Services
Vehicle Examinations
Site Surveys
Crash Data Recorders
Video Analysis
Accident Analysis
Expert Reports
Trials and Testimony
Site and Vehicle Examinations
If possible, call us immediately after an accident occurs so we can attend the crash site and document evidence before it is altered and destroyed. We can also provide examinations after vehicles are moved to a holding compound.
During examinations, we use still and video cameras to document evidence and measure the site to create a scale diagram. Any evidence found is secured for analysis. At the holding compound, vehicles are photographed and the location of collision evidence is measured along with the profile and magnitude of crush. The status and functioning of safety devices are documented – the Crash Data Retrieval toolkit is used to download crash data from air bag control
Accident Analysis
If required, we re-attend the collision site or vehicle for additional observations and analysis. At a collision site we may set up a roadway grid to document the speed, position, and specific behaviours of drivers – captured by video camera mounted to a 20-foot pole. The output displayed from a radar gun is videotaped to assess the likely speed of typical vehicles, which is used as a reference toward estimating the actions of an accident-involved driver.
We re-create night time accident scenarios using similar vehicles and lighting conditions. Police assistance may be used to close a road segment or natural reactions are obtained without a driver’s awareness of the testing.
NASS
The National Automotive Sampling System (NASS), a division of the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), is an invaluable database to those in the insurance and legal industries.
The Crashworthiness Data System (CDS) of NASS keeps data on thousands of crashes. Research teams at Primary Sampling Units across the country study 5,000 crashes annually. Skid marks, fluid spills, broken glass, and bent guardrails are studied at crash sites. Vehicles are then located to be photographed, measured, and to identify the interior locations struck by occupants. Researchers then interview crash victims and review medical records to determine the nature and severity of injuries.
There are more than 140,000 crash files in the NASS CDS. Although they are designed for analysis with a specialized statistical analysis package, analysis can also be conducted simply by going to the Web site and selecting a list of cases meeting specified criteria.
Recent Posts
Blackfriars Bridge – Comparison of Dillon Consulting & Gorski Consulting Traffic Studies – Overall Traffic Volumes
This view of a cyclist turning onto the Blackfriars Bridge in London was taken on August 23, 2022 at a time when traffic studies were being conducted by Gorski Consulting and Dillon Consulting. Dillon Consulting was officially retained by the City of London while...
Officially-Invisible Cargo Carriers In London Ontario
Not everyone can see them but, like Santa Claus, there are invisible cargo carriers out there. Some cannot see these cargo carriers because of simple things like darkness of night. But many do not see them because they chose to be blind to their presence. Much like...
Cyclist Observations in London Ontario Canada – 1st 4 Months of 2023
A balmy first two months of 2023 brought out more cyclists than normal in London Ontario. This was reversed with a colder March. Never-the-less the number of cyclists observed along London's roads increased compared to the years 2021 and 2022. While everyone's...
Lateral Travel Paths of Vehicles & Cyclists on Colborne St in London Ontario Canada
Many cyclists complain that motor vehicles encroach into their riding space. They also complain that painted cycling lanes do little to improve their safety. However there is no objective data available to quantify this subjective feeling of danger. For this reason...
Tracking Motor Vehicle & Cyclist Lateral Paths – Preliminary Results
Tire imprints (black circles) show where orange paint has been transferred after vehicles travelled over wet orange paint. White line shows proposed edge of cycling lane (1.5 metres wide) expected to be created by City of London in near future. Preliminary testing is...
Cyclist Versus Pedestrian Fatality in Queenston Ontario – I Told You So!
In 1965 a substantial bridge collapsed at the Glenorchey gorge in Oakville, Ontario as shown in the above photo from that era. The small bailey bridge that replaced it caused a dangerous downslope to exist for many years before a cyclist lost his life in a tandem bike...
How Do Cyclists and Motor Vehicles Interact At Painted Cycling Lanes?
Even when cycling lanes are relatively clear of snow, the remnants of snowbanks can still reduce the width of cycling lanes thus causing cyclists to ride closer to a painted dividing line between a cycling lane and a lane used by motor vehicles. The influence of such...
Red Hill Valley Parkway Judicial Inquiry – Correlation Between Friction Testing And Deceleration Achieved By Typical Motor Vehicles
During an inspection of roadside barriers along the Red Hill Valley Parkway (RHVP) in March of 2016 it was noted that several unrepaired barriers existed indicative of vehicles wandering off the RHVP surface. The number of these areas of damage suggested that these...
Basic Facts Needed to Understand Collision and Injury Severity
Time and distance are key factors in understanding how the severity of collisions and injuries differ from one incident to the next. Internet comments over the years demonstrate that the very large number of persons communicating between each other do not understand...
Red Hill Valley Parkway Judicial Inquiry Concludes Testimony Phase
To the general public the proceedings of the RHVP Judicial Inquiry can appear to be as exciting as watching paint dry. And this is the challenge: involving citizens in an important issue that explains how our democratic institutions function versus how a democratic...
Cyclist Fatal Collision In Oakville – No Information of Educational Value
Once again our display of pretty and irrelevant flowers demonstrates the lack of relevant information regarding the death of cyclist in an Oakville Ontario collision. First, a cyclist died, and now we turn your attention to more important views of pretty flowers. As...
Missing Signature on Charge Exposes Failures of Justice System
This photo of Milo Yekmalian, who died in a head-on collision in May of 2022, should be a reminder of our responsibility to ensure that transparency in the justice system must occur if justice is to be achieved. In an area of such importance as the justice system a...
Building Collapse After Impact Complicates Cause of Death
Readers may remember the article we posted on December 19, 2022 involving a building collapse in Boston. The building was struck by a car and we showed the photo below from Boston's Fire Department. In part we provided the following comment regarding interpretation of...
Characteristics of Cyclist Sidewalk Riders in London Ontario in 2022
Who are the cyclists who ride on urban sidewalks despite the laws prohibiting this? Gorski Consulting has conducted an analysis identifying some of characteristics of these riders. The large and obvious elephant in the cycling realm is difficult to ignore, yet ignore...
School Bus Visibility Obstruction Could Kill You
In July of 2007 I posted an article on this (Gorski Consulting) website entitled "Roof Pillars Can Be A Visibility Obstruction". The point was to illustrate that a driver's view could be obstructed at an intersection by a roof pillar and this could lead to a...
Bus Crash in Laval Points to Effects of Hysteria
Large vehicles can be used as weapons by those with deranged intentions. However getting the facts right in determining whether an act was deliberate cannot be based on emotion and hysteria. Two children were killed and others injured when a transit bus veered into a...
Cyclist Safety In London Ontario – What Was Going On Ten Years Ago?
This ghost bike sitting at the edge of Hamilton Road near Grey Street In London Ontario is a reminder of the cyclist fatality that occurred there in September of 2022. Has anything changed in the past ten years that would improve cyclist safety in London? Gorski...
Death Should Not Occur From Simple Guardrail Impact
There was no explanation provided by the OPP as to how and why the passenger in this collision with a guardrail died and the driver sustained critical injuries. Guardrails exist to reduce the severity of injuries, not increase them. The poor quality of this photo...
Confusing Markings After Road Construction Need Accountability
After construction in 2021 this westbound lane of Brydges Street had its left turn lane removed on approach to Hale Street in London, Ontario. But the old centre-line was not completely removed leading to some potentially catastrophic incidents. The deaths of six...
