Vehicles / Crash Reconstruction
Our Vehicles and Crash Reconstruction Group includes Vehicle, Highway, and Human Factors Experts supported by our Tires, Materials, Biomechanical, Illumination, Meteorology, and Fire/Explosion Experts. The input of all these Experts provides the needed information for our Crash Reconstruction Experts to perform complex crash reconstruction analyses and provide demonstrative evidence for courtroom testimony. These Experts have analyzed all types of crashes involving cars, trucks, trailers, buses, recreational vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles, boats, ATV’s, and pedestrians.
Our Vehicle Experts, including Automotive, Mechanical, and Electrical Engineers, have analyzed, designed, manufactured, tested, and operated vehicles and their components. These experts can determine how the vehicle initiated or contributed to the severity of crashes. They are experts in steering, suspension, brakes, electrical/controls/lighting, seats, airbags, seat belts, structural components, fuel systems, “black boxes,” and crashworthiness.
Our Highway Experts include Civil and Structural Engineers with design, construction, and maintenance experience for roads (including slopes, banks, surfaces), bridges, guardrails/barriers/medians, lighting, drainage, and traffic controls. They can determine if the existing highway conditions, including work zone safety, contributed to the initiation or the severity of the crash.
Our Human Factors Experts can evaluate driver fatigue; operator perception and reaction; and actual or possible avoidance maneuvers, to determine their effects on the initiation or severity of the crash.
Our Tire Experts can determine if tires were defective or were damaged in the crash, and also the all-important interaction between the tires and the vehicle. Likewise, our Materials Experts can evaluate damaged vehicle components to determine 1) if they initiated or were a result of the crash and 2) the likely method of failure (e.g. fatigue, corrosion, etc).
Our Biomechanical Experts can evaluate crash forces and render an opinion about crash severity from a biomechanical viewpoint. They can examine the forces acting on the human body and predict how the body will react to those forces. Finally, they can render opinions concerning likely types of injuries that could result from a crash and the specific mechanics of those injuries.
Our Illumination and Meteorology Experts can evaluate how poor lighting and/or weather conditions could have contributed to the crash.
Our Fire/Explosion Investigators can inspect the vehicle and the vehicle site to determine if a fire or explosion caused the crash, or were the results of the crash. Electrical, fuel, and other vehicle components can be inspected and tested to determine if they were the origin and cause of the fire or explosion. They can also evaluate whether the fire or explosion, including carbon monoxide exposure, contributed to the severity of any injuries or deaths.
Finally, we have the trained and certified automotive technicians to inspect, tow, test, disassemble (with photography), and provide secured storage for any vehicle or component.
| First Name | Last Name | Title | CV Abstract |
|---|---|---|---|
| John M. | Agosti, CFEI | Fire & Explosion Investigator | Structure fires; vehicle fires; fire deaths/injuries: evidence collection and spoliation; witness interviews; still and video photography; building and fire codes, including fire/building code violations; life safety code violations; smoke, fire, carbon dioxide detector and alarm issues; fire spread issues; fire sprinklers, walls, and doors.; fire exits and illumination; fire prevention analysis; fire department practices, including fire department operations/practices/management; firefighter deaths/injuries/safety; origin and make initial determination of cause including structures, vehicles, equipment, and marine; insurance claims and criminal cases involving theft, fires, fraud, and conspiracies to commit arson; electrocutions; investigation of bombings and incendiary fires; boiler and furnace fires/explosions; LP and natural gas fires/explosions; kitchen range fires; spontaneous combustions; electrical fires, including automobile, truck, boats, and equipment; fireplace, flue, and chimney fires; home appliance fires; industrial fires and explosions. |
| Timothy A. | Dimoff, CCP, LPI | Security, Safety, and Police Expert | Security, safety, and police procedures; security systems planning, management, and evaluation; crime foreseeability; standards of care; causation issues; use of force; police pursuits; jail incidents; weapons use; failure to protect; drug and alcohol policies and testing; dram shop liability; corporate internal investigations; labor disputes and strikes; management training and development; security assessment and vulnerability issues; pre-employment screening and background checks; sexual harassment; workplace violence; crises management; executive security; human resource issues; corporate security; management training/employee education; arrest procedures; use of force/self defense/escalation of force; vehicle pursuit procedures; narcotics investigations/enforcement; patrol procedures; traffic enforcement procedures; accident investigations; internal investigation procedures; alternative weapons use; defensive driving; electronic restraint devices; aerosol projectors; martial arts; K-9 handler and trainer; DOT training; crack houses; clandestine labs; search warrants; dock and warehouse theft; fraud investigations; school violence and prevention. |
| Paul H. | Gross, CCM | Meterologist | Weather-related evaluations for vehicular accident reconstruction (including marine, aviation, and off-road); special events planning; construction delays; slip-and-fall incidents, including black ice formation; lightning strikes; property damage; time-of-death investigations; fire investigations. |
| David | Harris, ACTAR | Crash Reconstruction Expert | Vehicle crash reconstruction including autos, trucks, tractor-trailers, buses, motorcycles, bicycles, and off-road vehicles; crash retrieval systems; energy crush deformations; railroad crossings; total station mapping; computer-aided diagramming; insurance fraud; drug-interdiction; breathalyzer operation. |
| Richard | Hermance, FE, ACE | Vehicle Crash Reconstruction & Snowmobile Expert | Vehicle crashes; snowmobile operations and functions, including safety; operator performance evaluations; speed determinations; skid/scrape analysis; deformation/penetration analysis; vehicle and component research and testing; seat belts, including child restraints; pedestrian and bicycle incidents; crash computer simulations; trail design and safety, including signage; human factors, including daytime/nighttime visibility and reaction times; occupant trajectory; motorcycles, ATVs, racing cars, and watercraft; buses, motor homes, and trailers, including campers; dynamic traction analysis; injury and crash biomechanics; Crash Data Recorder (CDC) analysis; acceleration and braking tests; farm equipment. |
