Jesse Wobrock has spent a lot of time lately wondering what happens to the rider when a motorcycle crashes into the side of a car or truck. Although most motorcycle accidents don’t involve other vehicles, broadside crashes have the highest rate of fatalities and cause the most and worst injuries.

Although Jesse occasionally rides a bike himself, his interest is entirely professional. His doctoral dissertation in biomechanics will examine these crashes in detail, using both historical records and computer modeling. The idea is to "figure out what characteristics of an accident cause particular injuries," he says. "Then if we can change the characteristic, hopefully, we will decrease the injuries."

Two characteristics are of particular interest, the first being speed. Studying all of the broadside motorcycle crashes in the Southern California Injury Prevention Research Center’s database, Jesse found that the greater the change in velocity—say from 50 mph to 0—the greater the injuries. Most motorcycle crashes occur at 20 to 30 mph.

Besides speed, the degree of injury is related to what happens after the initial crash: "What the riders hit afterward, and how many things they hit, can increase their injuries," Jesse says. If, for example, the rider hits the roadway, injuries may be limited to abrasions and bruises. Two crucial characteristics of the secondary impact affect injuries, density and sharpness—more of either means worse injuries. "If a driver hits a curb compared to a bush," Jesse says, "obviously the curb is denser and sharper and would cause more injuries."

But the most dangerous object for the rider to hit may well be right in front of him: the motorcycle’s gas tank. It "sits right in front of the rider’s pelvis," Jesse points out, and severe pelvic injuries may result from broadside crashes. The front of the bike "is probably the best place" for the gas tank in most respects, Jesse says. Using computer modeling, however, he hopes to manipulate speed and "the geometry of the motorcycle," looking for ways to reconfigure the bike and the gas tank to reduce the severity of injuries.

You see, while pursuing his doctoral degree, Jesse has also built a résumé of accident reconstruction work and court testimony that is five years long. As a result, unlike many of his fellow graduate students, Jesse is not looking for work. In March, he established his own company, Accident Reconstruction and Biomechanics, which provides consulting services to attorneys and insurance companies.

Looking at police reports, photos of the accident scene, damage to the cars, and medical records describing injuries, Jesse can tell what happened with great accuracy. He can also tell what didn’t happen—what injuries could not have been caused by the accident and, therefore, may involve fraud. In most cases, however, inaccurate memory rather than fraud is at work.

Jesse points out that "the actual time when two vehicles are colliding is only about 100 milliseconds or .1 second." As a result two witnesses may tell different stories, neither of which is entirely true. "There are different levels of truth," Jesse says, and in describing accidents, it usually comes down to which witness "is more right."

Jesse began working in accident reconstruction while he was still an undergraduate at Cal State Northridge, after switching his major from physical therapy to kinesiology. His adviser referred him to a company that provided accident consulting, and Jesse’s career was launched.

With his master's degree in kinesiology and biomechanics in hand, Jesse nevertheless decided to pursue a doctorate at UCLA for two reasons. Professionally, "higher education is really valued," he says. "Having a graduate degree gives you more credibility as a witness." In addition, Jesse says, "I like education. I like being around and discussing things with people who are educated."

In a remarkable way, his graduate education and his career-in-progress have furthered each other. One reason that Jesse was initially assigned to ongoing motorcycle research was that professors knew about his work experience. He learned how to use the modeling software, Madymo, for his academic research, but it was useful in his job. In fact, everything he’s learned as a graduate student has enhanced his abilities as an accident consultant, while doing his job "has made me more interested in what I’m learning. It gives me a reason to want to go to class."

When Jesse was a boy growing up in Lompoc, California, he had no inkling that he might build a career reconstructing accidents and making motorcycles safer. "I thought I was going to be a baseball coach or a baseball player," he says, "but I was always breaking bones so maybe that has something to do with it."

Published in Spring 2005, Graduate Quarterly