Richard Baker
Richard joined Hawkins in 2017 as a Chartered Mechanical Engineer. He graduated from the University of Nottingham in 2009 with a First Class Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering. Richard has previously occupied the roles of Engineer, Senior Engineer and Principal Engineer. He now specialises in the forensic investigation of road traffic accidents/collisions, vehicle and mechanical failures, and image analysis typically of video recordings from CCTV systems and ‘dash-cams’. Richard has extensive experience in engineering design and analysis. As well as taking on more traditional mechanical engineering cases, such as those involving failures of mechanical joints and fasteners, Richard uses his experience in engineering data analysis and interrogation in cases involving video analysis. Richard applies scientific analysis methods to video recordings to facilitate interpretation of events in the context of space (position), time, speed, and the fundamental scientific and engineering principles that bound the problem. This work includes video clarification and enhancement, relating to single and multiple vehicle accidents, and collisions involving pedestrians and cyclists. This area of Richard’s work often strongly overlaps with his expertise in collision investigation and Richard is regularly instructed to deal with both Video Analysis Expert and Collision Reconstruction Expert aspects of a case. Richard has […]
Hawkins Welcomes Mechanical Engineer Gavin Dunn
This month Hawkins welcomes mechanical engineer Gavin Dunn to our Glasgow Office, we are sure he will be a great asset to our road traffic collision investigation team.
Hawkins’ Collision Investigators Back on Track at Brands Hatch & Cadwell
After a good start to the 2022 Classic Racing Motorcycle Club season at the Welsh Classic meeting in Pembrey over the Easter weekend, Charles and James raced at both the Brands Hatch meeting in May and the Anglesey meeting in June. Charles also most recently took part in races at Cadwell Park on 2 and 3 July.
Hawkins Collision Investigators Take to the Roads in Pembrey
Two Hawkins’ mechanical engineers, Charles Murdoch and James Wade, not only investigate road traffic collisions, but also take to the roads themselves during motorcycle club races.
Acceleration from Rest
Acceleration from Rest in Road Traffic Collisions in the Information Age emphasises understanding junction dynamics.
Spark Ignition: Electrical Fires Onboard Vehicles
Forensic investigations into the causation of vehicle fires may be considered, by some, to be a dark art.
Autonomous Emergency Braking
Active safety systems like Autonomous Emergency Braking face real-world challenges not replicated in tests. This insight explores these discrepancies and testing
Robert Taylor Joins Hawkins’ Road Traffic Collision Investigation Team
Robert is a Chartered Engineer and has joined Hawkins after working in automotive systems at Millbrook Proving Ground.
Wearing a Helmet When Cycling Might Just Save Your Life
One might think that in today’s Health and Safety conscious society there would be universal support for the wearing of cycle helmets. However, amongst the cycling community, opinion remains sharply divided on the issue of making helmet use mandatory. Advocates for the wearing of cycle helmets have rider safety as their primary concern, but critics claim that making helmet use compulsory will discourage people from cycling, meaning that those who choose not to would miss out on the health benefits that regular cycling can offer.
The Importance of Understanding the Starting Acceleration of Cars in Everyday Traffic
On UK roads in 2018, a total of 160,597 personal-injury road traffic collisions were reported to the Police, with at least one fatality recorded in 1,784 of those collisions.