Case Study
Incident Investigation
A deliveryman arriving in a boxtruck with a hydraulic liftgate, pulls up to the side entrance of a convenience store. While the delivery man is pushing the cart toward a yellow concrete ramp leading to the store, the cart and load topple over injuring the man. Only a few photographs of the post-accident condition were taken and no video was captured.
S-E-A was asked by the property owner to determine how the accident occurred and to determine whether the non-code compliant ramp caused or contributed to the cart rollover.
S-E-A digital reconstruction of contents, liftgate, and concrete ramp
Assigned Task:
To perform the analysis, S-E-A took the following steps:
- Confirm that the concrete ramp is non-code compliant.
- Determine the location of the truck /liftgate in the unloading position in relation to the concrete ramp.
- Laser scan the parking lot, alley, and store front to create a 3D environment.
- Laser scan the truck and liftgate in the unloading position in 3D.
- Use camera matching techniques to reconstruct the location of the spilled cart contents.
- In 3D environment, identify the location of the liftgate proximate to the concrete ramp.
- Use location of spilled cart contents to orient delivery cart at time of rollover.
- Evaluate the orientation of the delivery cart in relation to the liftgate and concrete ramp.
- Evaluate the interaction of the center wheels with the platform and/or ramp and the propensity to overturn.
- Evaluate biomechanical positioning of the delivery person and cart throughout the event.
- Match injuries with fall-mechanics and orientation of the cart and contents within the environment.
- Recreate the event with all objects and people in motion to determine the causation of the rollover.
Evidence was evaluated resulting in the following findings:
- Determined that regardless of the concrete ramp’s code compliance, the erroneous positioning of the delivery truck prevented the intended, proper use of the concrete ramp.
- Determined that the cart wheels did not interact with the side flare of the concrete ramp.
- Determined that the lift platform (not the concrete ramp) interacted with the cart’s center wheels causing the cart to rollover.
- Determined liability for cart rollover is due to the actions of the delivery provider.