Acoustical Society of America Archives

Evaluation of Discrete Vehicle Accident Sounds for use in Accident Reconstruction

February 16, 2019August 7, 2017 by admin

INTRODUCTION

A vehicle accident involves a complex series of events that result in a unique and specific accident scenario. Even small differences in the details of the accident can have dramatic changes in overall accident sequence. The speed, weight, and orientation of the vehicles at impact, for instance, affect where the impact occurs, the impact duration and severity, and the final rest positions of the vehicles. Likewise, the sound that results from a vehicle accident is affected by similar parameters such as the dynamics, position and orientation of the vehicles. The unique circumstances of the accident determine the sound pressure level, the duration of the sound, the directivity of the sound, and the sound’s frequency spectra. Some vehicle accidents involve tire skidding, glass breaking, engine noise, and tearing metal while other vehicle accidents include only some of these sound sources. These sounds depend on many variables and parameters such as the vehicle’s characteristics, the vehicle’s dynamic, and their surrounding environment.

The Forensic Nurse as a Death Investigator

November 17, 2018October 28, 2017 by admin

In the United States, responsibility for death investigation lies with either the coroner or the medical examiner. A coroner is an elected official who, in some jurisdictions, has no specific educational requirements. A Medical Examiner is generally an appointed physician with training in forensic pathology. There are currently 11 Coroner states, 22 Medical Examiner states, and 18 states that employ some combination of both.

Every state/county has different needs and resources, and every state/county may run death investigations with a different approach. What matters is that every effort be made to ensure a thorough, accurate, and timely investigation. A faulty cause of death determination can significantly impact surviving family members, agencies responsible for planning public health policy, civil or criminal action, and even public safety. Some deaths may occur as a result of a criminal event, but every death is a medical event....