In April, 2004 an injury was reported at a woodworking plant in New Hampshire.  The accident involved a machine operator.  During the operation of the machine, a part fell from the machine into a rotating belt.  The result was a serious injury to the operator.  Dr. Rankin, an independent investigator, was retained by the woodworking plant to determine the cause of the accident and methods to prevent a future occurrence.  The 80-page report included a complete investigation, photos of the accident site, photos of the machine, photos of the machine part, eyewitness interviews, scale drawings of the accident scene, machine maintenance logs, machine modifications and several other critical areas of interest.

The machine part was determined to have been installed is such a manner as to allow for its failure.  There were many other indicating factors that were used in the court case to prove the ultimate cause of the accident.

The case was heard in court in 2007, the defendant in the case used specific items from the report, but Dr. Rankin's services were not required in court.

Outcome was in favor of the defendant. 

Site of Accident:  Steel Fabrication Company in North Carolina
Accident Type:  Commercial Tractor Trailer accident
Date of Accident:  December, 2006
Level of Injury:  Death of the driver

In December, 2006 a tractor trailer loaded with fabricated steel components was traveling on a 2 lane highway when the driver lost control; the vehicle overturned killing the driver.  Dr. Rankin was retained by the steel fabrication company to determine the cause of the accident.  The accident investigation was able to determine how and why the vehicle overturned.   A complete accident scene was prepared and used in this determination.   As a result of the accident report, the family made the decision not to persue legal action.