High Impact Work

At SER we are probably best known for writing structural reports related to the buying and selling of property. There is, however, a lesser known but very important area of the work we do which involves vehicle impacts and their aftermath.
These incidents can be very dramatic with a vehicle hitting a building (often residential) at high speed, sometimes causing extensive damage. They can be a terrifying experience for all involved. A fast response is needed from the team who head out to the site of the impact to make that crucial first assessment of the damage and the safety of the building involved. In some cases the Structural Engineer will deem the building (and possibly those alongside it) unsafe and evacuation is necessary. In this tense situation a calm head is needed, as well as a high level of skill and experience.
The next stage will be to make the building safe, working out what is needed in terms of temporary propping to prevent further collapse. In some cases, if the vehicle remains embedded in the building, an added challenge is to decide if it can be removed safely, as if the vehicle is holding the rest of the building up, then removing it could cause it to collapse. Buildings must be quickly made safe and a plan of work designed to maintain safety until remedial work can be completed. With every situation like this unique, the solution does not lie with a set of calculations, but rather with the expertise of the Structural Engineer which will be tested to the core.
A vehicle impact is not a ‘text-book’ exercise – each one is different and calls for a high level of skill in structural assessment, plus quick but decisive thinking, all underpinned by knowledge and experience. With over 50 years’ of this between them, you can’t beat our SER Engineers on that score.