During a case involving a fatal motorcycle accident, the opposing expert claimed the chinstrap on the motorcycle helmet allegedly worn by the decedent was securely fastened, and that the helmet was forced off during the accident.
ESi Sr. Staff Consultant Mireille Kelley, Ph.D., and ESi Staff Consultant Christopher Eckersley, Ph.D. were tasked with gathering information on what the loading marks on a properly fastened helmet chinstrap would look like if it was loaded to failure. By incorporating an entire helmet within a load frame, they were able to apply various levels of tensile load to the helmet and strap to find the strap’s failure point.
Check out the video to see the testing in action, learn the conclusions drawn, and the final outcome of the case.
