Our highway experts examine crash sites, use field measurements, scrutinize crash scene photos and perform accident reconstruction to determine if highway factors and road conditions were a cause of the crash. We determine safe curve speeds, sight distances, fundamental highway geometry, and traffic flow. Our experts evaluate roadway surface condition and drainage, roadway design, maintenance and operations, traffic signals and other traffic control devices, and the way in which humans respond to driving situations. Our vehicle crash group consists of reconstruction experts, vehicle and highway engineers specializing in traffic road condition reports, investigations, and accident reconstruction.
- Traffic Roundabouts - Expert Article on How Roundabouts Differ from Traffic Circles
Although they are similar, there are distinct differences between roundabouts and traffic circles. In this article, Highway Engineer, Richard M. Balgowan, P.E., P.P., CPWM, CPM, discusses both roadway features with a specific focus on the benefits of mondern roundabouts and how they offer advantages in both safety and efficiency. View Full Article HERE
- Snow & Ice Control - Expert Introduction to RWIS
A Road Weather Information System (RWIS) consists of a network of Environmental Sensor Stations (ESS) connected to a computer. The stations are located adjacent to highways and bridges. Currently, all 48 contiguous states have environmental sensor stations and use RWIS; however, the majority of these stations are located in the Snowbelt states.
RWIS provides users, such as state Departments of Transportation, with the ability to make timely and efficient winter maintenance decisions. RWIS, especially for winter maintenance, can provide decision makers with critical information on the current and future condition of pavement surfaces. This allows those decision makers to be proactive in mobilizing maintenance forces to anti/deice their pavements so as to provide motorists with safer and more efficient travel. View Full Article HERE
- Homicide by Vehicle
The driver of a dump truck was driving northwest along the orange route shown
below when he ran a stop sign and collided with a mid sized car with 3 occupants
that was travelling along the blue line shown below. The driver of the car was killed
and the two passengers were injured as a result of the crash. The driver of the
dump truck was charged with homicide by vehicle, aggravated assault, recklessly
endangering another person, involuntary manslaughter, and a stop sign violation. View Full Case HERE
- Balgowan Named National APWA Public Works Leadership Fellow
Philadelphia’s Robson Forensics Highway/Municipal Engineering Expert, Richard Balgowan, was recently designated a national Public Works Leadership Fellow (PWLF) by the American Public Works Association (APWA). As a PWLF fellow, Balgowan will mentor public works professionals enrolled in the APWA Donald C. Stone Center for Leadership Excellence (DCSCenter) throughout the year. He is among about 220 public works professionals from across North America who were recently inducted as Leadership Fellows (PWLF). The APWA Donald C.Stone Center’s Program Council determines the selection of recipients for the PWLF designation. View Full Article HERE
- Winter Roadway Maintenance: Mitigating Environmental Impacts
The application of abrasives, chlorides and other chemicals used for snow and ice control are detrimental to our environment and infrastructure. It is critical that those involved in winter operations/snow and ice control understand how chemicals work and the importance of applying the right chemicals, at the right time and in the correct amounts. This can be accomplished by utilizing a winter operations management system that includes an anti-icing program. A successful winter operations management program includes many interconnected aspects such as operations; choice of materials/chemicals; equipment; decision making; personnel; planning, scheduling and monitoring progress; and public involvement.
This presentation was designed for and delivered to industry professionals by Municipal Engineering Expert, Richard M. Balgowan, P.E., P.P., CPWM, CPM. View Full Speaking Engagement HERE
- Roadway Maintenance – Expert Opinion Crucial in $20M Decision
Highway engineering expert, James Shultz, P.E., provided investigation and testimony that helped in securing a positive decision for his client in a crash case involving icy roadway conditions. The crash involved a stretch of highway that was negligently maintained; overgrown vegetation over and under the guardrails prevented proper drainage, thus causing ice to form, covering the roadway throughout a distance of about 100 yards. Crash reconstruction showed that the accident’s primary cause was an icy roadway. View Full Verdicts \ Settlement HERE
- Winter Weather Forecasting for Roadway Safety – Expert Article
Forecasting services have improved their ability to meet the needs of winter operations managers for accurate, timely forecasts of the weather on the mesoscale and microscale levels and for forecasts of the pavement temperature and condition. Winter operations managers need to know what will happen when precipitation hits the pavement. Will the pavement be warm enough to melt any accumulating snow? Will the pavement be so cold that rain will freeze to the surface on contact? Are conditions right for frost to form on bridge decks?
