Automotive / Vehicular Safety & Accident Prevention Consultants: 15

Traffic Safety Consultants (TSC) specializes in Traffic Jurisdictional Requirements and Compliance. TSC provides consulting services in the following areas:

Incidents of Internal “Back-Overs” / “Trapped Betweens” Special Events Safety & Health Management On-Site Safety Management Construction Site inspections, Contractor Safety Plan Review

Safety Audits Internal Traffic Control Plans Safety Policy for Roadway Workers OSHA Compliance Training for Employees and Management Accident / Incident Investigation

Principal, Catherine Witt, specializes in Temporary Traffic Patterns during construction operations, maintenance operations, utility operations, and special events. Any time the motorist traffic pattern is changed there are specific requirements. Ms. Witt and her team are familiar with the requirements on a national level, in all 50 states, the state specific requirements and job site specific based on contracts.

Ms. Witt and her team have a total over 100 years experience in the Traffic Safety Industry. She has trained over 20,000 construction, maintenance, utility and law enforcement workers in the requirements nation wide and started out doing installation over 25 years ago.

As a Master instructor contracted to the American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA) for over 15 years, she has hands-on experience with varying requirements nationwide.

View Catherine Witt's Expert Witness Profile.

Solution Engineering Group is a multi-disciplinary engineering consulting and technical services company offering engineering investigation and analysis, customized and routine testing, accident investigation and reconstruction, pretrial and courtroom testimony. Their clients include private individuals, insurers, manufacturers, industrial processors, utilities, government, and law enforcement agencies and their representing attorneys. Chief Scientist/Principal of Human Factors and Safety, David G. Curry, PhD, CHFP, CSP, consults on all aspects of Human Factors, Applied Human Performance, Ergonomics, and Safety. He has over 30 years of experience working in accident investigation, product design and development, operational testing and analysis, and both laboratory and field research in the control / display, aviation, and surface vehicle arenas. Dr. Curry holds graduate degrees in Experimental, Human Factors, and Cognitive/ Perceptual Psychology, Industrial Engineering, and Business. 

Areas of Particular Expertise:

• Human / Machine Interface Design and Evaluation
• Human Capabilities and Limitations in Applied Environments
• Industrial Ergonomics
• Instructions and Warnings
• Perception / Vision / Visibility
• Slips / Trips / Falls
• Evaluation of Equipment / Facilities / Structures from a Human Use Standpoint
• Safety-related Issues in General

Dr. Curry has published over 50 technical papers dealing with various issues relating to Applied Human Performance and Accident Investigation. He holds 4 United States patents and has or does serve as a member of national standards-making committees for a variety of organizations (e.g., ANSI, ASTM, and SAE.) Dr. Curry has been honored with receiving the General Motors President’s Council Award and a NASA Center of Excellence Fellowship among others.

View Dr. David Curry's Expert Witness Profile.

Scott L. Turner is a highly qualified Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) Transportation Expert, FMCSR Regulatory and PHMSA-HMR Expert with approximately 30-years experience in the highly specialized field of CMV crashes and incidents, and 16 years as the CEO of a nationwide CMV crash & HazMat disaster response corporation. 

Mr. Turner's career includes personal response and/or investigation of over 1,000 CMV crashes, 200 cargo-tank truck crashes/incidents and a multitude of industrial setting incidents including fixed facilities, loading docks and loading rack disasters. His FMCSR and PHMSA knowledge (Federal Enforcement Training), detailed reporting and testimony can be a focal point of any civil litigation, where commercial motor vehicle crashes and/or transit incidents are at issue, with or without hazmat involvement. Mr. Turner is qualified in both the Federal Court system as well as multiple States throughout the United States and testifies on an approximate 50/50 average of Defense to Plaintiff ratio.

