Parry, I.
Fidler, P.
Lecture
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17. EVU Conference, Nice
Parry, I.; Fidler, P.: The Simulation of the Fatal Crash Involving Diana, Princess of Wales, and Implications for the Investigation of Loss of Control Incidents. 17th EVU Conference, Nice 2008
English, 13 pages, 12 figures, 11 references
To assist the Inquest held in the United Kingdom into the fatal road traffic incident which occurred within the Pont de l’Alma underpass on the Cours Albert 1er, Paris, on 31 August 1997, the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) was commissioned by the Metropolitan Police to re-examine the physical evidence found at the scene. The investigations examined whether this evidence could have been created in a single sequence of motion involving both the Mercedes and another vehicle, this vehicle having previously been identified as a white Fiat Uno. The analysis of vehicle motion was undertaken using the Human Vehicle Environment (HVE) simulation environment, and specifically the SImulation MOdel Non-Linear (SIMON) vehicle dynamics program using a simulation vehicle constructed using manufacturer data sources, and with reference to validation tests.
Several scenarios relating to the movement of the Mercedes were considered, and in particular; whether the physical evidence found at the incident scene could have been created in one sequence of motion by the Mercedes; the range of speed at which this occurred; and, the location of the contact between the Mercedes and a Fiat Uno.
It was found that the tyre marks found at the incident site, which had been disregarded in previous investigations, could have been created by the Mercedes, allowing the vehicle to reach the impact with pillar at the correct orientation and heading at a speed of 96 – 104 km/h. This is highly consistent with the impact speed of 105 km/h estimated during the original investigation with reference to two impact tests performed by the vehicle manufacturer. This work has demonstrated a method of analysis for tyre mark sequences which fall outside of commonly accepted criteria for the calculation of vehicle speed from “critical speed” tyre marks, using vehicle dynamics simulation.
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