Roadway and Municipal Expert, Richard M. Balgowan, P.E., P.P., CPWM, CPM, discusses these topics and others in a brief article that was featured in TR News in 2009. View Full Article HERE
- Frost and Ice Roadway Warning Systems – Expert Article
Roadway and Municipal Expert, Richard M. Balgowan, P.E., P.P., CPWM, CPM, evaluated the effectiveness of a moisture, frost, and ice early warning system. In his evaluation, he found the system to be effective as an early warning system with the potential benefit of reducing snow and ice related traffic accidents. View Full Article HERE
- Roadway Roundabout – Expert Presentation on Design and Implementation
In response to complaints from residents about speeding on various streets, Roadway and Municipal Expert, Richard M. Balgowan, P.E., P.P., CPWM, CPM, worked with the public to develop a solution to their problems. The attached presentation details the process and describes the benefits achieved by installing a roundabout. View Full Speaking Engagement HERE
- Highway Interchange - Experts Reconstruct Crash and Evaluate Highway Design
In January of 2003 a van with 6 workers aboard slid off the ramp for Exit 41 on Westbound I-78 in Watchung, NJ and struck a tree located about 35 feet from the edge of the ramp pavement. The collision resulted in the death of one worker and caused quadriplegia to another, who later died due to complications from injuries sustained in the impact. Robson Forensic reconstructed how the collision occurred and identified substandard and dangerous roadway conditions that caused the collision.
The case settled for over $7,000,000 prior to giving the case to the jury. Robson Forensic was retained by Attorney Craig Rothenberg of The Law Offices of Craig M. Rothenberg Law in Union, New Jersey. View Full Case HERE
- Driveway Collision - Experts Investigate Motorcycle-Car Collision
An older driver pulled out from a driveway with sight obstructions to the left and the right. The motorcyclist,
with right of way on the through road, was forced into an evasive braking maneuver; the motorcycle fell onto
its side and then slid into the exiting car. The motorcyclist was severely injured.
Robson Forensic involved three experts: a highway engineer, a human factors specialist, and a
motorcycle expert.
On the basis of Robson Forensic’s work this case resolved through settlement with the property owners on both sides of the driveway. View Full Case HERE
- Intersection Crash – Expert Reconstructs Motorcycle-Car Collision
A motorcycle and car collided in an intersection. The motorcyclist landed in a yard on the other side of the car. The speed limit on the road was 25 mph. The motorcyclist was severely injured, the car driver less so.
How did this collision occur? What were its underlying causes? Who bears what responsibility? These are the questions Robson Forensic experts answered.
Our client in this case was Richard Greifinger, Esq., of Newark, N.J. Attorney Greifinger took this case from one where his client was criminally indicted and the defendant insurance company refused to pay a dime, to one where the case resolved by settlement.
For a copy of the report we prepared see… View Full Case HERE
- Roadway Defect Causes Bicycle Collision
A cyclist on a city street encountered a power company grate in the street, his front tire went into a gap in the grate, he crashed and was injured.
We inspected the grate and showed that ordinary bicycle tires could readily be trapped by the gap, that the gap was in a normal bicycle travel path and that cyclist activity was common in the area. We also showed that gaps such as this have been known for a long time to be dangerous to cyclists, and that the gap made the grate dangerous in a manner that was a cause of the cyclist's crash and injuries.
