Citation

Esslinger V, Kieselbach R, Koller R, Weisse B. Z. E. Vrail Glasers Annal. 2004; 128(6-7): 258-275.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2004, Georg Siemens Verlagsbuchhandlung)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

After the most severe accident in german railway history in 1998 the manufacturer of the wheel which had caused the accident and the railroad company were accused of negligent homicide. At the court procedure in spring 2003 experts of all parties concerned were heard consecutively. Thus an overview of the opinions of the senior experts on the technical background of this accident could be won. After the presentations of these 13 experts had been assessed the court decided to discontinue the case because a guilt of the accused, If any existed, would be most probably only small since the results presented until then showed no intent or negligence by the accused. The accident could not be explained by the existing results of investigations performed. No investigations were carried out concerning a possible singular incident or technological material phenomenon which could have initiated the fatigue crack, which then caused the accident because a failure analysis proper was not an issue in the court procedure.