Trial reporting describes Ring footage of Read reversing beside O'Keefe's parked Traverse and Welcher's contact analysis.
What the record shows
Welcher concluded that the low-speed contact occurred below the upper taillight and did not cause its damage. Cross-examination challenged his reconstruction, vehicle positions, and suspension-height assumptions.
Welcher used later police-station measurements as the assumed suspension height for his reconstruction. The defense challenged that assumption; he cited the low driveway speed in support of it.
Limits and disputed context
The video is distinct from the expert's reconstruction of clearance and damage. The cause of the upper-taillight damage remained disputed. We have not independently authenticated the original footage or reproduced the geometry.
Why the driveway explanation does not persuade us
Our assessment of whether the later contact explains the upper taillight damage.
The claim we are examining
The later driveway contact was offered as an alternative explanation for the taillight damage.
Why we give this weight
The key question is whether the upper taillight touched the Traverse. Welcher said it did not. We find that explanation persuasive, so the fact that the vehicles bumped is not enough, in our view, to explain the upper taillight damage.
The material challenge
That conclusion depends on a close clearance. The defense challenged the video geometry and the assumed suspension height; small errors in those assumptions could change whether the light made contact.
Our response
We favor Welcher's explanation, but we cannot rule out taillight contact simply by repeating his conclusion. The reconstruction depends on its measurements and assumptions. The video establishes a bump; identifying exactly which parts touched is the disputed step.
What we are not claiming
We do not describe the taillight's precise clearance as a direct measurement taken during the January 29 contact.
S02: Welcher: reverse-driving data and contact demonstrations
May 27, 2025: 1 p.m. update (trigger data); 4 p.m. update (driveway contact).
Open publisher sourceS03: Welcher cross-examination and driveway geometry
May 29, 2025, 11:30 a.m. update: driveway geometry, suspension assumptions and trigger criteria.
Open publisher source