Is Con-Drain The Only Entity Responsible For The Six-Death Collision On McKay Road In Barrie?
It was a slow process that eventually revealed that six youths were killed on McKay Road in Barrie Ontario in mid-August, 2022. Initially news media reported that the six persons were missing, as per Barrie Police who reportedly posted a missing persons report at...
Once Again Collision Destroys Harpoon Hazard – Will It Rise Again?
For years this harpoon hazard has existed at the intersection of Quebec and Oxford Streets in London, Ontario while no one understood its danger. The issue may now be moot as a collision has destroyed it, maybe permanently (?) Many simply refuse to recognize safety...
2022 Cyclist Observations Provide Important Data on Cyclist Safety
The death of a cyclist on January 2, 2023, on Wellington Road just south of the London Ontario city limit provides an indication of the importance of understanding how cyclist injuries and deaths occur. Unfortunately essentially nothing is transferred from those...
No Useful Information Revealed in Loss-of-Control Collisions
Officials continue to provide no useful information with respect to recent collisions in southern Ontario. For example several significant loss-of-collisions have occurred recently but even the most minimal information about vehicle travel directions have not been...
Cyclist Gender Observed on or Adjacent to Roads in London Ontario In 2022
Beyond counts of cyclist volumes Gorski Consulting also makes observations of cyclist characteristics such as their gender and their actions while riding along roadways in London, Ontario. Many municipalities have increased their documentation of cyclist volumes on...
Highway 401 Blizzard – When Will Cable Barrier Repairs Be Done?
There is no doubt that the blizzard just before Christmas caused complete chaos across southern Ontario's transportation system. The cable barrier between London and Tilbury Ontario has likely been damaged at many locations similar to what is seen here in a photo...
Multi-Fatal Rollover on Amiens Road West of London Ontario
What was the status of the CNR crossing on Amiens Road and did it contribute to the multi-fatal loss-of-control on Thursday, December 22, 2022 The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have not released any photos of the collision site where at least 2 persons were killed...
How Fast Was That Car Going?
Often the public is incapable of interpreting collision evidence that leads them down an erroneous path. The internet is full of experts who use false information to confuse, and sometime defraud the public. The realm of collision analysis is no exception. A common...
Drowning Risks Continue in Water-filled Ditch Rollovers
Fortunately the Ontario Provincial Police provided this photo of an upside down vehicle in a narrow ditch on Townsend Line in Lambton County. Otherwise we would not have the opportunity to explain the danger of such occurrences. At the risk of playing this broken...
Fire After Barrier Impact – Everyone Silent About Safety Concerns
How and why did a vehicle catch fire after striking this barrier terminal on Highway 401 just west of Toronto? Why is there a hole in the middle of the hazard sign at the terminal? It is never a good thing when police and news media do not focus the public's attention...
Cyclist Helmet Use in London Ontario
Observations made in London Ontario in the first half of 2022 indicate that more than half of cyclists riding on or next to roadways in the City do not wear helmets. This is an important finding considering the risk to injury that occurs when helmets are not used....
Latest Scandal At City of Hamilton Really Smells
The City of Hamilton is making many local area lawyers rich with investigations of its various scandals. Congratulations taxpayers of Hamilton, you have officially won another local scandal. The price? You will be paying perhaps $300 million dollars out of your...
Cycling Issues In London Ontario – A Commentary
People have a right to believe what they will but I believe climate change is not some devilish hoax. As such important changes must be made to how our society functions. The need to reduce our carbon footprints must involve the recognition that our transportation...
Red Hill Valley Parkway Judicial Inquiry Completes Witness Phase – Review of Previous Scandals
This view of the Red Hill Valley Parkway was taken in 2018 before repaving was begun. Many questions remain regarding the actions of Hamilton's staff and if someone hid a report that indicated the road surface was substandard. The Red Hill Valley Parkway (RHVP)...
Has Road Safety in Ontario Been Deteriorating?
What is going on with injury and fatality causation in Ontario? Has there been a recent deterioration of road safety? How do we know? In the U.S. the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported earlier this year that traffic fatalities likely...
Colborne at St James Traffic Study – Results from Session #2
"Orchestrating" a ride along Colborne Street, a southbound cyclist approaches the intersection at St James Street in London, Ontario during the rush hour on September 30, 2022. Results have now been tabulated for Session #2 of traffic observations on Colborne Street...
Colborne at St James Traffic Study – Results from Session #1
The area of the video documentation of traffic on Colborne Street commenced from 15 metres north of the north curb of St James Street. The first Session of the Colborne Street Traffic Study has been completed and partial results will be reported in this article....
Colborne at St James Traffic Study Underway
This is a view, taken on October 5, 2022, looking south along Colborne Street toward St James Street in London, Ontario. The video camera shown here is one of several that were positioned within a 130 metre distance to document the speed and volume of traffic on...
Traffic Study Commenced at Colborne Street North of Oxford in London Ontario
This image is taken from the City of London handout describing the proposed painted cycling lane that will be created on Colborne Street between Oxford and Cheapside Streets. It can be noted that there are boulevards ("Planting strips"), each over 5 metres wide,...
Following The Chaos of A Detour – Part 3
The creation of a detour that involves cyclist traffic needs to take into consideration the typical behaviour of cyclists as well as their capabilities. This observation has been demonstrated in the creation of a detour around the construction at the Thames Valley...
Following The Chaos of A Detour – Part 2
Gorski Consulting has been following the repercussions of a decision by the City of London Ontario to create a detour route around some construction that was being done on the Thames Valley Parkway (TVP) in an area just north-west of the downtown of the City. The TVP...
Following The Chaos Of A Detour – Part 1
When the City of London developed a detour around construction at the Thames Valley Parkway (TVP) unknown planners failed to understand how cyclists behave in their normal progression through their urban environment. The result is that several dangers were created...
Following The Chaos That A Detour Makes – A 3 Part Series
Detours that create chaos should not be taken lightly. While users can be accommodating to them, improper detours heighten the probability that a serious accident will eventually happen. This is the case at a detour of the multi-use pathway of the Thames Valley...
Highway 401 Damaged Cable Barrier – Continued, Unadvertised Safety Problem
"High Tension" is a crucial phrase that is essential to protecting the occupants of vehicles that strike High Tension Cable Barriers. When high tension is lost bad things happen. Not much interest was shown by the public when Gorski Consulting posted an article on May...
Are Construction Detours More Complicated and Dangerous When Cyclists Are Involved?
A detour of the Thames Valley Parkway in London Ontario has caused cyclists to travel through undesirable road conditions such as this narrowing of Talbot Street as it travels through the underpass of the Canadian Pacific Railway line. Construction detours are a...
Judicial Inquiry into Red Hill Valley Parkway Continues
This view of the Red Hill Valley Parkway in Hamilton Ontario was taken in September, 2020, at a time when its posted maximum speed was reduced to 80 km/h. Officials believed this was necessitated due to the perceived safety problems that became reported over several...
Pretty Flowers Do Not Help In Understanding Vehicle Fire and Multiple Deaths
We can't show you the burnt out vehicle or collision site where 3 persons perished on Conestoga Drive in Brampton on August 20, 2022, because those photos are copyright. And you don't need to know how or why those fatalities occurred. So here is a picture of some...