| James R. | Heyl, PE | Senior Electrical Engineer | Licensed Engineer in Michigan Industrial equipment; material handling systems; automation and robotic systems; power supplies; control systems; computer and PLC programming; quality control and safety; manufacturing operations; facilities construction and maintenance; electrical fires and explosions for equipment, structures, and vehicles; switchgear and substations; automated machinery; safety, predictive, and preventive maintenance programs; conveyor systems; safety interlocks; safety violations; instrumentation systems; AC/DC motors; code compliance; marina electrical systems; underground electrical distribution; welding systems; test cells; lighting systems including sport facilities and roadways. |
| Joseph A. | Incavo, PhD | Tire Expert | Tire forensics; material science of elastomers, polymers, and chemicals; FEA (Finite Element Analysis); manufacturing; testing; compounding; quality processes; intellectual property and patent support; reformulation analysis/interpretation; thermostats, thermoplastics, fillers, additives, and curatives; polyurethane elastomer products; Duraseal Tire Sealant; depolymerized butyl rubber; RFID tags; pyrolysis GC/MS; volatiles analysis; gas analysis; analytical instrumentation; hexane, ethylene, and polyethylene quality; petrochemical plants; gas chromatography; handling of toxic gases; clean rooms; tire molds; electron spectroscopy. |
| Rob | Painter, ASE, CFL, CFEI, CVFI, CFATE | Senior Forensic Vehicle Analyst | Vehicle transponders, ignition locks, steering columns, and anti-theft systems; vehicle fraud; production and testing of keys and locks; air bags; fire and explosion origin and cause; vehicle collision repair; auto and medium/heavy duty trucks; vehicle brakes, steering, suspension, engines, drive train, axles, air conditioning, and electrical/electronic components; auto dealership management. |
| Ethan | Parker, PE | Civil Engineer | Licensed Engineer in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and West Virginia Vehicle crash reconstruction, including automobiles, trucks, buses, trailers, motorcycles, water craft, and trains; analysis of mechanical and structural failures, including foundation, wall and roof collapses; vehicle defects and failures, including hydraulic/air brakes, steering and suspension, drive trains, and tires; mold remediation in homes, schools, and commercial buildings; vehicle fires and explosions, including arson; product defects, including mechanical and electrical failures; water infiltration, hail, and wind damage; roadway incidents, including road design and visibility analysis; design analysis; building code compliance; fire investigations; steel structures; glazing and roofing systems; conveyance systems; crane runways; traffic flow and accident patterns; signage and traffic signals. |
| Duane B. | Priddy, PhD | Materials / Chemistry Expert | Rheology of plastics/plasticization; medical implants (e.g. hip/ knee/ shoulder/ elbow); materials characterization, specification, and selection; certification testing; product inspections and testing procedures; failure mechanisms; chemical and solvent resistency; weatherability, stabilization, and degradation; flammability; food packaging; automotive applications; organic peroxides; films/foams; styrenic polymers; paints and coatings testing and failure mechanisms; adhesives; rubbers, elastics, fabrics and fibers failures and testing. |
| John W. | Ross | Trucking Expert | Trucking operations, maintenance, regulations/standards, safety, and training; oil field heavy trucking; OSHA 10; operation, inspection and maintenance of tractor-trailers and tankers; trucking industry safety standards; propane & hazardous materials certified; FMCSR trained; loading and unloading of hazardous materials safety; double/triple trailer and tanker driving experience; electronic log expertise & trainer; accident investigations; truck driver actions, reactions, responsibilities, qualifications, and training; standard of care; loading and unloading pipe and other flatbed load safety; driver skill testing; hydrocarbons and poisonous gases on oil and gas wells; troubleshoot mechanical damage and wear on vehicles; People-Net and Com-Data electronic log systems; crude oil spills and production water spills; haul production water and frac sand; inspect homes for propane leaks; install propane tanks and systems; extreme winter driving conditions; fly fishing guide service; hazardous materials regulations; air brake adjustment and inspection testing; SCBA (Self Contained Breathing Apparatus); longer combination vehicle certificate; oil and gas H2s awareness and safety. |
| Jim | Scott | Railroad Operations, Equipment, and Safety Expert | Railroad operations and equipment; safety training; train performance; commodities transportation; locomotive engineer; brakeman/foreman/conductor; air brakes; event recorders; locomotive engineer training; loading and unloading; end of train devices; derailment investigations; train emergencies; train simulators. |
| Robert S. | Sugarman, PhD, PE | Human Factors/Visual Expert | Human factors; visual perception; human vision (contrast, brightness, color, speed, and distance); conspicuity; attention; reaction time; product and equipment design; medical equipment; instructions and procedures; warnings and labels; individual differences training; cognitive psychology; situational awareness; vehicle accidents; industrial and construction accidents; slip and falls; ergonomics; workplace layout physics; instructional system development (ISD); perceptual processes; physiological processes; drunken driving; decreased alertness; studies of camouflage; machine interfaces; evaluation of commercial products; environmental health and safety; quality control. |
| Robert P. | Walson, PhD | Metallurgical/Materials Expert | Mechanical and material failures; structure and component analyses including metals, plastics, glass, ceramics, wood, and construction materials; nondestructive, microscopic, and surface chemistry testing; industrial equipment; construction equipment; consumer products; chemical processes; Scanning Electron Microscope and X-ray failure analyses; engine and power system components and materials including turbines; ceramic valve seat inserts; machine elements and design; high temperature cast irons alloyed with aluminum. |