{"id":319,"date":"2023-09-04T19:02:46","date_gmt":"2023-09-04T19:02:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/safetyengineeringresources.com\/?page_id=319"},"modified":"2023-09-04T19:08:07","modified_gmt":"2023-09-04T19:08:07","slug":"forensic-clues-issue-77-accidents-involving-mobility-devices","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/safetyengineeringresources.com\/index.php\/forensic-clues-issue-77-accidents-involving-mobility-devices\/","title":{"rendered":"Forensic Clues Issue 77: Accidents Involving Mobility Devices"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>

Mobility Device Accidents<\/span><\/h3>\n\n

First published Summer of 2020<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

Accidents Involving Mobility Aids<\/h6>\n\n

<\/span><\/p>

Mobility aids are devices that help people with difficulty\nwalking whether due to age, injury, or disease, continue to be able to move\naround.<\/span>  <\/span>These devices include a variety\nof styles for specific applications.<\/span> \n<\/span>Users of these<\/span>     <\/span>devices rely on\nthe stability and strength of the mobility aids, and trust that the device they\nare using is safe, and will continue to be safe.<\/span>  <\/span>Due to the difficulties that users experience\nthat require the use of mobility aids, users are often less able to protect\nthemselves in the event of a device failure or tipover, and can be more likely\nto suffer more significant injuries.<\/span>  <\/span>The\nweight of the user can often be a factor as well, as due to a lack of mobility\nsome users can be near the weight limit of these devices or even over the\nweight limit.<\/span>  <\/span>This issue of Forensic\nClues will examine the different types of mobility devices, some common failure\nmodes, and how we can help you with your client\u2019s accident case.<\/span><\/p>\n

Walkers, Canes, Crutches<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Mobility devices without\nwheels include walkers, canes, and crutches which are typically support aids\nthat users lean on to help them walk. \nWalkers typically have four legs to them, with some designs having two\nlegs.  The four-legged versions typically\nhave two legs with wheels, and two legs with rubber stoppers on them.  Canes and crutches have singular legs.  <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Wheelchairs \/ Powered\nScooters<\/o:p><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Wheelchairs are one of the\nmost common types of mobility aids, and are mobile chairs that can be\nself-propelled or motor-driven, for the purpose of locomotion of the user.  Wheelchairs provide full support for the\nweight of the individual, and motion is generated by someone pushing it, the\nuser rolling the large wheels to provide    \nlocomotion, or with a motor of some sort.  These usually have some sort of braking\nsystem.  <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Rollators<\/o:p><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Rollators are a type of walker with wheels on each leg.\nThey are sometimes equipped with a sitting surface to rest on, that is not\nintended to be used while the unit is in motion.  Rollators provide stability, balance,\nand    support for the user.  While normally equipped with four wheels\nthere are three-wheel versions.  They usually\nhave brakes on two or more of the wheels. Rollators are at times combined with\na transport chair. <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Rollator\/Transport Chair<\/o:p><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The primary difference\nbetween a rollator, and a rollator\/transport chair is that the\nrollator\/transport chair is designed to allow motion of the device with the\nuser in it, compared to a rollator being designed to help the user walk, and stop\nto rest when needed.  <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Knee Scooters<\/o:p><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

A knee scooter is typically a four-wheeled device that\nallows a user to place one or both of his or her knees on the device to\nfacilitate movement.  It can have brakes,\nas well as all-terrain versions with larger wheels.  <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Support Aids<\/o:p><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Some devices are not intended to help facilitate movement,\nbut rather stationary support.  These can\ninclude lift assist devices intended to help a person to their feet from a\nseated position, or can include chairs that are intended for bath use.  There are also bath transfer chairs and\nbenches which have a seated position on the   \nexterior of the bath as well as in the bath itself, to help with transitioning\nbetween the bath and the floor. <\/span> <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