Grosvenor Street Slope Compared to Other Locations Along Cycling Routes in London Ontario
Proposed construction at the Thames Valley Parkway in the City of London has necessitated a detour route. The original detour, encompassing Talbot St and Grosvenor Street met with opposition from users who proposed an alternate route by way of Gunn Street. Initially...
Proposed Double Choice Detour on Thames Valley Parkway Ill-Advised
This City of London map shows a double-choice detour they advise for cyclists to take around construction of the Thames Valley Parkway in London which is to commence on August 22, 2022. Cyclists have warned that taking the originally-proposed detour is dangerous yet...
Blackfriars Bridge Traffic Study – Summary of Results From Session #5
Results from Session #5 of the Blackfriars Bridge Traffic Study are now available in this current article. Gorski Consulting continues to gather data from the Blackfriars Bridge Traffic Study (BBTS) in London, Ontario. A fifth videotaping Session was conducted on...
Blackfriars Bridge Traffic Study – Preliminary Results of Motor Vehicle Speeding in Session #5
Preliminary results are now available from Session #5 of the Blackfriairs Bridge Traffic Study (BBTS) with respect to the number of observed motor vehicles and their speeds. The analysis is incomplete such that the only speeds available are those as eastbound vehicles...
Blackfriars Bridge Traffic Study – Session #5 Videotaping Completed
Sun and shade were found to be significant issues during the latest videotaping session of the Blackfriars Bridge Traffic Study. This view, taken at approximately 0843 hours, is looking east over the Blackfriars Bridge. Although the brake lights of a car are visible,...
Blackfriars Bridge Traffic Study – High Speed Motor Vehicles
What speed are eastbound motor vehicles travelling on the Blackfriars Bridge in London Ontario, where the maximum posted speed is just 20 km/h? Interest in the use of the historic Blackfriars Bridge in London, Ontario became heightened when the City of London decided...
Cyclist Injury Data Has Been Released Necessitating Some Obvious Questions
An article published by the Canadian Press, dated August 2, 2022 contained some important data on recent cycling injuries in Ontario and Canada. In part, the article noted: "The Canadian Institute for Health Information has released national data that covers...
Is A Cyclist Travelling 26 km/h Speeding?
Interactions between cyclists and other users along multi-use paths inevitably cause concerns when the paths are not designed with sufficient safeguards to allow safe and unobstructed passage. Situations in High Park in Toronto, Ontario have seen a recent elevated...
E-Bike Users of the Thames Valley Parkway in London Ontario
Recent studies by Gorski Consulting provide an illustration of the very large increase in e-bike ridership in London Ontario. As an example several videotaping sessions have been conducted along London's Thames Valley Trail (TVP) in the past year. The table below...
Blackfriars Bridge Traffic Study – Session #4 Results
The Phantom of Blackfriars Bridge appeared to have some competition during Session #4 of the Blackfriars Bridge Traffic Study (BBTS) on July 18, 2022 as a new climber of the bridge was spotted on the structure. Session #4 of the Blackfriars Bridge Traffic Study (BBTS)...
Female Cyclist Users of the Thames Valley Parkway in London Ontario
Gorski Consulting has been monitoring various aspects of cycling in London Ontario for over a decade. One area of interest has been the apparent lack of ridership by females and what may be the cause. Recent documentations along London's Thames Valley Parkway allow...
Blackfriars Bridge Traffic Study – Exploring Traffic Conflicts
This article presents an example of a traffic conflict at the site of the Blackfriars Bridge Traffic Study in London, Ontario. Its intent is to explain how such traffic conflicts can be identified and analysed using the video data that has been obtained in the traffic...
Blackfriars Bridge Traffic Study – Session #3 Results
Results from Session #3 of the Blackfriars Bridge Traffic Study (BBTS) have now been completed with respect to motor vehicle, cyclist and pedestrians volumes. Documentation in Session #3 occurred between 0648 and 0848 hours. Overall fewer observations were made in...
Gorski Consulting Site Up & Running After Issues
The Gorski Consulting website has been down for several days but is now up and running. Welcome back.
Blackfriars Bridge Traffic Study Session #3 Completed
Session #3 of the Blackfriars Bridge Traffic Study (BBTS) was completed this morning, July 6, 2022, between 0700 and 0900 hours. This data will be revealing as it comes from the morning peak (rush) hours in the middle of a work week. We are now in the process of...
Blackfriars Bridge Traffic Study – Session #2 – Large Reduction in Pedestrian Observations
Results have now been tabulated showing the pedestrian volumes from Session #2 of the Blackfriars Bridge Traffic Study (BBTS) in London, Ontario. A reduction in pedestrian volumes of almost 100% was observed compared to Session #1. The table below shows the pedestrian...
Blackfriars Bridge Traffic Study – Session #2 – Large Reduction in Cyclist Observations
It was not surprising that the findings from Session #2 of the Blackfriars Bridge Traffic Study (BBTS) were different than Session #1: It was the magnitude of the difference that was surprising. Earlier we reported that the volume of motor vehicle traffic had...
Gorski Consulting Involved in Annual Velo Cyclist Counts
As per last year's involvement, Gorski Consulting participated in Velo Canada's cyclist counts that took place throughout Canada between June 7 and June 12, 2022. We volunteered to conduct observations between 0700 and 0900 hours along Dundas Street just west of...
Blackfriars Bridge Traffic Study Session #2 Reveals Doubling of Motor Vehicle Observations
Preliminary results are now beginning to unfold from the 2nd Session of the Traffic Study at the Blackfriars Bridge in London, Ontario. In the inaugural documentations of May 29, 2022, a total of 78 vehicles were observed travelling eastbound over Blackfriars Bridge...
Blackfriars Bridge Traffic Study – Session #2 Completed
Session #2 of the Blackfriars Bridge Traffic Study was completed on Friday, June 17, 2022 between 1530 and 1800 hours. The video from 10 cameras will be copied and assembled into projects on the Adobe Premiere editting software, followed by further analysis. It will...
The Phantom of Blackfriars Bridge
Who is the mysterious creature who walks over top of the historical Blackfriars Bridge in London Ontario? While completing our Session #2 of videotaping at the Blackfriars Bridge a mysterious climber emerged, walking the trusses of the bridge like he was taking a...
Blackfriars Bridge Traffic Study – Preliminary Results From Session #1
Preliminary results are now available from the traffic study conducted by Gorski Consulting at the Blackfriars Bridge on May 29, 2022 in London, Ontario. A two-hour videotaping session was completed between 1300 and 1500 hours. This was a Sunday afternoon. The...
Blackfriars Bridge – 2 Video Projects Assembled And Ready for Future Analysis
Two video projects have now been created from our video documentation at the Blackfriars Bridge of May 29, 2022. Each project contains a selection of five video camera views focusing on two areas of interest. In the first project, "Users of the TVP" camera views were...
Blackfriars Bridge – First Official Videotaping Session Completed
Weather conditions were perfect in the afternoon of May 29, 2022 such that the first videotaping session at the Blackfriars Bridge was completed between 1300 and 1500 hours. As expected a large number of users were observed on the Thames Valley Parkway (TVP) where it...
Marlene, Truscott and Milgaard – Commitment to Justice System Reform Needs Your Involvement
David Milgaard was wrongly convicted by the Canadian justice system and spent 23 years in jail before finally being exonerated by DNA evidence. Regrettably he passed away a few weeks ago. Before he died Milgaard was also the inspiration for a 2008 recommendation in a...
