Event Details
Accident Reconstruction
Donn N. Peterson, PE, D-IBFES will present the SAE September Program. Donn has been practicing forensic engineering since 1972 and has testified as an expert witness in over 100 trials and over 100 depositions. He got his BSME from the U of ND in 1963, his Mechanical C-Course certificate from GE in 1966, his MSME from the U of MN in 1972, and was certified as a candidate in philosophy in 1974. He is a registered professional engineer and a board certified diplomate in forensic engineering sciences. He is a member of SAE, ASME, ASTM, NSPE, MNSPE, NAFE, AAFS, ASTM, and the Rotary Club of Brainerd.
The Rest of the Story
This was a high profile case involving motor vehicle crashes near Cottonwood, MN on February 8, 2008. Four students riding on a school bus were killed. Post collision, Olga Franco, an illegal immigrant, was found with her right foot pinned at the driver floor pedals in a minivan owned by her boyfriend. No one else was found in the minivan. Newspaper, TV, and Radio reports used many catchy headlines in their reporting. Olga was charged with criminal vehicular homicide, declared guilty by a jury, and sentenced by a judge. She currently is serving her sentence in a Minnesota prison. Olga persistently declared that her boyfriend was the driver of his minivan and that she was not. Key players in the trial, excluding her defense team, did not believe her.
Donn conducted detailed crash reconstruction analyses showing how Olga could start from the passenger seat before the initial crash and end up with her foot pinned by the drivers pedals after the crash. In his opinion the jury and all prosecution trial participants had already made up their minds and were unwilling to be confused by facts. Donn will present and discuss key elements of his analyses as The Rest of the Story.
6:00 PM Arrival & Sign-in
6:30 PM Dinner
7:00 PM Announcements
7:15 PM Presentation
8:15 PM Questions and Answers
8:30 PM W rap-up
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