What Can Go Wrong?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/strong>Collapse<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Mobility aids typically\nhave designs that make them stowable, involving folding or retractable legs and\nother    structural members.  While this facilitates transport in vehicles,\nthis also introduces a failure mode of the device collapsing.  If these devices had fixed structural\nmembers, this failure mode would be eliminated. \nCollapse can occur due to the failure of connections that keep the\ndevice in the weight-supporting mode, including bolts that fail, are loose, or\nfall out.  Other connection failures can\ninclude pins that are spring-loaded, and come out of their corresponding hole,\nor is assembled such that the pin is not engaged.  Some designs are safer than others, with\nfailures of connections or loading in an atypical manner not causing\ncollapse.  Collapse can be due to\ndesign      failure, failure to maintain,\nincorrect assembly, or human error. <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Tipover<\/o:p><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Tipover is a very common\nmode of failure with mobility devices. \nTipovers can occur to either side, to the front, or to the rear.  While some tipovers are unavoidable, many are\ndue to designs that are not adequately stable.     Manufacturers at times design their\nproducts to meet industry standards, which does not necessarily mean that the\ndesign will be safe, due to arbitrary industry standards, standards that do not\nencompass all conditions a    mobility\naid will face, and corrupt standards that are developed by product\nmanufacturers to protect themselves.  One\naccident we see often is tipovers due to hitting a bump.  This scenario is not adequately covered by\nindustry standards, as standards call for static (not-moving) stability tests\nunless the device is an electric-powered wheelchair.  Tipovers can be due to a poor, unstable\ndesign, overreaching on the part of the user, a user being overweight, being on\nan angled surface, the occupant holding extra weight, or hitting a bump.  <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Brake Failure<\/o:p><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Brake failure can result\nin collision or tipover accidents, and can be due to a failure to maintain,\nincorrect assembly of the mobility device, design defects, or due to the brakes\nbeing inadequate to slow or stop the device. \n<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Structural Failure<\/o:p><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Another common cause of\nmobility device accidents is structural failure of the device, which can\ninclude the main structural components collapsing, buckling, or rupturing.  This can be due to design defects resulting\nin inadequate strength, the weight of the user being greater than the rated\nstrength of the device, deterioration of the device, or loose connections that\nresult in unanticipated forces that the structure cannot withstand.   <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Assembled Incorrectly<\/o:p><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Incorrect assembly is\noften noted prior to use, but can go undetected, and can include a variety of\nfailures such as not using all bolts or other connectors, or having components\nreversed or mounted in the incorrect location.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

User Exceeding Capacity of\nDevice<\/o:p><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

We often see devices fail with users that are either\nslightly under, or slightly over the rated capacity of the device.  While a lay person may think that a failure\nof a device when used by someone who his ten pounds heavier than the rated\ncapacity is the user\u2019s fault, this does not correlate with engineering design\nprinciples, that require a   factor of\nsafety for any design where the health and welfare of an individual is at\nstake.  A failure of a device due to the\nuser being heavy, is a failure to properly design the device with adequate\nfactors of safety.  Dynamic loading\noccurs whenever motion is involved, such as hitting a bump in a\nwheelchair.  This bump can magnify the\nweight of the user over four times, resulting in potential failure of the\ndevice if it does not have adequate factors of safety.  This literally means that a 300-pound user\ncan generate 1200 pounds of force when motion is involved.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

How We Can Help<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

At MASE, we can determine if an accident involving a\nmobility aid is due to a design defect, failure to maintain, or human\nerror.  We offer full service mechanical\nengineering expert witness services.  The\nfirst step is a free review of basic case information and photographs, at which\npoint you will be informed of our thoughts on the case, the mode of failure if\nidentifiable at this point, and the validity of a potential liability or\npremises claim.  Data and conclusions can be drawn from the failed\ndevice itself, and exemplars are often purchased, examined, and tested.  <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Call\nus at (855) 627-6273 \/ email info@mase.pro  <\/u><\/o:p><\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>