Blackfriars Bridge – Some Background Prior to Traffic Study
After Blackfriars Bridge was refurbished in December 2018, the City of London stopped motor vehicle access to it in April 2020, due to concerns over physical distancing due to the CIVID-19 pandemic. In November 2021 the bridge was reopened to eastbound, motorized...
Blackfriars Bridge Study Postponed Due to Weather
Thursday, May 26, 2022 was planned to be the day when official observations of traffic were to be conducted by Gorski Consulting at the site of the Blackfriars bridge in London, Ontario. Unfortunately weather forecasts kept predicting that the day would be washed out....
Dangerous Police Traffic Stop Standing in Live Lane
A police force posted a photo (shown above) of one of its officers who stopped a speeding vehicle at an undisclosed location outside of Toronto, Ontario. The officer is seen standing in a live lane while at the driver's window of the offender's vehicle. The scenario...
US Reports Over 10% Increase In Traffic Deaths in 2021 – But No Info In Ontario
The inefficiency of documentation and distribution of collision data in the Province of Ontario is revealing when compared to what is done in the U.S. Just five months after the end of 2021 the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is able to provide an...
A Minor Collision, Your Vehicle Rolls Into Shallow Water and You Drown
Much like vehicle fires, rolling over into shallow water is something that appears of minimal importance when the incident results in minor or no injury. Yet too often it results in a drowning death. An intersection collision reported by Dufferin OPP today, May 12,...
“No further Detail” About 4 Cadet Deaths – What Detail?
A spokesperson for the Canadian Armed forces was reportedly quoted as saying "no further detail can be provided at this time" with respect to the death of four cadets at the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario. Detail? Are we kidding. What detail was...
Who is Monitoring Highway 401 Collisions & Ensuring Repairs Done in Timely Fashion?
It is easy to get information on the effectiveness of high-tension cables barriers especially from those organizations who either sell them or use them on their highway systems. But what about information that demonstrates their in-service performance and whether the...
E-Bike Rider Injury & Death: An Emerging Safety Problem of the Future
News media have reported that shortly before 2320 hours on April 4th, 2022, the rider of an e-bike was struck by a hit-&-run motor vehicle in the area of Toro Road and Keele Street in Toronto, Ontario. The rider reportedly sustained life-threatening injuries....
Not Enough Radicalization & Intolerance?
Recently Gorski Consulting attempted to convey an important safety message to cyclists with a short Twitt. This was based on the results of real-life collisions that were reconstructed by Gorski Consulting. What resulted was an angry response from many who decided...
Red Hill Valley Parkway Inquiry – The Secrecy Continues?
After two years of silence the Red Hill Valley Parkway (RHVP) Inquiry has recommenced with an attempt by the City of Hamilton to keep back certain documents. No one will know what those documents are because the decision to withhold will be made "in camera" or behind...
Cyclists Riding on Sidewalks In London Ontario
Why do so many cyclists chose to ride on a sidewalk rather than on the road where they are legally required? That is one of the questions we need to answer if we are to improve cycling efficiency and safety in the Province of Ontario. Gorski Consulting has been...
OPP Place Wrong Emphasis on Story of Near-Drowning in Norfolk County
There is always a need to emphasize the importance of wearing a seat-belt because in the vast majority of cases seat-belt usage can save an occupant's life or reduce the severity of injury. However there are instances where seat-belt use can be a problem. Those...
Observed Female Cyclists on Streets of London Ontario Remain Low
Despite the appearance that cyclist volumes may be rising, the percentage of female cyclists observed on or adjacent to Streets in London, Ontario remain low. Observations of cyclists in London Ontario have been made by Gorski Consulting for a number of years along...
Posted Speed, Travel Speed, Impact Speed and Change-in-Speed – Do You Know The Difference?
There is no shortage of internet crazies with opinions on everything and a long list of brain-washed followers willing to swallow whatever is put before them. The analysis and reconstruction of collisions is no exception. While it is important that members of the...
Additions to Road Data Webpage of Gorski Consulting Site
The Road Data webpage has been updated on the Gorski Consulting website to explain additional testing that has been conducted in recent years. As a result of an unexplained hacking of the Gorski Consulting website in early January, 2022 we have removed our hosting...
Happy Trails My Friend – To Our Hikers & Bikers
Happy trails my friends. For you bikers, we appreciate that spring has sprung but 2 inches of morning snow in London has us searching for our snowshoes. In the meantime remember what lies ahead in this upcoming season. May you have a safe, relaxed and healthy season....
Unreported & Unexplained Fatality on Hwy 7 in Vaughan
Those who appreciate the importance of reducing injury and death on our roads must understand that hiding the causes will not help in achieving reductions in those injuries and deaths. An example of the problem is the display on Twitter of the above photo in a York...
Join Our Documentations of Traffic on London’s Blackfriars Bridge
Some disapproving voices were heard, primarily from cyclists, when the City of London decided to allow one-way, motorized traffic to use Blackfriars Bridge to enter into downtown London, Ontario. Cyclists had hoped that the bridge would be closed except for cycling...
No Apparent Improvements To CAA’s Worst Roads Campaign?
Receiving annual publicity from almost all news media outlets in Ontario, the CAA's Worst Roads campaign continues to gather subjective complaints from citizens as to what they perceive as the worst road in their area. Annually the 10 worst roads are determined...
A Reasoned Approach to Tougher Driver Penalties & Imprisonment
Our society is troubled by the presence of dangerous persons and reacts by increasing penalties and imprisonment. This is seen as the solution that will reduce those incidents. Intermixed with this are persons who are not so dangerous but who make mistakes. A classic...
Drowning at Ethel Ontario – Accountability Might As Well Be Rocket Science?
Under normal circumstances accountability is not a difficult concept to understand: If someone's actions have caused someone's death they should be accountable for it. Why is that principle so hard to follow in motor vehicle deaths? Let us look at the following...
Appalling Secrecy Prevents Mother From Knowing How Her Daughter Died
Checking internet sources such as Google has produced no information about circumstances in which 17-year-old Francesca Savoie died in a reported motor vehicle collision in Bas-Caraquet, New Brunswick. The only knowledge I can gain is from the single news article...
Springtime Cycling – The Challenges Continue
Much like general roadway maintenance, the maintenance of cycling paths, trails and tracks is needed on a constant basis. Many cities like London have reduced their roadway inspections over the years, especially with the advent of the Municipal Act and the so called...
Bicycling in Winter Conditions – How Can We Make It Happen?
When the days are warm and sunny, cycling can be a beautiful experience for all ages. And climate change requires a vast number of Canadians to take up this pastime. But that pleasant weather is not always there. In fact, even in the southern parts of Canada like...
Another Post-Impact Fire on Main Street in Hamilton Claims Four Lives
Another post-impact fire has occurred, this time in downtown Hamilton, Ontario. Four persons, including three pedestrians perished in the incident yet there has been no explanation how and why these fatalities occurred. Police and news media have made it difficult for...
How Many Persons Died From Post-Impact Fire in Texas?
The elephant in the room is being ignored again. No sooner did I finish posting an article on the tragic death of a young female driver in a post-collision fire on Highbury Ave near London, Ontario, then another fire in Texas occurred, without any official explanation...
No Pretty Way To Discuss Someone Being Burned Alive – So Our Response Is To Hide It
On October 2, 2020, Highbury Ave, the normally busy highway between London and St Thomas Ontario was shut down as a result of a "head-on" collision which eventually resulted in a reported fatality. The fatality was a bit more than personal. It led to a young woman...
