We leverage our experience and expertise to provide superior work-product.
Our Capabilities
24-Hour Emergency Response
In the field of Accident Investigation and Reconstruction, for the investigator and their client, it is vital to obtain and preserve the greatest quality, and most recent, evidence available. This often times requires investigators to respond and deploy to the scene quickly, in order to capture those key pieces of perishable evidence. For this purpose, solely, TRTC always has our two rapid response vehicles and two investigative teams charged and prepared for the rapid response to your accident scene. Using our rapid response vehicles, we can be on scene within a matter of hours (location dependent), and with every piece of State-of-the-Art equipment needed, to conduct a thorough and efficient investigation of your crash. One such piece of equipment is TRTC’s Leica Robotic Total Station, which allows our investigators to quickly and thoroughly document your scene using Forensic Mapping processes. If the vehicles involved are accessible, TRTC investigators are able download them on the spot, using TRTC’s Bosch CDR equipment for passenger vehicles and/or TRTC’s Synercon Technologies Forensic Link Adapter for Heavy Vehicles.
In addition to our rapid response teams and road vehicles, TRTC’s Mr. Marc Edgcombe is a licensed pilot who utilizes General Aviation aircraft to travel to vehicle and scene inspections. This allows TRTC the opportunity to save our clients in both time and cost.
TRTC’s quick response teams are always ready to respond to your incident/crash. Our team always promises integrity, and an honest analysis of any given circumstance, to ensure our clients are able to make the most important decisions, quickly and effectively.
“Black Box” Data Retrieval
Since the origins of airbags in motor vehicles, manufacturers have installed devices that command the airbags to deploy. The modern day version of this trigger is a computer of sorts that collects data from several sources throughout the vehicle. When a programed threshold is reached, the airbags deploy. The storage point for all of the collected data is affectionately called the vehicle’s “Black Box”.
Other Industry Names for the “Black Box” are Airbag Control Module, System Diagnostic Module, Electronic Control Module, Electronic Data Recorder and Crash Data Recorder.
The data collected varies by manufacturer and vehicle year, however, the amount of data that we can collect continues to increase with each newer generation of vehicle. Data obtained from the vehicle’s data recorder is quickly becoming of one of the best sources of information on collisions.
Heavy Vehicle ECM Data Retrieval
TRTC is capable of retrieving the data from the Engine Control Module (ECM) on your heavy vehicle. Whether its involved in a crash or you just want to know what data is stored in your truck, we can do that. The Forensic Link Adapter (FLA) ensures that your data is retrieved and stored in a forensically sound, tamper proof format.
The ECM on a heavy vehicle stores a variety of data, but the most critical information for a crash investigation has to do with the Hard Braking Events. Hard Braking (sometimes referred to as “Quick Stop”) Events place a deceleration threshold in the ECM that, when met, save all recorded data surrounding that event. In some cases minutes of data before the crash can be saved.
TRTC has the ability to download data through the diagnostics port in the cab or by connecting directly to the ECM, while it is installed on the truck or removed for a bench extraction. We currently have the ability to download Detroit Diesel motors, Cummins motors, Caterpillar motors, Paccar, and select Navistar MaxxForce motors. In addition to the aforementioned capabilities, TRTC is also able to download data from the Bendix ABS and Wabco ABS systems, along with a variety of other peripheral heavy vehicle network systems. Our capabilities are ever growing and will, in the near future, include the data retrieval from ECM’s such as MBE 900/4000 and others. As we gain additional capabilities, TRTC’s webpage will be updated.
Berla iVe Vehicle Forensics Tool
Modern vehicles contain a large number of small computers, known as Electronic Control Units (or ECU’s) that control everything from the dashboard gauges to the door locks. Certain ECU’s are designed to provide the driver with a more in-depth level of interaction with their vehicle and can control many of the vehicle’s functions from a central location. An example of this type of interface would be the touch screens found in the central dash location, referred to as an “Infotainment System”. Using these screens a driver can control the radio, climate controls, make and receive phone calls, navigate, and more. Due to the wide-ranging demands of such a system, the ECU within the infotainment system is well connected on the vehicle’s networks and often logs network activity within the vehicle. This network activity data can be retrieved and analyzed by the experts at TRTC using the iVe Vehicle Forensics Tool to provide unique answers for your investigation. The iVe tool has been successfully implemented in many high profile criminal investigations around the country in recent history. The process for retrieving the data varies from vehicle to vehicle, but commonly requires the ECU to be removed from the vehicle and downloaded on the benchtop. Other vehicles can be accessed by simply inserting a special USB memory stick into a vehicle’s USB port.
