Past Conferences

The SCARS organization has hosted several major conferences through the years in order to learn about accident reconstruction and to present live tests.

Some of the locations of previous conferences include Myrtle Beach, SC,  Charleston, SC, Atlanta, GA, and Biloxi, MS

Selected Previous Conference Summaries.

The Annual SCARS/Southeastern Conference – 2024

July 21-26, 2024 in the Charleston/Mt Pleasant South Carolina area
This conference was co-hosted by the following Associations:
SCARS & IAARS

Conference Speakers & Topics

  • Monday – Live Crash Testing
  • Tuesday – Wade Bartlett – Motorcycle Dynamics & CSY Basics
  • Tuesday – Greg Russell – Use of YAW data and other data from EDR
  • Wednesday – Calvin Rikard – GNSS Data and Demo / Dave Sersen – Drone RTK and Case Study / Vlad Bortchevsky – Reconstruction Case Study
  • Wednesday – Jon Northrup – Photography for the Investigator
  • Thursday – Jeremy Hunter – Photogrammetry / Brad Muir – Toyota Updates,
  • Thursday – Mark Wright – ATV Collisions, Testing, and Force Balance Comparison
  • Friday – Brad Muir / Greg Russell / Daniel Vomhof – CDR Update and Crash Test Data Review 

The Annual SCARS/Southeastern Conference – 2023

July 23-28, 2023 in the Charleston/Mt Pleasant South Carolina area
This conference was co-hosted by the following Associations:
SCARS & IAARS

Conference Speakers & Topics

  • Monday – Live Crash Testing
  • Tuesday – Greg Russell – “STUFF” … Drone Update, Status of PIX-4D, Trials and Tribulations of Computer “Upgrades” with a Touch of Computer History
  • Tuesday – Brad Muir – Friction Testing, Time Zero Determination, Spedometer Accuracy
  • Wednesday – Daniel Vomhof – 3D Scanning with Phone Technologies(Recon-3D), Determining Speed from Crush, Bicycle Crash Case Study
  • Wednesday – Carmen Daecher – Traffic Control and Sight Distance at Signalized Intersections and “You Write the Script” a series of Case Reviews with Video
  • Thursday – John Daily – Introduction to Rotational Mechanics
  • Thursday – Steve Anderson – Heavy Truck EDR Update and Case Studies
  • Friday – Brad Muir – Crash Test Data   and   CDR Update

The Annual SCARS/Southeastern Conference – 2022

July 24-29, 2022 in the Charleston/Mt Pleasant South Carolina area
This conference was co-hosted by the following Associations:
SCARS & IAARS

  • Monday – Live Crash Testing
  • Tuesday – John Daily – Traffic Crash Reconstruction – Crash Testing Through the Years
  • Tuesday – Tony Becker – Digital Forensic and Heavy Vehicle Event Data Recorders
  • Wednesday – Bryan Miller and Ken Richardson – Introduction to S-cam Brake Inspections
  • Wednesday – Greg Russell – Pix4D and Drone update with Case Study and CAD Techniques
  • Thursday – Jeremy Daily – Heavy Vehicle Networks and Chip Level Forensics
  • Thursday – TJ Tenant – A Tires Role in Accident Reconstruction
  • Friday – Brad Muir – Crash Test Data Review   and   CDR Update

The Annual SCARS/Southeastern Conference – 2021

July 25-30, 2021 in the Charleston/Mt Pleasant South Carolina area
This conference was co-hosted by the following Associations:
SCARS & IAARS

  • Monday – Crash Testing
  • Tuesday – Al Baxter – Motorcycle Crash Reconstruction / Jeff Muttart – Perception Reaction
  • Wednesday – Vlad Bortchevsky – From Collision to Prosecution / Anthony Barnes – CMV Collision Investigation Data / Greg Russell – Pix 4d and Go Pro GPS
  • Thursday – Joe Hudak – Roadway Design / William Messerschmidt – Human Factors
  • Friday – Brad Muir & Greg Russell – Crash Test Data review / Brad Muir – CDR Update