Areas of Expertise:

• Level 1 FMCSA Inspections
• Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) Post-Crash Inspection
• CMV Post-Crash Investigation
• Driver Qualifications
• HOS / Fatigue Driving
• Motor Carrier Fitness Standards
• Safety Programs
• Trucking Industry Standards
• Cargo-Tank Truck Incidents / Crashes
• CMV loading/Off-loading Cases (van, cargo-tank, flatbed)
• Flatbed, Cargo Securement Failure
• Loading Dock Incidents w/ CMV
• Forklift Incidents w/ CMV
• CMV Crash Involving Hazmats
• Loading Rack Explosions / Disasters
• Pedestrian v. CMV Incidents

Services Include:

• Litigation Support
• Trial Preparation Consulting
• Courtroom Testimony
• Commerical Vehicle Accident Investigations
• CMV, Highway Construction Zone Crashes
• CMV Loading and Offloading Investigation
• Level 1 FMCSA Audits
• Load Securement Incidents

Shrawan Kumar,  is one of the top worldwide recognized experts in Biomechanics and Ergonomics. Dr. Kumar has been the Keynote or Plenary speaker on Biomechanics and Ergonomics at over 59 regional, national, and international scientific conferences in Canada, the US, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Germany, Sweden, India, Australia and New Zealand. He is the author of over 528 scientific peer-reviewed publications on Biomechanics and Ergonomics including 16 books and 27 book chapters.

Dr. Kumar was recognized for his lifetime achievements and contributions to Biomechanics and Ergonomics research by an award of ‘Officer of the Order of Canada’ from the Governor General in 2009. He has a Ph.D. in Human Biology and a Doctor of Science degree (D.Sc.) in Biological Sciences. 

Dr. Kumar was most recently the Director the Physical Medicine and tenured Full Professor at the University of North Texas. Prior to this he served as a tenured Full Professor of Physical Therapy, Neuroscience, and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Alberta. 

Consulting - Dr. provides injury prevention through ergonomic and product design improving productivity and work efficiency. He has worked with such companies as Western Airlines, Alberta Food Processing Company, Misericordia Hospital, and Price Waterhouse.

Areas of Expertise: 

• Biomechanics - Injuries due to slip and fall and auto accidents (collision, impact, seat belt, ejection, side-swipes, fractures, rollovers, whiplash)
• Occupational Injury - Injuries due to work-related factors (biomechanical / physiological loads, hazardous conditions, stress, organization, design,schedule, product liability

Mukul Verma, PhD, (Mechanical Engineering & Applied Mechanics) is a consultant with more than 35 years of experience in Vehicle Design and Automotive Engineering.

Dr. Verma's experience has included several engineering and management positions in development and testing of new vehicles at a major auto manufacturer. In these positions, he also led the implementation of numerous advances in design methodology and automotive safety technology. In addition, Dr. Verma has represented US automobile manufacturers’ associations in international deliberations on traffic safety and was appointed as chairman of an international team of experts which he led to successfully develop solutions for improving the safety of occupants in passenger cars when impacted by heavier SUV or pickup truck. 

Dr. Verma’s academic experience has been in Sustainable Transportation and he has taught graduate courses in Mechatronics and in Intelligent tires-and-vehicles. He has been consulted by US government organizations on automobile designs for higher energy efficiency, by overseas groups on electric vehicle functional safety and by manufacturers' group on intelligent tires & vehicles, among others. Dr. Verma has published more than thirty papers in peer-reviewed journals and at international conferences and his interviews and opinions have been published in the US and in the international media.  

Consulting Areas: 

Vehicle Engineering:  Automobile design & testing. Passive Safety - airbags, sensors, structure components. Active Safety - Pre-crash sensors, Crash Avoidance, Autonomous braking. Electric vehicles’ functional safety. Sustainable Transportation Technologies: Designs for increased energy efficiency & safety. Intelligent Tires & Vehicles. Connected Vehicles. Mechatronics systems design.  

Product Liability and Forensic Engineering:  Automotive Safety; Accident Analysis; Performance of vehicle structure, airbags, sensors, mechanical-electrical systems. Pedestrians’ safety. Pre-crash safety; accident avoidance. Electric and Hybrid Vehicles. Post-crash protection.

 Intellectual Property Claims: Analysis of Patent infringement and patent validity claims in areas of automotive safety systems (airbags, sensors, restraint systems, etc.), Tires and TPMS, Mechatronics components. www.experts.com

View Dr. Verma's Expert Witness Profile.