\n<\/p>

 <\/span><\/p><\/span>

<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Contact MASE today at (855) 627-6273 <\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":61,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-319","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nForensic Clues Issue 77: Accidents Involving Mobility Devices - Mechanical and Safety Engineering Expert Witnesses<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When mobility aids like walkers, wheelchairs, or rollators fail, design, manufacturing and failure to maintain defects are often to blame.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/safetyengineeringresources.com\/index.php\/forensic-clues-issue-77-accidents-involving-mobility-devices\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Forensic Clues Issue 77: Accidents Involving Mobility Devices - Mechanical and Safety Engineering Expert Witnesses\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When mobility aids like walkers, wheelchairs, or rollators fail, design, manufacturing and failure to maintain defects are often to blame.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/safetyengineeringresources.com\/index.php\/forensic-clues-issue-77-accidents-involving-mobility-devices\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Mechanical and Safety Engineering Expert Witnesses\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-09-04T19:08:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/safetyengineeringresources.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/blueprint4.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"863\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"629\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/safetyengineeringresources.com\\\/index.php\\\/forensic-clues-issue-77-accidents-involving-mobility-devices\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/safetyengineeringresources.com\\\/index.php\\\/forensic-clues-issue-77-accidents-involving-mobility-devices\\\/\",\"name\":\"Forensic Clues Issue 77: Accidents Involving Mobility Devices - Mechanical and Safety Engineering Expert Witnesses\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/safetyengineeringresources.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/safetyengineeringresources.com\\\/index.php\\\/forensic-clues-issue-77-accidents-involving-mobility-devices\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/safetyengineeringresources.com\\\/index.php\\\/forensic-clues-issue-77-accidents-involving-mobility-devices\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/safetyengineeringresources.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/05\\\/blueprint4.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-09-04T19:02:46+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-09-04T19:08:07+00:00\",\"description\":\"When mobility aids like walkers, wheelchairs, or rollators fail, design, manufacturing and failure to maintain defects are often to blame.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/safetyengineeringresources.com\\\/index.php\\\/forensic-clues-issue-77-accidents-involving-mobility-devices\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/safetyengineeringresources.com\\\/index.php\\\/forensic-clues-issue-77-accidents-involving-mobility-devices\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/safetyengineeringresources.com\\\/index.php\\\/forensic-clues-issue-77-accidents-involving-mobility-devices\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/safetyengineeringresources.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/05\\\/blueprint4.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/safetyengineeringresources.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/05\\\/blueprint4.jpg\",\"width\":863,\"height\":629,\"caption\":\"Mechanical Engineering Design\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/safetyengineeringresources.com\\\/index.php\\\/forensic-clues-issue-77-accidents-involving-mobility-devices\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/safetyengineeringresources.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Forensic Clues Issue 77: Accidents Involving Mobility Devices\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/safetyengineeringresources.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/safetyengineeringresources.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Mechanical and Safety Engineering Expert Witnesses\",\"description\":\"Professional Engineering Experts\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/safetyengineeringresources.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/safetyengineeringresources.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/safetyengineeringresources.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Mechanical and Safety Engineering Expert Witnesses\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/safetyengineeringresources.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/safetyengineeringresources.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/safetyengineeringresources.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/07\\\/mase.gif\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/safetyengineeringresources.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/07\\\/mase.gif\",\"width\":363,\"height\":363,\"caption\":\"Mechanical and Safety Engineering Expert Witnesses\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/safetyengineeringresources.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Forensic Clues Issue 77: Accidents Involving Mobility Devices - Mechanical and Safety Engineering Expert Witnesses","description":"When mobility aids like walkers, wheelchairs, or rollators fail, design, manufacturing and failure to maintain defects are often to blame.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/safetyengineeringresources.com\/index.php\/forensic-clues-issue-77-accidents-involving-mobility-devices\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Forensic Clues Issue 77: Accidents Involving Mobility Devices - Mechanical and Safety Engineering Expert Witnesses","og_description":"When mobility aids like walkers, wheelchairs, or rollators fail, design, manufacturing and failure to maintain defects are often to blame.","og_url":"https:\/\/safetyengineeringresources.com\/index.php\/forensic-clues-issue-77-accidents-involving-mobility-devices\/","og_site_name":"Mechanical and Safety Engineering Expert Witnesses","article_modified_time":"2023-09-04T19:08:07+00:00","og_image":[{"width":863,"height":629,"url":"https:\/\/safetyengineeringresources.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/blueprint4.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/safetyengineeringresources.com\/index.php\/forensic-clues-issue-77-accidents-involving-mobility-devices\/","url":"https:\/\/safetyengineeringresources.com\/index.php\/forensic-clues-issue-77-accidents-involving-mobility-devices\/","name":"Forensic Clues Issue 77: Accidents Involving Mobility Devices - Mechanical and Safety Engineering Expert Witnesses","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/safetyengineeringresources.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/safetyengineeringresources.com\/index.php\/forensic-clues-issue-77-accidents-involving-mobility-devices\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/safetyengineeringresources.com\/index.php\/forensic-clues-issue-77-accidents-involving-mobility-devices\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/safetyengineeringresources.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/blueprint4.jpg","datePublished":"2023-09-04T19:02:46+00:00","dateModified":"2023-09-04T19:08:07+00:00","description":"When mobility aids like walkers, wheelchairs, or rollators fail, design, manufacturing and failure to maintain defects are often to blame.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/safetyengineeringresources.com\/index.php\/forensic-clues-issue-77-accidents-involving-mobility-devices\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/safetyengineeringresources.com\/index.php\/forensic-clues-issue-77-accidents-involving-mobility-devices\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/safetyengineeringresources.com\/index.php\/forensic-clues-issue-77-accidents-involving-mobility-devices\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/safetyengineeringresources.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/blueprint4.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/safetyengineeringresources.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/blueprint4.jpg","width":863,"height":629,"caption":"Mechanical Engineering Design"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/safetyengineeringresources.com\/index.php\/forensic-clues-issue-77-accidents-involving-mobility-devices\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/safetyengineeringresources.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Forensic Clues Issue 77: Accidents Involving Mobility Devices"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/safetyengineeringresources.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/safetyengineeringresources.com\/","name":"Mechanical and Safety Engineering Expert Witnesses","description":"Professional Engineering Experts","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/safetyengineeringresources.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/safetyengineeringresources.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/safetyengineeringresources.com\/#organization","name":"Mechanical and Safety Engineering Expert Witnesses","url":"https:\/\/safetyengineeringresources.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/safetyengineeringresources.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/safetyengineeringresources.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/mase.gif","contentUrl":"https:\/\/safetyengineeringresources.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/mase.gif","width":363,"height":363,"caption":"Mechanical and Safety Engineering Expert Witnesses"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/safetyengineeringresources.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/safetyengineeringresources.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/319","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/safetyengineeringresources.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/safetyengineeringresources.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/safetyengineeringresources.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/safetyengineeringresources.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=319"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/safetyengineeringresources.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/319\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":326,"href":"https:\/\/safetyengineeringresources.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/319\/revisions\/326"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/safetyengineeringresources.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/61"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/safetyengineeringresources.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=319"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}