Politics and Corruption Mean Likely Failure of Canadian Vision Zero
The United-Nations-sponsored International Road Assessment (iRAP) Programme attempts to increase road-user safety through its encouragements focused on roadway improvements. As stated in their recently distributed material: "iRAP is a global charity with a vision for...
Gorski Slowly Returning To Active Duty
Not only was the Gorski Consulting website recently hacked but regrettably I was informed that I would need surgery. This occurred last week and I am slowly recovering. I've had some thoughts in passing. Many years have passed by in the wink of an eye much like...
Proper Investigation Requires Inquiry Whether A Rare Event Has Occurred
If one only needed to draw conclusions about obvious matters collision reconstruction would be an easy process. Many reconstructions are generated in this fashion where an investigator only finds obvious things and nothing needs to be done beyond the obvious. The...
List of Gorski Consulting Website Articles (Temporarily) Lost Due to Hacking
The following lists the website articles which were erased due to the hacking of the Gorski Consulting website in early January, 2022. These articles were generated between mid-June, 2021 and early January, 2022. Red Hill Valley Parkway Inquiry – Costs Continue To...
Ford Apologizes for not Recording Your Crash Data
Independent collision reconstructionists have discovered that 2020-21 Ford Super Duty Pick-up trucks have had their event data recorders (EDRs) inadvertently turned off. Ford was made aware of this problem and narrowed it to vehicles built at its Kentucky truck plant...
Zygmunt M. Gorski Receives Lifetime Membership in Society of Automotive Engineers
It was with some surprise that I was notified this month of my lifetime membership, awarded by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), as a result of my 40 year association with them. Some associations in which I have been a member for many years, such as the...
Cyclist Handlebar Impact – Examples from Real-Life Collisions
This article has been necessitated due to internet Twitter discussions about a recent photo posted by Gorski Consulting warning cyclists of a specific injury mechanism. The above photo was a Twitter post sent while the Gorski Consulting website was down and Covid...
Patiently Awaiting Info on Gorski Consulting Website Hack
No new postings have been made to the Gorski Consulting website as we attempt to gain information whether previous postings have been permanently lost from the suspected hack in early January, 2022. All postings since June, 2021 have disappeared from the website...
Early Indications Are That Gorski Consulting Website Was Hacked – But Now Up and Running
The Gorski Consulting website has now been revived. Some digging is being conducted but early indications are that the site was hacked. At this time it looks like all articles on the site have been lost from approximately mid-June, 2021. Fortunately most of these...
Additional Safety Problems At Thames Valley Parkway Near Trafalgar Street
It needs to be emphasized that the segment of the Thames Valley Parkway (TVP) south of Trafalgar Street in London, Ontario has been poorly designed and has created several safety problems. We will review some historical background before focusing on the latest...
Final Results From Gorski Consulting Cyclist Counts For Velo
During the week of June 1-6, 2021, volunteers across Canada were involved in counting cyclists in their cities, towns and regions. As part of its testing and research activities Gorski Consulting has been involved in a various traffic documentation procedures over the...
Short-Sighted Effort to Conceal Cause of Motorist Fatality
We expect mysterious deaths to occur in totalitarian regimes like Nazi Germany or the Stalinist Soviet Union. We should not expect it in democracies like Canada. But that is what happens when police, news media and other officials work together to hide the cause of a...
Four Pedestrian Fatality Collision on Hyde Park Road in London Ontario – Further Evidence From the Site
(Updated: 1315 hours, June 8, 2021) A southbound vehicle struck a family of five pedestrians, killing 4, on Hyde Park Road and South Carriage Road in London, Ontario on June 6, 2021. Our examination of the collision site occurred only a couple of hours after it was...
Intended Murder of Muslim Pedestrians in London Ontario – Site Evidence Alone Cannot Confirm Intentions
(Updated: 1310 hours, June 8, 2021) Four pedestrians were killed yesterday, June 6, 2021 in London, Ontario when a southbound vehicle struck a group of pedestrians on Hyde Park Road at its intersection with South Carriage Road. Having just completed an examination of...
Hours of Cyclist Counts Performed By Gorski Consulting During Week of Velo Cycling Count
Over the past week five sessions of cyclist observations were performed by Gorski Consulting, each approximately 2-3 hours, with respect to the Velo Cycling Count that has been taking place throughout Canada during the week of June 1-6, 2021. Because the sessions are...
Results From Velo Cycle-Counting Session on Hale Street in London, Ontario
June 1-6, 2021 is the week when volunteers throughout Canada are counting cyclist volumes of roads and paths as part of a program developed by the Velo Canada Bikes Corporation. Gorski Consulting has volunteered its services and two cycling counts were made on June...
Gorski Consulting Participates in Velo Cycling Counts
Velo Canada Bikes is a corporation that has initiated a cyclist counting procedure throughout Canada during the week of June 1-6, 2021. During this week volunteers are asked to count the number of cyclists they observe at designated locations in 14 different Canadian...
Speed Bump Aggressiveness As Part of Collision Cause Analysis
Motor vehicle collisions are caused by many factors including the characteristics of a road surface. Vehicle reactions to speed bumps can lead to understanding how uneven road surfaces can cause collisions. The following is an example. At approximately 0330 hours on...
Cause of Deaths in Recent Collision Fires Not Revealed
Two recent fatal collisions demonstrate the lack of attention being paid to the cause of death in a vehicle collision. News media reported on May 4, 2021 that a two-vehicle collision occurred near Milverton, Ontario which resulted the death of an 84-year-old male...
Better Collision Information Combats Speculation – A Simple Recipe
In reporting of collisions to the general public withholding of evidence inevitably leads to speculation. The consequences of such speculation are not always benign nor publicly recognized. A case in point is a reported collision on Highway 401 near Renforth Drive in...
Strange OPP Twitter Message Regarding Fatal QEW Rear-End Impact
With no explanation the OPP posted some additional photos with respect to a dated fatal impact on the QEW that occurred last October 30, 2020. While this may not appear to be significant, the additional photos reveal something that was not revealed in the original...
Final Results From School Bus Motion Testing
Analysis of recent testing of school bus motions has now been completed. A total of six testing sessions were completed along various routes in London, Ontario noted below: March 4, 202; GMC 18 Passenger School Bus driven along Wharncliffe Road route. March 4, 2021;...
Preliminary Comparison of Full Size School Bus Motions To Other Vehicles
The safe transportation of children on school buses is paramount. An important factor in that safety is the reaction of school buses to road surface defects. Are school buses prone to loss-of-control because of their inferior characteristics compared to other...
GMC 18-Passenger School Bus Testing on Wellington Road in London Ontario
Little is publicly known about the effects that a rough road surface can have on the motion of a motor vehicle. Gorski Consulting has recently conducted testing with school buses to supplement the growing results of testing already posted to this website on this...
Testing of School Bus Response to Irregular Road Surface Conditions
The condition of road surfaces can be easily identified using the accelerometer and gyro sensors of a smartphone. This has been demonstrated in testing performed by Gorski Consulting using an iPhone and multiple video cameras attached to a 2007 Buick Allure passenger...
Cyclist Observations – 8 Year Study in London Ontario
Gorski Consulting has completed a review of 8 years of photos of cyclists riding on or adjacent to roads in London, Ontario. The years 2013 to 2020 showed the characteristics of the riders, their actions and the safety of the roads on which they travelled. For...