This event was typical of other bicycle collisions. The case resolved through settlement. View Full Case HERE
- PennDOT Settles Rural Intersection Collision Case for $200K
A two-vehicle, intersection collision occurred at a rural intersection. Robson Forensic determined corner sight distance was grossly substandard and a cause of the collision. View Full Case HERE
- Pedestrian Strike - Experts Investigate Fatal Pedestrian-Vehicle Collision
A pedestrian was struck and killed by a vehicle while attempting to cross midblock on a four-lane, urban roadway. The incident occurred at night as the victim was attempting to visit a nightclub on the southbound side of the roadway. The victim had parked her vehicle at an unrelated business on the northbound side of the roadway because the nightclub’s parking lot was in a state of disrepair. Street lights ran along the roadway. However, the street light in front of the club’s entrance was Out. Robson Forensic was retained to reconstruct the incident and determine the causes of the collision. View Full Case HERE
- Highway Construction – Expert Investigates Collision with Construction Vehicle
A driver was injured when her car collided with a construction vehicle on a state highway. The construction vehicle exited a work zone from a median crossover between the northbound and southbound travel lanes and entered directly into the passing lane in the southbound direction. The injured driver crashed into the back of the construction vehicle. Robson Forensic experts were retained to determine the cause(s) of the incident.
This case settled favorably for our client before trial. View Full Case HERE
- Construction Detour - Expert Investigates Fatal Work Zone Collision
This bicycle/motor vehicle construction work zone collision resulted in the fatality of the bicycle driver. Liability was established against both the construction contractor and the design engineering firm.
We determined that the collision occurred when the bicycle driver, while riding on a long-established pedestrian/bike path adjacent to a 4-lane thoroughfare, and upon entering the construction work zone, traveled into the oncoming motor vehicle travel lane and was struck by an automobile. View Full Case HERE
- Construction Signage - Expert Investigates Single-Vehicle Crash in Work Zone
This single-vehicle construction work zone collision resulted in serious injury to a passenger. Liability was established against both the construction contractor and the construction inspection firm.
We determined that: the collision occurred due to the car traveling at high speed and the road surface changing from paved to dirt/gravel as a result of construction activity; the crash occurred within a long-term construction work site; the only construction sign encountered by the driver in his approach to the work site was a Road Work Ahead sign; the street where the work was underway was used as a “cut through” by non-local traffic; the persistent high-speed non-local traffic through the construction site was dangerous to both the construction workers and the traffic; the contractor and the construction inspection firm were aware of, or should have been aware of, the speeding through-traffic prior to the collision, but made no change to the traffic control plan. Based on the facts and in accordance with standards for work zone traffic control, our expert opined that the contractor and the construction inspection firm: should have taken effective steps to detour the non-local traffic; and that the failure of the contractor and the construction inspection firm to employ reasonable and established measures to effectively close the street under construction to through traffic was improper and a substantial cause of the collision and resulting injury. The case settled during mediation. View Full Case HERE
- Fatal, Hit-Pedestrian, Night Time Collision
This is a fatal, hit-pedestrian, night time collision. The pedestrian walked in front of a SUV that pulled into the middle lane to make a left turn and then out in front of a car passing the turning SUV. We reconstructed the events of the collision and determined that the pedestrian walked out in front of the driver within the driver’s reasonable perception reaction time. The driver did not have enough time or distance to avoid collision. The cause of this collision was the pedestrian walking out in front of the driver. The driver’s actions were not improper in a manner that was a cause of the crash. The case settled at mediation. View Full Our Work HERE
- Embankment Failure - Expert Investigates Slip on County Road
