Knott Laboratory provides forensic engineering and animation, Civil & Structural, and Fire & Explosion Investigation services to reconstruct accidents.


Automobile Accidents

Our engineers have extensive experience with all types of motor vehicle accidents


Knott Laboratory has investigated thousands of motor vehicle accidents; from single vehicle roll-overs to multiple car pile-ups. While we have extensive experience with all types of motor vehicle accidents, no two accidents are the same. Knott Laboratory engineers are able to draw from their extensive experience to answer complicated questions and to identify key issues that need to be addressed through litigation.

Knott Laboratory engineers have specialized training, education and experience to thoroughly and accurately investigate all types of motor vehicle accidents. We have access to state of the art technology and computing which help our engineers to accurately determine the speeds of the vehicles and their motion both before and after a collision. Knott Laboratory also has the ability to download a vehicle’s “black box” which often contains valuable information related to the vehicle’s speed and driver’s actions in the moments just before impact. While accessing the black box data is helpful, it is the proper interpretation and analysis of all the available information that results in a thorough and accurate reconstruction.

Publications List

The experts at Knott Laboratory have been published in many engineering journals. While most of these essays are quite detailed, these short abstracts express a summary of the overall papers that were published.

Seat Belt Development and Current Design Features

Accident Reconstruction Journal, Vol. 6, No. 1
January/February 1994

Head Injury In Automobile Accidents

Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Paper 942377
November, 1994

Seat Belt Investigation In Automobile Accidents

Journal of the National Academy of Forensic Engineers
June, 1995

Field Investigation of Automotive Seat Belts

Accident Investigation Quarterly, Issue 9
1996

Head Injury Risk Assessment and Prevention in Automobile Accidents

Proceedings of the 29th International Symposium on Automotive Technology and Automation (ISATA)
June 1996

Head Injury Prevention and Future Design Trends in the Automobile Industry

Journal of the National Academy of Forensic Engineers
June, 1996

Automotive Airbags

Accident Investigation Quarterly, Issue 16
1997

Using Digital Photogrammetry to Determine Vehicle Crush and Equivalent Barrier Speed (EBS)

Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), Paper 1999-01-0439
1999

Forensic Engineering Comparison of Two & Three Dimensional Photogrammetric Accident Analysis

Journal of the National Academy of Forensic Engineers
June, 2000

Using Digital Photogrammetry to Determine Crash Severity

International Journal of Crashworthiness, REF: 2173
September 2000

Experts in the Field

Our forensic engineers are experts in accident reconstruction, failure analysis and cause & origin. Our forensic engineers work directly with our in-house animation department to create state-of-the-art forensic animations for use in court, arbitration, mediation or settlement negotiations.

Richard M. Ziernicki, Ph.D., P.E., DFE

Principal Engineer

(303) 925-1900

Ricky L. Nguyen, M.S., P.E., DFE

Subject Matter Expert

(303) 925-1900

Brandon Stone

Accident Reconstructionist

(303) 925-1900

Seth J. Behrens, P.E., DFE

Engineering Manager

(303) 925-1900

Brent R. Graham

Accident Reconstruction Manager

(303) 925-1900

Jason P. Evans, M.B.A., B.S.

Project Engineer

(303) 925-1900

Henry “Hank” V. Mowry, P.E., DFE

Director of Engineering

(303) 925-1900

View Samples of our Work

Since 1982, Knott Laboratory has been providing comprehensive forensic engineering and computer animation services to reconstruct accidents.

What others have to say about our work


High Profile Cases

Knott Laboratory has become the leader in forensic engineering and computer animation by investigating high profile cases and conveying our analysis effectively during litigation.