Motor Vehicle Accident Reconstruction and Cause Analysis

Dr. Rudolf Limpert has had a long and successful career as consulting engineer on motor vehicle and traffic safety. The success of his consulting career finds its source in his German apprenticeship program as automobile and Diesel truck mechanic over 60 years ago. While also studying at night, he received his journeyman and associated mechanical engineering degrees at the same time three years later. Two years later Dr. Limpert graduated with a bachelor‘s degree in mechanical engineering with emphasis on design and manufacturing. In the German industry, he designed fork lifts and cranes as well as worked as manufacturing engineer. While working as brake system design engineer for a large German brake manufacturer, he realized an important limitation in his education: While having an excellent practical experience and knowledge of things mechanical, the theoretical aspects, for example, in analyzing brake temperature or vehicle dynamic stability, were entirely beyond the boundaries of his practical knowledge. Immigrating to the U.S. in 1965, and nearly seven years later, Dr. Limpert had received his bachelor‘s and master‘s degree from Brigham Young University and Ph.D.in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan.

While working as safety standards engineer for NHTSA in pre-crash safety, the vice-president for research at the University of Utah asked Dr. Limpert to direct the multi-disciplinary accident investigation team at the University of Utah. Dr. Limpert accepted the position, and nearly 3,500 crash investigations, over 300 trial testimonies and 800 depositions, and innumerable lawyer-case formulations as well as teaching thousands of engineers, experts, police officers and lawyers later, the Seventh Edition of Motor Vehicle Accident Reconstruction and Cause Analysis embodies Dr. Limpert‘s professional life experience and writing motto: From the practical to the theoretical. When experts and lawyers understand and use this simple concept, juries and judges will thank you for it.