An embankment failure caused a road slip on a county road, requiring approximately $25,000 in repairs. The County Engineer claimed that the adjacent property owner’s construction of a horse barn was responsible for the failed embankment and sought financial retribution for the county. Robson Forensic was retained to determine the cause of the embankment failure and whether or not construction of the barn caused or contributed to the failure of the roadway embankment and subsequent road slip. View Full Our Work HERE
- 56 vehicle collision, truckers claimed winter conditions occurred suddenly
This fifty six-vehicle collision occurred under winter conditions. Truck drivers claimed heavy snow conditions occurred suddenly. A meteorological analysis was performed to determine how quickly weather conditions and visibility were changing at and near the collision site. Two figures were developed to show how heavy snow and reduced visibility developed over a period of several minutes at the crash site and as the trucks approached the crash site. View Full Our Work HERE
- Settlement Reached in Fatal Car Crash Lawsuit: Plaintiffs Alleged
Dram shop expert helped the families of four people, killed in a car crash by an off-duty police officer, reach a settlement with the officer and the restaurant/bar that provided the officer alcohol while she allegedly was intoxicated. View Full Verdicts \ Settlement HERE
- MDC Ordered To Pay $2.9 Million To Injured Bicyclist
A Superior Court jury in Hartford awarded former children’s book illustrator $2.9 million for injuries suffered in a bicycle accident on land owned by the Metropolitan District Commission. View Full Verdicts \ Settlement HERE
- Tree Struck by Vehicle, Pedestrian Struck by Tree
A pedestrian was injured on an early winter morning when a tree that had fallen onto the roadway was struck by a passing vehicle and pushed onto the pedestrian. The tree fell as a result of extensive decay in the lower portion of the trunk on the side of the tree facing the road.
Robson Forensic highway engineers addressed tree placement with regard to right-of-ways; our dendrologist addressed the rate of decay and deterioration of the tree; and our facilities engineer, Brian O’Donel, addressed the standard of care for the private property owner inspecting and maintaining buildings and grounds, including trees and tree removal.
Based on the tree’s rate of decay and the applicable standard of care for maintaining facilities, Brian was able to establish that the property owner knew, or should have known that the tree was in a dangerous condition for over a year prior to its falling. The property owner violated property maintenance standards and local codes when they failed to address the unsafe condition, and this violation was a cause of the pedestrian’s injury.
This case settled favorably for our client. View Full Our Work HERE
- Defense Verdict in High Speed Crash
A jury found in favor of the County in a single vehicle run off the road crash on a County road. When the plaintiff rounded a curve to the left, his right wheels went off the pavement and he lost control, swerving across the roadway before striking a utility pole. View Full Verdicts \ Settlement HERE
- In 2007 Motor Vehicle Collisions Resulted in Excess of 40,000 Fatalities
In 2007 motor vehicle collisions resulted in excess of 40,000 fatalities
and almost 2,500,000 injuries, according to the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration’s website. It is often important to
determine both how a crash occurred and the underlying causes
of both the crash and resultant injury. View Full Mailer HERE
- Settlement in Two-Vehicle Crash Involving Police Cruiser and Limited Evidence
When a taxi was struck on the left rear side by a police cruiser that admittedly ran a red light, one rear passenger was thrown from the car and both rear seat passengers were injured. View Full Verdicts \ Settlement HERE
- Tires and Vehicle Cases - Robson Forensic Experts
The Robson Forensic, Inc. Vehicle Crash Group includes reconstruction,
vehicle and highway engineers supported by specialists in areas that impact
vehicle-related incidents such as materials science, meteorology, human
factors, products and biomechanical engineering. View Full Mailer HERE
- Robson Forensic Brochure
Robson Forensic has been providing high quality and professional forensic engineering, architectural, scientific and
investigative services throughout the United States since 1987. Robson Forensic provides expertise in a broad range of forensic and technical disciplines. View Full Mailer HERE
Filippino, Joseph A. P.E.Hahn, James F. P.E.Messineo, John R. P.E.Robson, Lance E. P.E.Shultz, James C. P.E.Ubaldi, Augustine F. P.E.Balgowan, Richard M. P.E., P.P., CPWM, CPMDoyle, Joseph M. P.E.Gartenberg, Gary P.E.Preview All
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