Lewis Grill is a Trucking Expert with over 45 years and millions of miles of experience. As a truck driver, owner operator, truck driver training instructor, truck driver training program director, and safety director, he offers consulting services for motor carriers and truck driving schools.

Mr. Grill is currently assisting two U.S. DOT / FMCSA contractors (MaineWay and Volpe) with research on the effectiveness of Driver Training on Improving Driver Safety Performance. He is also assisting DOT with development of improved specification for interface software that can collect driver performance data from training simulators and transfer that performance measure data to Learning Management Software to assist in determining whether the driver has met Minimum Training Standards. Mr. Grill is also working on a special U.S. DOT project to study its Hazardous Materials Safety Permit (HMSP) program for motor carriers and report to Congress on the findings by October 1, 2013.

Lewis Grill has made many guest speaker appearances as a truck driver-training expert for the nation’s leading trucking industry associations and organizations and assisted in the production of more than a dozen instructional videos and multimedia training modules for truck drivers. His numerous works on trucking and commercial motor transportation have appeared in national advertising, books, magazines, and national television. He has written more than 15 books and hundreds of articles on trucking, truck driving, and heavy equipment operation.

View Lewis Grill's Expert Witness Profile.

Traffic Engineer Expert Witness / Motor Vehicle Accidents

Kunzman Associates is a Transportation Planning and Traffic Engineering consulting firm providing professional expertise to both the public and private sectors.  Additionally, Noise and Air Quality / Greenhouse Gases analyses are available on a seamless integrated basis with the traffic analysis.

Since it's founding over 40 years ago in 1976, the firm's goal has been to provide the best traffic and transportation engineering (and related services) available through highly qualified personnel. 

Education:

• Undergraduate - UCLA (1967)
• Graduate - Yale University (1968) 

Areas of Expertise:

• Traffic accidents - maintenance, design, geometrics, controls, signage, sight distance, parking, motorcycle, bicycle, pedestrians, governmental agency procedures
• Over 300 cases since 1979
• largest verdict $12.3 million against caltrans pedestrian case
• Largest settlement $2,000,000 in solo vehicle accident case against Caltrans 

Former Employment:

• Los Angeles County Road Department
• Riverside County Road Department
• City of Irvine
• Federal Highway Administration

The experts at Miller Engineering are Ann Arbor-based professional engineers celebrating 30 years of service to University, Government, Insurance, and Industry through research, publications, presentations, and testimony. Miller Engineering has a staff of engineers and experts in the Mechanical, Chemical, Agriculture, Industrial, and Human Factors fields of engineering with specific knowledge in the following areas: 

Vehicles Car/Truck Accident Reconstruction Crash Data Retrieval (CDR) Visibility & Reaction Time Analysis Tires, Trailers, Brakes & Accelerators Truck/Off Road Vehicle Egress/Ingress Traffic Signing and Construction Zones Mechanical & Electrical Safety Product Safety & Analysis Machinery - Metal, Wood, Plastic Molding Machine Guarding & Safety, Robots, Automation Hazard and Risk Analysis Employee Safety Procedures – OSHA Electrical Distribution & Transmission Hazards

Warnings & Instructions Warning Labels & User Manual Design Hazard Analysis & Product Label Designs Medical Device & Drug Warnings & Instructions Inadequate Warnings Analysis Standard Compliance (ANSI Z535) Product Recall Information & Strategies Consumers/Household Safety Appliances & Tools Child Furniture, Choking, Playgrounds Swimming Pools & Exercise Equipment Recreation - ATV, Boats, Bicycles, Boards Ladder, Stair, Step and Railing Accidents Slip, Trip, & Fall Accidents

Chemicals Safety & Labeling NEW OSHA HAZCOM (2012) & GHS Review MSDS, SDS and Product Label Compliance Toxic Torts - Diacetyl, Asbestos, Benzene, Lead, Carbon Monoxide Vaping & E-Cigarette Health Effects Chemical Exposures & Workplace Safety Chemical Inhalation, Ingestion, Dermal Contact Contamination - Water & Environmental Manufacturing & Process Line Accidents Slips, Trips, Falls, & Entanglements Fires & Explosions Cause & Origin Investigations Gas, Vapor, & Electrical Spontaneous Combustion Vaping & E-cigarette Battery Failures

