May 23, 2012 07:12 am | Theresa Downs
Did you know that Vectorworks software could be instrumental in solving real-world legal battles? Jeff Drake from Drake Exhibits does. Since 1980, the company has created trial exhibits for fire losses, construction accidents, electrical incidents, structural and mechanical failures, industrial accidents, vehicular accidents, and other personal injury cases. And, Drake recently used Vectorworks’ 3D modeling capabilities to create powerful exhibits that shaped the outcome of a courtroom verdict.
The situation was as follows—a security camera recorded a slip and fall accident that took place on an icy, steeply sloped walkway. The security video was the prime piece of visual evidence in a case against the contractor that built the walkway. The legal team knew the evidence was good, but it also needed to give context to the video image and explain why the sloped walkway violated standard building code requirements. Photographs and measurements of the site were recorded, including three-dimensional plotting of the sloped walkway by a professional surveyor. The measurements were then placed in a CAD drawing to create the 3D model. The security camera location was documented, and the point of view of the camera was established in the 3D model.
“With Vectorworks software, we were able to present closer views of the accident conditions,” explains Drake. “The images [there were a total of 18] made the security fencing, turnstiles, and handrails easily recognizable, showing the large area with no handrails.”
Drake was also able to illustrate the minimum required slope and incident slope measurements. His 3D model showed that the slope clearly did not conform to required building codes and standards. The series of images was informative and persuasive at mediation, and the case was settled very favorably for the plaintiff.
We thank Jeff Drake for sharing his unique story with us and wish him luck in future cases! To view more images from the above-mentioned reconstructed scene, please visit his blog.
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