The Annual SCARS/Southeastern Conference – 2020

July 26-31, 2020 in the Charleston/Mt Pleasant South Carolina area
This conference was co-hosted by the following Associations:
SCARS & IAARS

CANCELLED DUE TO
COVID 19
complications

The Annual SCARS/Southeastern Conference – 2019

July 21-26, 2019 in the Charleston/Mt Pleasant South Carolina area
This conference was co-hosted by the following Associations:
SCARS & IAARS

  • Monday – Crash Testing
  • Tuesday – John Daily
  • Tuesday – Dr. David Porta (Occupant Kinematics)
  • Wednesday – TJ Tennent (Tires)
  • Thursday – Tony Becker (motorcycle crash data)
  • Friday – Brad Muir (CDR Update) – crash test data

The Annual SCARS/Southeastern Conference – 2018

July 22-27, 2018 in the Charleston/Mt Pleasant South Carolina area

There was no Crash Testing in 2018 due to last minute cancellation of the avaiability of the Crash Site that had been previously arranged.

The speakers for the conference:

        • Carmen Daecher – How to be a Successful Witness / Case Studies
        • TJ Tennent – Motorcycle Tires / Tire Failure
        • Jon Northrup – Skids
        • Greg Russell -UAV Overview / Critical Thinking in Accident Reconstruction
        • John Daily – TBD
        • Vlad Bortchevsky – Race Cars in Disguise
        • Tony Becker – Heavy Truck ECU data/Occupant Kinematics
        • Jon Northrup – CDR Update

The Annual SCARS/Southeastern Conference – 2017

July 23-28, 2017 in the Charleston/Mt Pleasant South Carolina area

The speakers for the conference:

The Annual SCARS/Southeastern Conference – 2016

SCARS, SeARS, and IAARS were participants in the WREX2016 conference held in Orlando, Florida, May 2-6, 2016.

WREX2016 was an “all hands evolution” and participation in that conference was judged to be a better allocation of funds and effort than trying to hold our own separate conference in 2016.

Look for the 2017 conference to return to South Carolina in July 2017.

The Annual SCARS/Southeastern Conference – 2015

July 26-31, 2015 in the Charleston/Mt Pleasant South Carolina area

The speakers for the conference:

  • Ralph Cunningham – ABS Deceleration / ATV Deceleration
  • Chris Sanchez – Prosecution of a Texting Killer – Part 2
  • Carmen Daecher – Roadway Design and Maintenance & Tort Liability / Intersection Control & Sight Distance Design / AER’S & Crash Investigation
  • Brad Muir – CDR Update / 2013 Crash Testing Data Summary
  • Nathan Shigemura – Energy Concepts / Using Simultaneous Equations to Solve Inline Collisions
  • Jeff Muttart – Acceleration

The Annual SCARS/Southeastern Conference – 2014

July 20-25, 2014 in the Charleston/Mt Pleasant South Carolina area

The speakers for the conference:

  • Vlad Bortchevsky – Comparison of Drag Factor Determination Methods
  • Ralph Cunningham – CDR Data in Real Life Situations
  • Carmen Daecher – A Day in the Life of an Expert
  • Brad Muir – CDR Update / 2013 Crash Testing Data Summary
  • Pete Murphy – Work Zone Collision Investigation
  • Jeff Muttart – Pedestrians
  • Jon Northrup – Digital Camera Photography in Accident Reconstruction
  • Nathan Shigemura – Solving for Multiple Events

The Annual SCARS/Southeastern Conference – 2013

July 20-26, 2013 in the Charleston/Mt Pleasant South Carolina area

The speakers for the conference:

  • Carmen Daecher – Punitive Damages Litigation from Z to A
  • Steve St. Amand – Momentum Solutions
  • Ralph Cunningham – Tire Nomenclature/Failure
  • Ronnie Crosby – Tire Failures
  • Don Floyd – Seatbelt Use Documentation
  • Don Floyd – Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Considerations
  • Allen Powers – EDR
  • Greg Russell – Excel in Accident Reconstruction – Narrowing Too Much into Something Useful
  • Jon Northrup – Photography
  • Vlad Bortchevsky – Yaw vs. Spin Analysis
  • Daniel Vomhof III – Crush Measurement & Use of the Force Balance Tool as a “Analysis Check”
  • Nathan Shigemura – Friction and Determining Deceleration Factors
  • Brad Muir – CDR Update / 2013 Crash Testing Data Summary