Agriculture Tractor & Equipment Accidents Chemical Applications & Exposures Crop Storage & Harvesting Accidents Pesticides Construction Vehicle Visibility Accidents Slip, Trip, & Fall Accidents Power Tool Repetitive & Immediate Injuries Scaffolding - Cranes - Hoisting - Fork Lifts Insurance Subrogation & Forensics Accident Investigations Electrical & Fire Causation Chemical Leakage Damage Defective Equipment Injuries Premise and Process Damages

James M. Miller, PE, PhD – Founder Dr. Miller is an Emeritus Professor at the University of Michigan College of Engineering and a registered professional engineer and consultant with over 30 years of experience as an expert witness. He has served as a consultant to industry and government and is highly qualified to give engineering testimony. Dr. Miller specializes in warnings, labeling and instruction manuals, consumer product design, machine guarding, process safety, fire science, vehicle visibility, tractor egress/ingress, pedestrian and worker slip and fall prevention, recreational vehicles (ATVs, boats, and personal watercraft), compliance with occupational safety and consumer safety standards (OSHA, MSDS, CPSC, ANSI, ASTM, UL, etc.).

Mark R. Lehto, PhD – Co-Founder Dr. Lehto is a Professor of Engineering at Purdue University. He completed his Ph.D. in engineering at the University of Michigan in 1985, where he specialized in Human Factors Engineering, in particular Warnings and Labeling. He has taught courses at Purdue in human and safety factors areas, as well as decision making and artificial intelligence. He has authored numerous professionally-reviewed articles, and he has authored / coauthored internationally-recognized textbooks in the areas of human factors and ergonomics. Dr. Lehto specializes in knowledge engineering, warnings and instructions, structuring expert systems, accident modeling, accident statistical analysis, consumer product safety, boating safety, in-field national surveys of product usage and product information effectiveness.

David R. Clark, PE, PhD – Co-Founder Dr. Clark is an Emeritus Engineering Professor at Kettering University. He was an engineering Ph.D. graduate from the University of Michigan, where he specialized in human factors engineering and system safety analyses. In particular, his earlier degrees in mechanical and electrical areas have given him a special expertise in electrical fire- and explosion-related accidents. Dr. Clark is also published on the topics of warnings and labeling. With considerable in-plant experience at General Motors, he is uniquely qualified to provide student theses and design projects while teaching at Kettering that deal with many types of mechanical and optimization projects. Finally, he has extensive experience working for loss control companies, performing over 150 fire origin and cause investigations in the past few years.

Areas of Expertise:

Accident Reconstruction Biomechanics Human Factors Safety Accident Prevention Adequacy of Warnings Building Codes Coefficient of Friction Construction Defect 3D Scans Failure Analysis

Industrial / Recreational / Structural OSHA Compliance Premises Liability Product Integrity / Testing Computer Animation and stimulations Defense and Plaintiff Cases Civil & Criminal Educational Seminars Litigation and Non-litigation Mediation / Arbitration Services Court Testimony over 2000 x's

Auto • Airbag • Bicycle • Boating • Bus • Chair Design / Safety / Failure • Diving and Drowning • Electrocution and Shock • Elevator • Escalator • Fires and Explosions • Forklift • Gate • Golf Cart • Highway Design and Safety • Ladder • Law Enforcement • Lighting & Illumination • Loading Dock • Metallurgy • Motorcycle • Paintgun • Playground Safety • Press • Ramps • Rollercoaster • Safety Guards • Scaffolding • Seatbelts • Slip / Trip and Fall • Spas • Stairs • Swimming Pool Design and Safety • Tractors • Trailers • Trucks • 3D Scans

Ernest P. Chiodo, M.D., J.D., M.P.H., M.S., C.I.H. is a physician, attorney, Certified Industrial Hygienist (C.I.H), and biomedical engineer. Dr. Chiodo is board certified in the specialties of Internal Medicine, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, and Public Health and General Preventive Medicine. Dr. Chiodo served as the Medical Director of the City of Detroit and was the chief physician in charge of measures designed to protect the public health of over one million persons. He has also been the lead expert witness in a number of high profile cases including serving as the lead expert witness in a mass toxic tort case for Gerry Spence.

