ROAD AND WORKSHOP by HANDYMAN
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, Accident Investigation
FOLLOWING any vehicle accident, it is to be expected that the first thoughts of the engineer concerned will be on the extent of the damage, time out of service—and most certainly the cost of repair. If there has been a fatality, an injury, or really serious third-party damage to vehicle or property, there will be a close examination of the facts by either the police or the Ministry of Transport. In such circumstances little would be missed technically and the engineer would be closely associated with the whole affair.
There are, however, many other accidents causing quite considerable ownvehicle damage, but involving the third party to a lesser degree. These accidents can be costly and, if they occur in some distant part of the country, the driver's report may close the incident—until the arrival of the bills. With all due respect to the driver and his report, the engineer interested in both costs and vehicle wel fare just cannot afford to let these incidents close themselves.
It is most important that he can satisfy himself completely that the incident did happen as reported, and that no unfair charges, reports, or criticisms are permitted to arise unchallenged. One of many recorded instances is as follows.
An eight-wheeled rigid collided with a large and• expensive lamp standard, passed through an iron-railed fence, shouldered aside two parked cars in a forecourt, and dislodged a post and coping of a set of walled steps before coming to rest No one was hurt, driver included, as all the heavier blows were to the near-side of the vehicle. Two police officers attended the incident, made a full report, and accepted the driver's statement that a near-side front tyre had blown out, deflecting his steering. In absolute fairness to the police officers, there was no more they could have reported as, in fact, there was a burst tyre on the nearside first-axle wheel.
The incident received full press attention, third party damage all-in was later agreed at £1,875, and the lorry repair cost was over 1.500. One fact alone did not make sense to the engineer at the time, and caused him to travel the 310 miles involved to have a closer look. This fact was that the tyre in question had been fitted brand new only five days before the accident—and new tyres that are right for their job just do not burst for no reason.
The wheel was stripped, the burst tyre spread, and there it was—a complete and
clear " star " fracture seen on the clean, new inside of the casing, dead centre with the tread. The tyre had not burst and deflected the vehicle into the lamp standard. It had, on this evidence, hit the standard first, bursting the tyre on impact