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The Annual SCARS/Southeastern Conference – 2012

July 22-27, 2012  in the Charleston/Mt Pleasant South Carolina area

*~ 2012 Crash Test Day – Photos and Video ~*

The speakers for the conference:

  • Carmen Daecher – CMV Regulation Updates
  • Keith Rodaway –  Garmin GPS units in Reconstruction
  • Billy Patterson – Report Writing Considerations
  • Gary Johnson – Underride Methodology
  • Lee Cope, Esq – Roadway Defects
  • William Barnes, Esq. – Product Defects
  • Greg Russell – Accident Reconstruction – Use What You Have
  • Brad Muir – CDR Update / 2012 Crash Testing Data Summary

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The Annual SCARS/Southeastern Conference – 2011

July 24-29, 2011 in the Charleston/Mt Pleasant South Carolina area

*~ 2011 Crash Test Day – Photos and Video ~*

The speakers for the conference:

  • Jeff Muttart – Human Factors
  • Ralph Cunningham – Crash Reconstruction Physics
  • Billy Patterson – Rule 26 Issues
  • Tommy Sturdivan – Commercial Vehicle Inspection
  • Carmen Daecher – Liability Issues
  • Greg Russell – Crash Reconstruction using CDR
  • Brad Muir – CDR Update / 2011 Crash testing data summary

The Annual SCARS/Southeastern Conference – 2010

July 25-29, 2010 in the Charleston/Mt Pleasant South Carolina area

The speakers for the conference:

  • Bruno Schmidt – PDOF and delta-v
  • Brad Muir – CDR
  • Jeff Muttart – Human Factors issues “As much as can be packed into a half day“
  • Tommy Sturdivan – Spin Analysis: Speed Determination with Rotating Vehicles
  • Ralph Cunningham – Basic Physics, Linear Momentum, Critical Speed Yaw,  and Circular Motion
  • Daniel Vomhof III – Manual Stiffness Coefficient Research and Calculation

The Annual SCARS/Southeastern Conference – 2008

July 20-24, 2008 at the Sheraton Gateway Atlanta Airport Hotel.

The speakers for the conference:

  • Rusty Haight – Crash Testing
  • Jeff Muttart – Human Factors
  • Bill Messerschmidt – Commercial vehicle ECM’s
  • Ward Holton – Spin Analysis
  • Chris Stewart – Rollover Crash Analysis
  • Joe DiGregorio – Motorcycle Collision Investigation
  • Tommy Sturdivan – Reconstructing PIT manuvers
  • Lee DeChant – Close-Range Photogrammetry
  • Mickey Zimbalis – Tire Failure Analysis

The Annual SCARS Conference – 2007

July 22 – 26, 2007 at the Ramada, North Charleston.

The speakers for the conference:

  • Rusty Haight – Crash test data summary, mini CDR update (maybe), plus other interesting information topics
  • Bruno Schmidt, Ph.D. – Post impact trajectories and other important items to consider in speed calculations
  • Dave Stopper – Calculating speeds for ABS and ABS/conventional combination airbarked commercial motor vehicles
  • Daniel Vomhof, Ph.D. – Human factors considerations
  • Rick Tyrell, Ph.D. – Pedestrian conspicuity
  • Fred Rice – Drag Sled vs. Skid Testing

The Annual SCARS Conference – 2005

July 24 – 28, 2005 at the Clarion, North Charleston.

The speakers for the conference:

  • Rusty Haight for crash testing
  • Jeff Muttart for human factors
  • Mike Reade for pedestrian crashes
  • John Daily for narrow object impacts
  • John Meserve for insurance fraud investigations
  • Steve Breland and David Hill for conducting mechanical examinations.

 

 

 

 

 

 
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