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Product Liability
Product Liability for Face Damage
When fixing the power steering of a vehicle, it is of the utmost importance that cautionary measures be taken.
There was corrosion in the power steering electrical system, which should have been cleaned, but as the animation shows, there were no procedures in place to establish this behavior. Additionally, the bolt torque was 18 pounds, which was not to standard. All these factors contributed to the unfortunate incident. The driver was attempting to navigate to the left lane, but the steering locked in a left-turning position, which caused the vehicle to vear into oncoming traffic.
Additionally, we pair our own hyper-realistic renderings with actual evidence to produce compelling illustrations, leaving a lasting impact on the viewer. This particular animation shows a man that was involved in a wreck with a semi, resulting in serious injuries. We overlayed his MRI and other diagrams onto the actual animation to show the magnitude of pain and suffering endured by this motorist.
This clip shows that the electrical components for the power steering were indeed corroded, and gives an excellent visual for discerning the varying parts of the vehicle.
The bolt torque on the screw nearest the driver was certainly out of compliance, and the other screw was unknown. The locking of the steering wheel was absolutely a problem that could have been avoided by taking care of the electrical corrosion, and tightening the bolts to an appropriate torque.
When turning a certain measure of degrees counterclockwise, the steering wheel was liable to lock, and the servicers of the vehicle did not perform the recommended testing to ensure against this problematic situation.
As the car attempted to turn into the left lane, the steering wheel locked, and forced the car to continue turning left. This caused the vehicle to cross into oncoming traffic, which resulted in horrific damages.
Product Liability
Whether it’s a design flaw or user error, in a product liability case, there will be complications. Maybe the bearings on a machine weren’t lubricated properly, but the manufacturer also produced below standard bearings. In any case, an animation can provide clarity where there was confusion. In modern society, people gain most of their information via a digital medium, and pictures have become more crucial to our information processing than ever.
How many times have you heard somebody say “I’m a visual learner, I need to be able to see it to understand it”? Humans are growing increasingly dependent on visual media for their information, and from an evolutionary perspective, this makes sense. People are able to process information faster when it’s presented visually.
Simon Thorpe says in his abstract for an article for Nature: “How long does it take for the human visual system to process a complex natural image? Subjectively, recognition of familiar objects and scenes appears to be virtually instantaneous, but measuring this processing time experimentally has proved difficult. Behavioural measures such as reaction times can be used1, but these include not only visual processing but also the time required for response execution. However, event-related potentials (ERPs) can sometimes reveal signs of neural processing well before the motor output2. Here we use a go/no-go categorization task in which subjects have to decide whether a previously unseen photograph, flashed on for just 20 ms, contains an animal. ERP analysis revealed a frontal negativity specific to no-go trials that develops roughly 150 ms after stimulus onset. We conclude that the visual processing needed to perform this highly demanding task can be achieved in under 150 ms.”
Thorpe, S., Fize, D. & Marlot, C. (1996). Speed of processing in the human visual system, Nature, Vol 381.
Legal Animation for Product Liability by Fox AE
When attempting to understand the ins and outs of a product liability case, people should be given every advantage to succeed, and that is possible with an animation. At Fox-AE, we understand the importance of timing in a visual, and we intentionally pause our animations at key moments so that the viewer can soak in the information that’s being provided.
Jordan Peterson said in an interview “Human beings are visual animals. Half of our brain is taken up by visual processes, and we’re much more visual than virtually any other animal.” What this entails is that people need to be able to see something to fully comprehend it. Peterson, Jordan (Host) 08/01/2022 “Beyond Order: Rule 3 – Do Not Hide Unwanted Things in the Fog” Ep. 275 [Audio Podcast Episode] The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast
To summarize, humans can see things for even a very short period of time, and gather a relatively large amount of information from that quick visual. If 20 thousandths of a second is enough time to distinguish whether or not an animal is present in a picture, imagine what humans could do with a comfortable amount of time watching a video. Product liability cases have historically been very challenging to describe to a jury, but animations can drastically simplify the process.
Fox Animation Engineering - Industry Leader for Legal Graphics
Ultimately, Fox-AE is able to provide illustrations for all kinds of cases. Whether it’s product liability or accident reconstruction, we’re able to gather an enormous amount of complex information, and condense it into a relatively short video that anybody could understand.
