Accident Reconstruction

[mightymike200]

Dear physics geniuses,

I have a situation that I need help with. There is a van on the street and someone took a photo of it.

I have uploaded 2 photos here

What I need to know is how far is the top of that white hinge from the ground (so the distance between the red line and the ground) and how far is the bottom of that white hinge from the ground (so the distance between the green line and the ground).

Some information that might be helpful:

This van has a California license plate. in California, license plates are 12 inches by 6 inches.

The van is a Ford Transit 150. I don't know what year.

I don't know how far the camera was from the van.

with the exception of the van, I can measure anything that appears on that street and report back.

Edited December 18, 2023 by mightymike200

[Phi for All]

1 hour ago, mightymike200 said:

What I need to know is how far is the top of that white hinge from the ground (so the distance between the red line and the ground) and how far is the bottom of that white hinge from the ground (so the distance between the green line and the ground).

The hinge looks to be about level with the top of the rear tire. Lots of variables there, but a 2019 model I saw had 215/50 R17 tires, which are 25.5" tall.

[swansont]

You could also see if the models have consistent dimensions, and if so, use that as a scale. 

[studiot]

Simplest way is to go to a Ford dealer (parts dept) and measure the hinge from a transit 150.

I found plenty of drawings without dimensions on the web.

You mkay also find another van and be able to measure the ground distances if they are relevant.

Trying to use a photo as evidence of measurement is likely to tie anyone up in legal arguments about photgrammetry.

This is because the actual point of the road vertically below the hing is difficult to locate on the photo and capable of significant argument, depending upon who is measuring it.

[swansont]

Dimensions are easy to find. The trouble is there are different versions of the vehicle.

https://sportsmobile.com/transit-van-info/

 

The license plate could be used as a reference, but since it’s small the uncertainty of an extrapolation will be a bit larger. Some image software will let you count the number of pixels in a line you draw.