Cold Cases

Many times the case under review is very old. The evidence package consists of photographs, some statements, a police report and other dated information. Using old information to generate a state of the art reconstruction of a complex incident is challenging.

At Crashteams we have many experts available who really enjoy the challenge of putting cold cases together using modern technology and creating an understanding of the event that folks wondered about for many years.

Reconstructing James Dean's Crash/Death

The James Dean crash of September 30, 1955 is a great example. In 2005, National Geographic channel contacted our Mike Kennedy and asked Mike to assist in the reconstruction of that case to determine:

• Who was really driving?
  
• What were the impact speeds?
  
• How did the crash happen?

In addition to answering those questions, the television show producers wanted the results to be demonstrated by 3D animation. Mike has created hundreds of animations, was not daunted by the challenge of reconstructing a 50 year old accident and presenting his findings to millions of viewers.

Mike was supplied with copies of the pictures taken at the scene by the California Highway Patrol, as well as diagrams generated by the police and witnesses. Read the full story of how the crash was reconstructed and see the animations that aired on National Geographic channel below. The outcome may surprise you.

Read the full story