Animations: Motorcoach Run-Off-the-Road Accident
New Orleans, Louisiana,
on May 9, 1999

Videos are available in MPEG-1 and were presented at the Board meeting on 8/28/01 in Washington, D.C., for the New Orleans, LA Accident Investigation.
 

Vehicle Dynamics: The vehicle dynamics along the roadway, during the departure from the roadway, the vault over the golf cart underpass, and the impact with the opposite side embankment were examined. Two views were investigated. The first represents a potential witness view of the accident. The second shows a view highlighting the front of the bus followed by the side of the bus during the vault and impact with the embankment.

WitnessFinal.mpg (Video = 2024K)

This view shows a potential witness view of the accident bus as it leaves the roadway, impacts a guardrail, vaults over a golf cart underpass, and then impacts the opposite side embankment.

SideFinal.mpg (Video = 1917K)

This view looks backward toward the front of the bus as the bus leaves the roadway and impacts the guardrail. The view then rotates to the side of the bus to illustrate the vault and the impact with the opposite side embankment.

FinalSlow.mpg (Video = 2073K)

This view is the same as the view above but in slow motion (1/3^rd speed). The view begins immediately prior to the impact with the guardrail.

Occupant Kinematics: The exact occupant locations were not known for this accident due to the large number of occupants on the bus and the large loss of life. Therefore, a simulated occupant, representing a 50^th percentile adult male was placed in different locations inside the bus. Simulations were run to look at the differences between occupant location inside the bus, seat back stiffness, and also between unrestrained and restrained conditions. The following videos are examples of the simulations investigated to better understand occupant motion inside the accident bus.

OccFrontalView.mpg (Video = 1154K)
Slow motion view of the unrestrained occupant kinematics of the 50^th percentile simulated adult male located in six different areas of the bus (1/3^rd speed).
This view displays the occupant kinematics of the simulated occupant in each of six areas of the bus. The full simulation is shown indicating the potential for ejection of the occupant when seated in the front of the simulated bus as the bus travels to rest.

OccLocation.mpg (Video = 1801K)
Slow motion view of the simulated occupant when seated in the front as compared to the back of the bus (1/10^th speed).
This view shows the same simulated occupant when seated in the front and the back of the bus. Occupant kinematics can be compared between the two positions.

OccStiff.mpg (Video = 662K)
Slow motion view of the simulated occupant when seated behind a soft seat back and a stiff seat back (1/10^th speed).
This view shows the same simulated occupant when behind a soft seat back and when seated behind a stiff seat back. The video is only shown for the first 0.5 seconds after the impact with the embankment to highlight the initial differences in occupant motion. Occupant kinematics can again be compared between the two seat back stiffnesses.

OccBelted.mpg (Video = 635K)
Slow motion view of the simulated occupant when unrestrained and when restrained by a lap/shoulder belt (1/10^th speed).
This view shows the same simulated occupant both unrestrained and restrained by a lap/shoulder belt. The video is only shown for the first 0.5 seconds after the impact with the embankment to highlight the initial differences in occupant motion. Occupant kinematics can again be compared between the two restraint conditions.

Additional Information on Commercial Vehicle Safety:

• Public Hearing - Effectiveness of Commercial Driver Oversight Programs (January 20-21, 2000)
• Public Hearing - Advanced Safety Technology Applications for Commercial Vehicles (August 31- September 2, 1999)
• Public Hearing - Truck/Bus Safety (April 14-16, 1999)
• NTSB SIR-99/01- Selective Motorcoach Issues (February 11, 1999)