involves the investigation of an alleged collision between a pedestrian and tractor trailer in which the pedestrian (Mr. D) suffered fatal injuries. Investigation by state officials relied on surveillance video to determine time of death and identified the driver (Mr. R) who pulled up to a pump after Mr. D was last seen in the surveillance video. The Human Factors Consultants utilized both industry standards and human factors data/research in formulating opinions related to pedestrian conspicuity. We found that the gas station did not have adequate lighting in the incident area. Additionally, animations were used to model the typical walking speed of an individual of Mr. D’s age, indicating he would have passed the point of impact prior to the defendant driver passing it. Our analysis regarding the likelihood of a driver perceiving a low contrast pedestrian in conjunction with data from an accident reconstruction offered valuable insight into this matter.
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