The accessible data varies based on vehicle year, make and model as well the trim level, but can include the following:
Vehicle navigation data including user entered destinations and track logs which show the exact route a vehicle took and often includes speed data
Track logs also show the vehicle’s precise location at an exact date and time
Vehicle activity including doors opening/closing, gear selector position, lights on/off, etc.
Cell phone call logs and contacts (Certain GM models display contact photos)
Text messages
Connected devices indicating who may have been in the vehicle
Media activity including Podcasts an occupant was listening to before an incident subject to your investigation
Voice commands
Forensic 3D Animations
Forensics 3D Animations can be a valuable demonstrative tool in a court proceeding. It allows a juror and the court to closely examine what occurred from a number of angles that wouldn’t necessarily have been available to eye witnesses, or people involved in the crash.
Another benefit is that it also allows the court to virtually see through the eyes of the people involved. In other words, we can put the jury in the driver’s seat and demonstrate what the driver could, or could not see.
This is accomplished by building the animation to real life specifications that show actual building dimensions, vegetation, landscapes, parked vehicles, and other visual obstructions that were present at the time of the crash.
You’ll see the crash occur in real time with each vehicle approaching and departing the point of impact according to the speed analysis that has been completed in the crash reconstruction, or we can slow the crash down for a more detailed experience.
Live Crash Testing
The experts at TRTC have been involved with the Michigan Association of Traffic Accident Investigators (MATAI) for many years. Greg, Marc, and Larry have all presented, and continue to present and teach at MATAI conferences on a range of topics from Commercial Vehicle inspection techniques, FMCSA Regulations, crash reconstruction methods and principles from, beginner to advanced, and more. Greg, Marc and the rest of the MATAI crash team, assist in the analysis of the data gathered from each test to confirm vehicle speeds and angles while comparing those results to the video footage gathered during the tests. This serves to validate the reconstruction principles being tested.
Since 2009, Marc and Greg have been instrumental in designing, building, and operating the remotely controlled test vehicles utilized in MATAI’s tests.
What This Means for Your Case
Should our clients require additional validation for their case or a realistic demonstrative tool for a jury, TRTC’s experts have the experience and resources necessary to create and fully document a test, or tests. All tests are fully instrumented and recorded with high-speed video for the best presentation or analytical experience. Depending on the testing requirements, many tests can be carried out on our property, reducing the cost to our clients.
The following test was performed in 2017 at TRTC for a MATAI conference.
Aerial Scene Documentation
Aerial Scene Documentation – FAA Part 107 Certified
TRTC is able to utilize small Unmanned Aerial Systems (ie, Drones) to document scenes with more precision and expediency, while maintaining compliance with FAA regulations. Our two licensed Part 107 pilots utilize drones on nearly every scene documentation and have excellent success in accurately mapping scenes. Using TRTC’s sUAS allows our pilots to fly specific patterns, over a scene or vehicle, while taking a series of photographs. These aerial photographs are then used to render a to-scale, 3D model, through a process called Photogrammetry. The 3D model can then be imported into our animation and simulation program, to accurately reproduce scenes and vehicles with precise size, elevation, and color. TRTC has the ability to then take those animations and render them in 4K resolution, by using the very photographs taken above the scene, which nearly always includes critical pieces of roadway evidence. Visit TRTC’s Forensic 3D Animation section for more information on photogrammetry and our animation suite.
TRTC is committed to operating within compliance of the FAA’s applicable rules and regulations. Due to this commitment, Mr. Marc Edgcombe and Mr. David Welch are fully licensed Part 107 pilots. It should be noted, some crash scenes are located within airspace where the operation of drones are not allowed.