Areas of Expertise:

Toxicology

Epidemiology

Industrial Hygiene

Mold

Asbestos

Benzene

Biomedical Engineering

Accident Reconstruction

Electrocution

Building Related Disease

Biomechanics

Bed Bugs

Donald L. Hess, President of DLH Associates, Inc., has been providing expert witness services to attorneys and other clients, including Analysis of Vehicle Crashes since 1997. His specialty is crashes involving Commercial Motor Vehicles, including trucks, tractor-trailers, and buses.

With well over two million miles of safe cross-country trucking experience, followed by over 20 years as a driver trainer and creator / administrator of commercial driving programs, Mr. Hess is well-qualified to provide analysis of what drivers are trained to do in specific situations and circumstances, what federal and state regulations call for and require, and all aspects of the safe and proper operation of commercial motor vehicles. As a motorcyclist with over 45 years of riding and training experience, he is also qualified to comment on accidents involving motorcycles.

Mr. Hess has been nationally-recognized as a leader in safety and training issues, is a winner of the American Trucking Associations Million Mile Driving award, and was a winner of the Truckload Carriers Association Lee Crittenden award. Over his long and successful career in trucking and education, he has held numerous national board and officer positions in trucking and education.

Litigation Support - Mr. Hess is uniquely qualified to analyze and comment on driver behavior in virtually any situation, and has established a solid reputation as an expert witness in crashes involving trucks and commercial vehicles for both Plaintiff and Defense in about 300 hundred cases across the country since 1997. His experience includes significant deposition and trial testimony.

He possesses a unique combination of training, hands-on experience, and education that combine to position him as a leading expert in all facets of trucking. Mr. Hess still maintains a valid, current Commercial Driver License fully endorsed for Combination Vehicles, Doubles-Triples, Tankers, Hazardous Materials, Motorcycles, and Buses. He also holds a USDOT Medical Exam Certificate and CDL and medical maintained without interruption or fault since 1971.

Areas of Expertise:

Commercial Drivers Training Truck Driver Training Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulation Commercial Driver Theory Commercial Driver Backing City Driving

Highway Driving Live Skid Pad Emergency Driving Skills Warehouse Issues Dock Issues Forklifts

Dean Tekell Consulting provides expertise in the areas of Traffic Engineering, Parking, Public Transit, Vehicle Dynamics, Accident Reconstruction, and Technical Accident Investigation.

Often, government agencies, consulting engineers, architects, developers, business institutions, and attorneys must know how to move people and their goods safely and efficiently. The firm offers advice on site selection, traffic access, and traffic circulation on the site. The firm provides insight into potential problems with zoning and subdivision regulations. Traffic impact studies, traffic signal warrant analysis, traffic signal design and permitting services related to development activity are also available through the firm. Parking garage and parking lot operations are specialties offered to business institutions.

Other services include: Queuing Studies for drive-through services; Traffic Calming and neighborhood speed control; School trip and pedestrian safety plans; Traffic Accident Reduction and highway safety techniques; Transit Funding Operation; Intelligent Vehicle-Highway Systems.

Andrew W. Thomas is the founder of Collision Analytics, an ACTAR certified Motor Vehicle Crash Reconstructionist, and a licensed Illinois Private Investigator. He regularly instructs crash investigation and reconstruction courses throughout the United States and Canada for the Northwestern University Center for Public Safety.  Background Experience - Mr. Thomas has over 14 years of experience as an Illinois law enforcement officer and has attended nearly 1,000 hours of crash investigation and reconstruction training, ranging from pedestrian collisions to accessing and interpreting heavy vehicle event data recorders. Throughout his tenure, he has investigated over 200 major collisions involving all types of vehicles. Litigation Support - Mr. Thomas has worked in the public and private sector investigating numerous personal injury and fatal crashes and has been recognized by courts as an expert witness in crash reconstruction.

He currently leads a team of 7 investigators and 6 reconstructionists responsible for investigating all major crash investigations within unincorporated McHenry County, outside Chicago-land.