Skating to Church in a Pine Box
Undoubtedly, adjusting your skates in full flight will deliver you to church in an unexpected way. This gentleman must have believed he was invincible as he skated along a street in London Ontario without paying attention to traffic.
Gender of Cyclists Observed on Streets in London Ontario
At Gorski Consulting we have stepped up our efforts to provide data about cycling in London and South-Western Ontario. As governments in North America are rapidly changing their roadway networks to create more access to active transportation, it is believed that the...
Detailed Collision Data Needed To Understand Risk Of Unusual Roadway Behaviours
A Highway Traffic Act cannot solve all of our road safety problems. We need detailed collision information in order to recognize the relative risk of unorthodox human behaviours on our road systems. As shown in the above photo, an elderly male rider has...
Is That A Garbage Bag Lying On The Road?
If you observed this view for 1 or 2 seconds would you correctly identify the object in the road? Hindsight causes many to judge the actions of a driver based on what they know after a collision has occurred.
Cause of Collisions Is Often Not Correctly Detected
Many persons who are deserving of charges are not captured by typical investigations of motor vehicle collisions. Look at the scenario above which commences when traffic is diverted due to a closed lane. The driver of the BMW SUV has been forced into the left lane...
Walking With Your Back to Traffic – Why Is It OK If You’re A Cyclist?
Why is it irrational to see a pedestrian walking within a travel lane with their back to traffic? Let us consider the photo below which shows a pedestrian walking on a cycling lane. Is this dangerous? Not only is his back to traffic but the next photo shows that he is...
A Lot of Useful Lessons Could Be Learned From Tiger Woods’ Collision – But They Won’t Be
As regrettable as they are, collisions involving celebrities are a time when a large segment of society is interested in knowing what happened. And this can be a valuable opportunity to educate those who may otherwise be unreachable. But those opportunities are almost...
Zygmunt Gorski Gives Virtual Presentation to American Academy of Forensic Science
Sometimes evidence that may be uncommon can break open a case if an investigator/analyst understands that evidence. That was the message given to members of the American Academy of Forensic Science (AAFS) in a presentation given by Zygmunt Gorski at its annual meeting...
Is London Ontario Prepared for More Cyclists?
Climate change is the impetus that is forcing more infrastructure to be built to accommodate cyclists. It is believed that more infrastructure will cause more cyclists to use that infrastructure. That simple conclusion may be debatable. But are we prepared for the...
Death By Vehicle Impalement And The Silence That Enables It
Needless tragedies occur when we keep road safety problems hidden from public awareness. When vehicles are impaled by roadside structures the results are often hidden. This prevents the public's momentum to correct those safety problems. In the most recent case which...
Preventing the Public from Knowing How & Why A Death Occurred at Hanna Public School Grounds in Sarnia
Some information does not need to be hidden from public knowledge, but it is. An unexplained fatal collision occurred this morning at a chain-link fence at the property line of the Hanna Memorial Public School in Sarnia. It was reported that a single vehicle collision...
Traffic Speed Cameras – Do They Improve Safety?
It seems like a pointless question to most observers but do traffic speed cameras improve safety at the locations where they are installed? Traffic speed cameras should cause more drivers to travel at or below the speed limit at the locations where the cameras are...
Trump Reminds Me That Radicalization Can Exact A Heavy Price – An Editorial Comment
My eyes slowly opened from birth to the age of five, living in a very small village of western Poland. Then in 1960 my parents took four small children on a ship to Canada and never returned. My eyes have never witnessed the tremendous destruction that my parents, and...
Safety Technology That Fails Must Be Reported
It seems logical that, when a technology fails resulting in the crash of an airliner, there should be a public revelation of that fact. Three or five hundred deaths in one incident makes us aware of that importance. But what happens when a technology fails over a...
Bridge Abutment Impact By Tractor-Trailer on Hwy 401
While the large destruction caused by heavy truck impacts draws our attention, we fail to acknowledge the danger that truckers face when the roadway infrastructure is insufficient to protect them. The above photo uploaded on the OPP Twitter account shows two...
Another Life Lost on the Red Hill Valley Parkway in Hamilton Ontario
Numerous concerns have been expressed over the collisions along the Red Hill Valley Parkway (RHVP) in Hamilton, Ontario. It did not help that the City lost or hid an engineering report that showed the surface of the Parkway was substandard. Once this became public a...
Why are Vehicle Fires Not Reported In Ontario’s Official Collision Data Reports
We express sincere regrets when vehicle fires kill, but then we seem unable to acknowledge that regrets will not prevent the next incidence. Prevention must be preceded by objective analysis, such as documentation of the incidents and how and why they came to be. This...
Accountability To Public Required When A Missing Warning Sign Causes Collisions
How does an important warning sign go missing and, even though major collisions occur, this does not prompt municipal officials, police or news media to detect, publicize and correct the problem? The following discussion of several collisions is a smaller issue...
School Bus Fatal Collision – What If Children Were Aboard?
Receiving half the news, or not even that, is not helpful to anyone. Yet this is what the public receives whenever an important tragedy occurs. Such was the case when a full-size school bus was reportedly involved in a collision with a minivan on McNaught Line...
Can We Spare Enough Compassion To Help Alcohol-Addicted Drivers?
Deaths caused by impaired drivers are a difficult topic of discussion. In recent decades the understanding that alcoholism is an illness has changed. We now want to punish alcoholics because they continue to drink alcohol. This is easy to understand because of the...
An OPP Collision, Exchange of Gunfire and Death of Toddler – What Happened?
On November 26, 2020 news media reported that an "incident" occurred involving the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and a 33-year-old male driver north east of Lindsay in the Kawartha Lakes region of southern Ontario. The reports indicated that there had been a...
Cycling Path Usage in London, Ontario
London Ontario, like many North American cities is working quickly at upgrading and expanding their network of cycling paths. However the City have installed these facilities in a piecemeal fashion. Some newer sections of the Thames Valley Parkway, a network of paths...
No Comments on Fatal Concrete Barrier Failure on Hwy 401 in Mississauga Ontario
Once again police and official news media have failed to inform the public about a deadly roadway failure that likely led to the death of two, and possibly three, road users in a collision that occurred on Highway 401 in Mississauga, Ontario yesterday. Not...
Dangerous LED Traffic Signals Covered By Snow Cause Vehicles to Pass Through a Red Light
This is a warning to the public of the dangers that exist with LED traffic signals which become covered by snow due to their lack of heat production. While LED signals are cheap to operate they pose a danger in winter conditions when they become covered in snow and...
Disturbing Fire & Deaths in Crash on Hwy 427 In Toronto
The lack of useful news regarding the death of two occupants in a fiery collision on Saturday evening, November 14, 2020, should be disturbing to anyone concerned about public safety. Yet this comes on, November 15th, that is internationally marked as a day of...
Expressway Rear-End Impacts Need Better Evaluations
In a December 16, 2018 article posted to the Gorski Consulting website the results of observations of tail-gating vehicles on Highway 401 were shown from videotaping sessions at four different sites. Without funding or additional help it was not possible to analyse...
“Construction Carnage Alley” And Other Median Barrier Issues on Hwy 401
While it is good news that the Ontario government announced the first phase of construction on a median barrier in Highway 401's "Carnage Alley" the news may not be all good. The flip side of this news is that construction will mean additional deaths if the Province...
