Anatomy of a crash test
Researchers staged a violent crash between a pickup truck and a bicycle Friday in an ongoing effort to help police hone their collision investigation techniques.
Ottawa police, Carleton University working to improve crash reconstruction
A speeding pickup truck rear-ended a bicycle near the Canadian Tire Centre on Friday, but no one was hurt — the violent collision and ensuing police investigation were staged as part of an ongoing research partnership.
The Ottawa Police Service's collision investigation unit and Carleton University's department of mechanical and aerospace engineering have been staging these startlingly life-like crash tests for seven years.
They're analyzing precisely what happens during such an event to help investigators hone their reconstruction techniques.
Here's how it looked.
Step 1: The setup
Step 2: The approach
Step 3: The crash
Finally had a great crash. <a href="https://t.co/gu11nty2qp">pic.twitter.com/gu11nty2qp</a>
—@DetBoucher