File 2006.07: Irsik v. Loch Sand Construction Co.

Case Type: Line of Sight Accident

Description:
In an accident involving the collision of a semi-truck and a Honda Civic, the driver of the Civic was traveling on an unfamiliar road through a construction zone when she failed to recognize a stop sign at the junction of a highway and proceeded into the intersection, colliding with a semi-truck in on-coming traffic.

Visualizations Produced:
Fearless Eye generated an accurate 3D terrain of the area, Honda Civic vehicle model and Semi-Truck model. Then, by placing a camera within the Civic model at the driver’s seated height we were able to see all information available in the driver’s view if she had looked forward or to either side over the 20 seconds leading up to the accident. Originally, the case had been primarily focused on the visibility of the stop sign within the construction zone, however, after the animation was created it became clear that the driver had many opportunities to see that an intersection was approaching and many warning signs to slow down including a junction sign, a stop ahead sign, construction barrels and a semi-truck in full view, but heeded none of them.