One Thousand Observations of Responses To Roadway Traffic Signals
Gorski Consulting has been involved in a two-year study of driver reactions to the activation of a green traffic signal. In that time 1010 observations were made, predominantly in the City of London, Ontario, Canada. The observations were made using a dash camera that...
Death of Cycling Professor – Final Results & Conclusions
This is the final in a series of four articles dealing with the death of a retired professor who died when attempting to cycle across Gainsborough Road in London, Ontario on September 5, 2020. Data has been collected to document the volume and speed motor vehicles,...
Death of Cycling Professor – Part III – Further Results
This is the third article in a series of four, that discusses the findings of Gorski Consulting related to an examination of the site on Gainsborough Road in London, Ontario where a retired professor was killed when using a multi-use cycling path. The previous two...
Did A Young Mother Die In A Vehicle Fire? We Must Know
Everyone is devastated when a young life is lost due to the actions of an impaired driver. And we want to prevent its recurrence. Why does that same concern not apply to post collision fires? News media reported that yesterday, October 3, 2020, a head-on collision...
Silence About Post-Collision Fires
While the OPP are helpful in submitting basic photos of the collision sites they investigate, there is an apparent lack of information provided by all police forces regarding the large number of post-collision fires that are occurring in the region. In the example...
Death of Cycling Professor – Part II – Further Results
Updated results are shown in this second article dealing with the death of a retired professor who was struck and killed while cycling across Gainsborough Road in London, Ontario, Canada. The collision occurred on September 5th and a safety study of the site was...
Death of Cycling Professor Leads To Study of Collision Site Safety
The death of a cyclist on September 5, 2020 along with concerns expressed by residents prompted Gorski Consulting to attend the site of the collision on September 13, 2020, at the intersection of a multi-use bike path and Gainsborough Road on the western outskirts of...
Poor Explanation of Double-Fatal Collision In Perth County Ontario
It cannot be sufficient to provide confusing information about a double-fatal collision because the death of any member of the public needs to be reliably explained. Persons die mysteriously in unexplained ways in unlawful countries where dictators rule and mobs roam....
Harpooned Vehicle – Disappointing Response by Police & News Media
The best that can be said about police actions is that they posted photos of a harpooned vehicle so that the public could consider the consequences. Only a couple of news agencies picked up on the story, as if it was of minimal importance. Nipissing West OPP reported...
Cyclist Death In West London Demonstrates Safety of Path System Has Long Way To Go
Official news media reported that a 77-year-old cyclist was killed when he was struck by a pick-up truck as he tried to cross Gainsborough Road in west London, Ontario on Saturday, September 5, 2020. The view available to the pick-up truck driver is shown in the above...
Zipper Merge Signs at Highbury Ave Construction Zone – Are They Effective?
The City of London Ontario has put up some interesting "Zipper Merge" signs in the construction zone on Highbury Ave. The signs are supposed to encourage drivers to use a "zipper merge" technique that, so far, has been ignored by Ontario drivers. Below is a frame...
Cyclist Critical Injuries on Path Illustrates Need For Proper Design & Maintenance
Two cyclists reportedly collided in a bike trail near Lakeshore (east of Windsor), Ontario on September 1, 2020, resulting in life-threatening injuries to one of them. Examination of the site on Google Maps indicates that it contains a severe lack of visibility around...
Wakaw Saskatchewan Fatal Collision Driver Wants Answers That Gorski Consulting Cannot Provide
Jeff Helperl is a fortunate, unfortunate driver who survived the collision shown above where a transport truck reportedly rear-ended a line of stopped vehicles in a construction zone on Highway 41 near Wakaw Saskatchewan on August 25, 2020. He sent the above photo,...
George Floyd & Masai Ujiri Demonstrate Just How Much Objective Evidence Matters
Objective evidence is a huge equalizer to achieving justice, not just in assessment of motor vehicle collisions but in far wider circles. Can we imagine what the situation would have been like if there was no one to videotape the murder of George Floyd? Or even the...
Speed Can Be Irrelevant In Injury Causation
While the title of this article sounds completely wrong it is an important lesson to understand why it is mostly right. It is never convenient to discuss the results of real-life motor vehicle tragedies because they always involve real people. Yet a failure to educate...
Tanker Truck Through Guardrail Shows Inadequacy of Roadside Barriers
On Friday, August 14, 2020 the OPP Twitter account informed the public of the closure of Hwy 401 west of Kingston, Ontario due to a collision involving a tanker truck which had spilt liquid tar into a creek. Photos were attached with the notification, the one shown...
After Questioning of Bomb Report Police Admit it Was a Fire
There may be legitimate reasons why police are not forthcoming with further information on the fatal "explosion" that killed a man in a car in front of the Kitchener-Waterloo courthouse on Friday, August 14th, 2020. In an article posted to the Gorski Consulting...
Was it a Death of a Bomber or a Simple Car Fire?
We can swallow what we are told fully and completely or we can critically evaluate what we are told. Such is our intent is commenting on the reported explosion of a car in front of the Kitchener courthouse on Duke Street yesterday. The site photos show the exploded...
Nothing Learned or Changed At Anniversary of Massive Explosion in London Ontario
Yes there was a great deal of excitement when a good portion of the Woodman Ave block exploded in London, Ontario on August 15, 2019. The story made national headlines for several days. But what changes did it bring? We know the incident started when an impaired...
Wheel Separation Fatality on Hwy 401 Demonstrates Randomness of Death
A 24-year-old driver was killed today, August 12th, when a wheel separated from a trailer and crashed into the windshield of his van on Highway 401 between McCowan and Markham Roads near Toronto. Although a tarp was placed over the windshield and roof areas the extent...
Traffic Conflicts in An Expressway Construction Zone
Further analysis and discussion has been provided in a new Gorski consulting article entitled "Traffic Conflicts In An Expressway Construction Zone". This is in addition to a previous article posted on the Gorski Consulting website on July 17, 2020 entitled "Trench...
Vehicular Drownings in Region of Chatham-Kent And Essex Counties
On the evening of July 27, 2020 a vehicle carrying three children travelled off the gravel surface of Jacob Road in Chatham-Kent Ontario. The vehicle came to rest upside down in a water channel adjacent to the road. While the driver managed to retrieve two of the...
Multiple Bus Fatalities While Canada Continues Its Mushroom Cultivation
Multiple bus fatalities have once again dominated Canada's headlines yet we have learned nothing from any previous catastrophe. The latest tragedy reportedly occurred yesterday, July 18, 2020, on Highway 93 at the Columbia Icefield between Banff and Jasper national...
Typo Correction: “1122 Vehicles” Was likely “112” Vehicles
The perils of publishing. For those who have been examining our April 11, 2020 article "COVID-19 Effects on Highbury Ave Traffic - Review & Discussion of Data", a typo error was discovered regarding the testing of November 7, 2019 on Highbury Ave at...
Trench Warfare in the Expressway Construction Zone
We have all seen it. The battles of the expressway construction zone. But rarely do we discuss it. The battles and dangers that exist in the line-ups approaching construction zones on high-speed expressways are something that is rarely discussed or detailed. As part...
Fires In Vehicle Collisions Continue To Be An Ignored Road Safety Problem
Do vehicle fires represent a growing safety problem when vehicles collide? Not only is an answer unavailable but the question is not being asked. This despite an alarming number of vehicle fires that keep occurring during collisions. The most recent vehicle fire...
