Citation

Galvin B. Collision 2007; 2(2): 98-103.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, Collision Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Essential details about a collision can be revealed by the amount of crush to parts of the vehicle. Crush measurements are made by measuring the amount of collapse suffered by a vehicle that collided with another vehicle or object. There are numerous methods for conducting crush measurement. This article is the second in a two-part series on vehicle crush measurement methods. This part covers the use of total stations, jig and laser scanner approaches. The total station method is becoming more prevalent for documenting vehicle damage profiles and crush measurements, especially with the aid of a reflectorless instrument. Using some type of reference measurement protocol will help verify acceptable accuracy levels for both distances and angles when using a total station to document vehicle damage. Crush measurements made with a jig can be combined with other field measurements to complete a scale representation of the damaged vehicle. The crush jig can be a very demonstrative and effective tool in a courtroom. Laser scanners are a new technology for rapidly and precisely recording crash scene and crush data. Although laser scanning offers immediate preservation of all aspects of a crash scene, the high cost can be a deterrent.