Trooper testifies that data from Karen Read’s SUV was ‘consistent with’ pedestrian strike
Story by Travis Andersen
• 26m
3:50 p.m. — Judge sends jurors home, keeps Trooper Paul on the stand
Judge Beverly Cannone sent jurors home for the weekend shortly before 3:50 p.m.
She said Trooper Joseph Paul would remain on the stand, apparently for voir dire out of the presence of jurors.
3:36 p.m. — Trooper Paul testifies that crash test dummy was fully visible from inside SUV at distance of at least five feet
State Police Trooper Joseph Paul, who is assigned to the agency’s collision analysis and reconstruction section, said there were “no obstructions” between the SUV and the dummy during the testing.
At a distance of at least five feet, Paul said, the dummy was fully visible from his vantage point inside the SUV.
A video clip then played on the monitor of the SUV moving in reverse during the testing. Paul said the Lexus had an antilock brake system. ”It doesn’t leave visible tire marks” in a crash, Paul said. “The tires never fully lock up.”
Antilock brakes also make “no screeching of the tires” in crashes, Paul said.
3:27 p.m — Trooper Paul testifies about cameras ‘working properly’ in Read’s SUV
Joseph Paul said Read’s Lexus SUV also has an overhead camera. As the driver approaches an object, Paul said, a light will flash and the driver will hear a beeping sound.
As the driver gets closer to the object, the beeping gets louder with more frequency, he said.
”Everything seemed to be working properly” in Read’s SUV when he tested it on Feb. 1, 2022, Paul said.
He said a “punching bag dummy” was placed behind Read’s SUV along the “right rear” side during the testing. From inside the vehicle, Paul said, “it would have been visible” on Read’s cameras as the SUV went in reverse.
3:20 p.m. — State Police crash expert testifies O’Keefe appeared to have been hit in ‘sideswipe manner’
State Police Trooper Joseph Paul, who is assigned to the agency’s collision analysis and reconstruction section, said John O’Keefe appeared to have been hit in a “sideswipe manner” and was projected to the left, so the SUV would not have traveled over him.
Paul said a pedestrian’s center mass is along the chest area. On Feb. 1, 2022, he said, he conducted forward and rear acceleration braking tests on the SUV, as well as a check of the Lexus’s cameras to conduct a “visibility analysis.”
He said that analysis was conducted during the daytime hours. Read allegedly struck O’Keefe during the predawn hours under cover of darkness.
”A lot of times when it’s an intentional act visibility is not an issue,” Paul said, explaining why the analysis wasn’t conducted at night. Paul also identified a photo of the SUV’s “infotainment system,” which contains the rearview cameras for drivers when they’re moving in reverse. He also identified the push-button starter in the interior of the Lexus.
3:01 p.m. — Trooper Paul testifies that data set from Read’s SUV is ‘consistent with’ pedestrian strike
Trooper Joseph Paul said he reviewed possible travel routes from 34 Fairview Road to O’Keefe’s home on Meadows Avenue in Canton where Read traveled after dropping him off.
Paul said he labeled the triggering events as A and B, and that A occurred first. He said event A lasted about 10 seconds, with the SUV traveling at 9.9 m.p.h., slowing down and then going back up to around 6 m.p.h. Paul said it appeared the vehicle was “slowing down and making a U-turn” at that point.
He said event B showed the vehicle hitting speeds of 24.2 m.p.h. He said the data indicates the accelerator pedal was pressed down at 74 percent. He said the data shows the vehicle “was in drive” and slowed down to zero m.p.h. and then moved in reverse.
Paul the steering wheel angle “does not change much” during that seconds long interlude. ”It’s still fairly straight” as it moves backward at a top rate at 24.2 m.p.h., Paul said. He said the data set is “consistent with” a pedestrian strike, as the speed of the SUV went from 24.2 mph to 23.6 m.p.h. in less than second. O’Keefe’s injuries, Paul said, were also “consistent with a pedestrian collision.”
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