Speed Is Not What Killed 3 Audi Passengers In Edmonton Crash
Speed likely contributed to a loss-of-control of the Audi but it was the "Can-Opener" separation of its structure that was likely a major factor in the deaths of three of its occupants in a July 3, 2020 Edmonton Alberta crash. The results of vast numbers of controlled...
High Speed Rollover on Williams Parkway in Brampton Can Be Educational
A seemingly spectacular video clip has been shown of a car going out of control on Williams Parkway in Brampton, Ontario, crashing through a roadside fence, rolling over multiple times and striking a parked car. The best that can be said is that no one was killed,...
Is Speeding In Toronto OK If You Are Rich?
Starting on July 6th no demerit points will be added if you are caught by Toronto's speed cameras, only a fine will apply. So If you are the owner of a Ferrari and you have some wealth, will you care if you have to pay a $600 fine? Likely not. But the owner of a...
Results From Bicycle Speed Observations on Trafalgar Road Path
On June 2, 2020 Gorski Consulting conducted multiple-video camera documentations of northbound cyclists travelling along the City of London multi-use path approaching the underpass at Trafalgar Road. Video analysis has now been completed and the results have been...
Observations From Mother & 3-Child Fatal Collision in Brampton
The following are some preliminary observations from the tragic death of a family at the intersection of Countryside Drive and Torbram Road in Brampton yesterday afternoon. It was reported that an eastbound Infiniti, being driven by a 20-year-old male, on Countryside...
Additional Cyclist Speed Documentations on Trafalgar Bike Trail In London
The speed of cyclists on downgrades was previously reported in a Gorski Consulting article of October 8, 2018. That article examined three sites where substantial downgrades existed and it was demonstrated that cyclists generally coasted to high speeds. One of those...
One Bad Decision By One Driver Can Lead To Death of Many Innocent Others
We have seen the scenario depicted above on numerous occasions. A slow-moving heavy truck and an impatient driver. The consequences of an error in this scenario could be higher when the truck is a tanker loaded with explosive cargo. As shown below the pick-up driver...
Nine Motorcyclists Killed in 18 Days of May
Averaging at least one motorcyclist fatality every two days is not a good record. But that is the strange Ontario reality during the Covid-19 Pandemic in this month of May. The following list represents some of those killed although it may be not complete. On May 1st...
Tools Have Changed But Collision Reconstruction Still Dependent On Detail, Quality of Thought and Integrity
The caveman who worked harder at chiseling his stone into a smoother wheel was eventually rewarded with greater success. This idea has not changed in thousands of years, although the tools have. Motor vehicle collision reconstruction may have been in existence for one...
Public Deserves Honesty in Collision Reporting
Local news media have reported on an OPP new release claiming that Middlesex County Roads in the Province of Ontario are more dangerous and that fatalities are on the increase. Some of the reported statistics include the fact that in the past 10 years, 115 people died...
Evaluation of Speed Display Boards in School Zones in London Ontario
The functioning of speed display boards (SDBs) has been documented at two school zone sites in east London, Ontario.On September 3 and 6, 2019 observations were made on Tweedsmuir Ave in front of St Bernadette's Catholic Elementary School. On May 17 and 19, 2011 and...
Latest Site Where Covid-19 Effect Being Evaluated: Brydges Street in London, Ontario
From a traffic standpoint Covid-19 is changing how we behave on our roadways. Previous articles posted on this Gorski Consulting site have discussed lower traffic volumes, higher speeds and lower numbers of higher-severity collisions. These are dramatic changes, not...
Police Push-Bar Advantage in RCMP Stevenson Crash Clarified
In a May 3, 2020 article published by several CBC journalists about the head-on collision between Constable Stevenson and the mass murderer Gabriel Wortman in Nova Scotia, a substantially inaccurate quote from a road safety expert exaggerated the safety advantage of...
Ontario Expressway Collisions During Covid-19 Pandemic
In an article ("Overall Safety of Ontario's Expressways Hides Chronic Safety Problems") posted on the Gorski Consulting website on January 9, 2020, we listed 21 collisions that were reported by official news media which occurred on Ontario's expressways in...
Constable MacRae Helping Ducklings – A Message Beyond Simple Act of Kindness
That simple act of kindness portrayed by Constable MacRae of the Waterloo Regional Police sends a far larger message to us all. The Waterloo Regional Police uploaded three photos on their Twitter account showing the actions of one of their own Constables helping a...
Puzzling Road Safety Results During Pandemic
Covid-19 is a science experiment that no one wanted, but once it's over, we will ask some large questions about how it affected road safety and transportation in general. An article published by CP24 News in Toronto today reported that "Police report thousands fewer...
Updated Speed and Traffic Volume Comparisons Under Covid-19
New speeding and traffic volume data is available for westbound Highway 401 at the Graham Road interchange. In an article posted to the Gorski Consulting website on April 20, 2020, data was revealed showing a comparison between Covid-19 and pre-Covid-19 speeding and...
Four Police Deaths From Speed Enforcement Stop Is A Wake Up Call
Catching speeders during the Covid-19 pandemic can be more dangerous to police stopped on the highway. This observation is re-enforced from the tragic news of four police officers who were struck and killed on the Eastern Freeway near Kew in Victoria Australia two...
Preliminary Speeding Data for Hwy 401 at Graham Road Near West Lorne Ontario
At least 16.7% of unobstructed, non-trucks travelling in the fast lane on Highway 401 at Graham Road were travelling over 130 km/h. This observation was made as part of a preliminary analysis of a two hour videotaping session designed to explore the effects of the...
New Video Documentation on Highway 401 at Graham Road
The effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on traffic characteristics was documented yesterday, April 20, 2020, on HIghway 401 at Graham Road near West Lorne, Ontario. This documentation is subsequent to an article posted on the Gorski Consulting website showing the effects...
Speed and Traffic Volume Comparisons Under Covid-19
A recent Global News article indicated that a City of Toronto news release indicated that there has been "...a 35 per cent increase in speeding tickets and an almost 200 per cent jump in stunt driving incidents compared to the same time last year". Other news agencies...
Why is the Trumpet Section Impossible to Play With?
We're all entrapped in our own homes. I understand that. But why should a band come marching through my neighbourhood and force me to listen to what they play? An irritating conductor with no sense of rhythm who loves trumpets above all else is in town. He has...
What Was The Launch Speed Of This Polish Rocket?
This photo is (apparently) not a gimmick. It is the actual trajectory of a polish car that was recreated by a collision reconstructionist from a short video clip taken by bystander yesterday. The car reportedly struck a tree on the far side of the roundabout and then...
About
Zygmunt Gorski has been involved in the analysis of motor vehicle accidents since 1980. Initially employed as an accident investigator with the University of Western Ontario Multi-Disciplinary Accident Research Team (1980-90), Gorski then worked as an Accident Reconstruction Consultant with a forensic engineering firm in Kitchener and Toronto (1990-95), before opening his own consulting business in 1995 which he continues to operate to this day. Although Gorski’s interest has always focused on the physical evidence resulting from motor vehicle collisions, he has been involved in a variety of analyses ranging from injury assessments in his earlier times to the use of multiple video cameras and roadway safety issues in more recent years.
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Gorski Consulting
361 Hale Street
London, ON
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P: 519.453.2773
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