Since 2017, Collision Analytics has served clients as a full-service crash investigation and reconstruction company providing expert consultation, analysis, and testimony. Mr. Thomas' services are available to attorneys representing both plaintiff and defendant.

Serving Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, and Michigan, Collision Analytics has the equipment to retrieve electronic data and the experience to assess its impact on a case. Their services also include survey and drone scene mapping, forensic vehicle examinations, courtroom exhibit preparation, and crash reconstructions including electronic, GPS, and cellular phone data.

Areas of Expertise:

Collision Investigation & Reconstruction Bicycles Pedestrians Motorcycles Passenger Vehicles / Light Trucks Commercial Vehicles Off-road Vehicles Farm Vehicles Trains GPS

Drone Scene Mapping Cellular Phone Data Fraud Investigation Crash Data (Black Box) Retrieval Forensic Mapping Seat Belt Examination Tire Failure Analysis Commercial Vehicle Braking Systems Photogrammetry Video Analysis

Barry L. Bookman has approximately 28 years of experience in the Automotive Industry. Working in car dealerships, he started as an apprentice service technician and worked his way up to service Adviser, Service Manager, and Service and Parts Director. Certified as a Journey Level Technician, Mr. Bookman is an ASE Master Technician / Nissan Motors Master Technician. 

Litigation Support - Mr. Bookman currently offers services as a consultant and expert witness to attorneys representing both plaintiff and defendant. His services include thorough reports, depositions, and trial testimony as needed. 

Areas of Expertise:

Automotive Mechanical Repairs / Maintenance Shop and Labor Practices Regulatory Compliance including OSHA Auto Shop Standards of Care Auto Shop Employee / Employment Issues Auto Technician Training Shop Policies & Procedures

Shop Solvents & Chemicals Automotive Electronics Automotive Failure Analysis Hazardous Materials Machine Guarding Power Tools Customer Relations

Brief Introduction

Peter James Sullivan

Automotive, Truck, Motorcycle, ATV, Heavy Industrial Equipment, and Marine Industries Consultant Mechanical, Electronic, Brake, Steering, and Systems Performance Testing & Analysis

Professional Summary

• Bachelor of Science (Chemistry and Physics) from Texas State University, 1984
• World Class Certified ASE Technician, ASE Certified Master Technician in Heavy Duty Truck, Passenger Car/Light Truck, Collision Repair, and Machinist, (National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence)
• 36 years of technical, academic, operational, and managerial experience in the private and commercial transportation, heavy equipment, marine, and recreational vehicle industries
• Extensive experience performing vehicle inspections and downloads of event data recorders and electronically stored information (ESI), including analysis, validation, testing, and preservation on almost all makes and models of vehicles and equipment
• Primary areas of consultation: mechanical, automotive, CMV/truck, heavy industrial equipment, motorcycle/bicycle, marine, recreational vehicle, collision repair, tire failure analysis, testing and analysis include to include fluids, materials, and component parts, railroad/Hy-Rail, FMCSA/DOT compliance, commercial motor vehicle driver/operator qualification and compliance, job site and transportation safety claims and litigation.

Company Overview

• LITIGATION AND CLAIMS INSPECTIONS
• CRASH/ELECTRONIC DATA RECORDER/ECM DOWNLOADS AND ANALYSIS FROM ALL ON-BOARD MODULES, CONTROLLERS, AND GPS/VEHICLE TRACKING UNITS
• FORENSIC TESTING AND SCIENTIFIC ANALYSIS
• MOBILE MECHANICAL AND VEHICLE/EQUIPMENT DISASSEMBLY AND INSPECTION
• EXEMPLAR, FLUID, AND METALLURGICAL TESTING
• PRODUCT TESTING, PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT, AND PRODUCT DEFECT ANALYSIS
• WORLD CLASS, HIGHLY DETAILED REVIEW OF VEHICLE MAINTAINCE RECORDS AND DQ FILES
• COMMERCIAL MOTOR CARRIER SAFETY POLICIES & COMPLIANCE ANALYSIS
• COMMERCIAL MOTOR VEHICLE DRIVER/OPERATOR QUALIFICATION & COMPLIANCE ANALYSIS

View Peter Sullivan's Expert Witness Profile.