CLE - The Trial of Karen Read: An Accident Reconstruction and Biomechanical Perspective

In this seminar, Accident Reconstruction expert, Dr. Dan Wolfe, will provide an in-depth review of the science and engineering of the alleged incident involving Ms. Karen Read. This presentation will highlight the application of forensics and the synergy between the fields of accident reconstruction and biomechanics. In the early morning hours of January 29, 2022, it was alleged that Ms. Read reversed her 2021 Lexus LX 570 at a high rate of speed, striking her Boston police officer boyfriend, Mr. John O'Keefe. When Ms. Read’s Lexus was seized by investigators, the right taillight was damaged and taillight fragments were present at the alleged incident location. Mr. O’Keefe was found deceased on the front lawn of 34 Fairview Road with abrasions to his right arm and an occipital skull fracture. Through rigorous laboratory and field testing, ARCCA engineers evaluated the mechanics and forces of the alleged incident. Dr. Wolfe will provide a detailed discussion of his review of the evidence and his work involving impact testing of frozen taillights into instrumented Hybrid III anthropomorphic test devices. From the laboratory to the field, Dr. Wolfe will discuss his work concerning full-scale crash testing with a 2021 Lexus LX 570 and a test dummy to characterize the vehicle damage and quantify the forces and accelerations the human body is subjected to when contact occurs in a high-speed reversing maneuver. Lastly, Dr. Wolfe will present on his colleague’s behalf, Dr. Andrew Rentschler, to explain how the forces and accelerations correlate to various injuries.

Also check out other Workshops in Norristown.