Boating / Sailing / Marine Personal Injury Accidents Expert Witnesses: 3

George Zeitler, MSc, has over 30 years of experience in the Marine Industry in various regulatory, management, and consulting roles. He is an Accredited Marine Surveyor (Y&SC) by the Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors and a Member of the International Institute of Marine Surveying.

Background Experience - Mr. Zeitler served 18 years as a USCG Marine Inspector / Casualty Investigator, and 7 years as a Class Society principal surveyor (DNV).  He then spent 1 year as VP of Operations for a niche cruise line. Mr. Zeitler went on to serve 5 years as a technical consultant for various segments of the marine industry, including 2 years as third party environmental auditor for criminal pollution cases. He has been an Accredited Yacht and Small Craft Surveyor for over 15 years. 

In 2002, Mr. Zeitler formed Zeitler Marine Services (ZMS), using his experience and knowledge to offer condition and valuation (pre-purchase and insurance) and damage survey services to the yachting and recreational boating communities in south Florida. He is currently the Director of the Chapman School of Seamanship Yacht and Small Craft survey course.

Litigation Support - Mr. Zeitler uses his vast experience verifying Compliance with Applicable Maritime Laws / Regulations through on site surveys and audits of client's vessels. His years of operational and regulatory enforcement help provide clients with a unique perspective that is key in identifying vulnerabilities onboard vessels as well as gaps in policies and procedures. He functions as a Court Appointed Monitor in situations where vessel operators are negotiating a plea agreement for a DOJ-approved Environmental Compliance Programs.

Areas of Expertise:

• Vessel Design and Construction
• Vessel Compliance with International and US Laws and Regulations
• Compliance with Federal and Voluntary (ABYC) Standards for Yachts and Small Craft
• Casualty Investigation
• Vessel Operations
• Cruise Ship Management, Operation, and Safety
• Environmental Compliance and Auditing

Quality Forensic Engineering, LLC is a full-service forensic engineering firm, providing engineering support to clients in the areas of accident reconstruction, biomechanics, fire investigations, patent litigation analysis, premises liability, product liability, and tire failure analysis. We use the latest technology and industry proven techniques to provide thorough analysis and conclusions for the most difficult engineering questions. Our forensic engineers support clients throughout the U.S. Headquartered in Tallahassee, FL, we have locations in Jacksonville, FL; Melbourne, FL; Tampa, FL; Indianapolis, IN; New Orleans, LA; San Diego, CA; Charlotte, NC; Columbia, SC; and Tucson, AZ.

Dr. Brian Pfeifer, PhD, PE - Dr. Pfeifer is an Engineering Expert with over 27 years of experience investigating thousands of cases involving a variety of forensic engineering issues. He is a leading expert in accident reconstruction, roadside safety, maintenance of traffic, commercial vehicle accidents, pedestrian accidents, bicycle accidents, and the analysis of mechanical systems and product failures. Dr. Pfeifer has a strong background in the design, development, and implementation of roadside safety hardware including guardrails, bridge rails, and crash cushions. Over 30 patents have been filed worldwide on behalf of Dr. Pfeifer and associated colleagues who invented safer guardrail systems, vehicle storage systems, shipping container handling systems, and material handling and storage methods. He has also utilized his technical knowledge and understanding of patents to assist in a number of matters involving patent litigation.

Dr. Pfeifer has published numerous papers to various organizations, covering topics such as new guardrail systems, energy absorbing guardrail terminals, breakaway sign mechanisms, and material handling technology. He has shared his expertise with many organizations on topics including vehicle collisions, bicycle accidents, roadway construction zones, and accident reconstruction expert witness utilization. Dr. Pfeifer is a registered Professional Engineer in nine states and he continues to refine his skills and knowledge of accident reconstruction and roadside safety by staying current with new technology and best practices. Dr. Pfeifer has extensive experience with providing deposition and trial testimony as an Engineering Expert. See Full Bio & CV.

Expertise:

Dr. Ian M. Zeller, PhD, ACTAR, is an accomplished engineer with more than 10 years of experience in Biomechanics and Computational Dynamics fields. He has investigated hundreds of cases ranging from motor vehicle accidents, recreational incidents, medical device designs, as well as injuries from product liability all across the United States. 

Dr. Zeller has graduate level experience in computational dynamics and orthopedic biomechanics with a specific emphasis in dynamics, vibrations, joint contact mechanics, and muscle control during static and dynamic loading applications. Dr. Zeller’s past research includes clinical and computational analysis of the human body with respect to the design and implantation of orthopedic devices for the knee, hip, and spine. He has published in peer-reviewed journals and presented research at both technical and surgical conferences in North America, Europe, and Asia. Dr. Zeller also worked with surgeons across the United States in the design and assessment of knee replacement devices, including personalized and prototype devices to optimize for efficacy and safety. 

Dr. Zeller is also accredited as a traffic accident reconstructionist and continues to conduct research as well as maintain a current knowledge of developing trends and best practices in the biomechanics and engineering fields. Dr. Zeller has published to various organizations on topics ranging from knee replacement design, forward solution modeling, joint mechanics, personalized joint replacements, material structures and properties as well as biological modeling of disease distributions. He also has an extensive testifying history including depositions, trials, and arbitrations.

 See Full Bio & CV.

Expertise:

Michael R. Hill, PhD, PE, is a Biomechanical Engineer passionate about applying biomechanics techniques to solve diverse problems in forensics, medical research, engineering, biology, science, and mathematics. He is an expert in experimental, theoretical, and computational Tissue Biomechanics, with a focus on injury mechanisms, human tissue damage, and nonlinear soft tissue mechanics.

Dr. Hill’s core strengths are in orthopedic and cardiovascular biomechanics, vehicle accident reconstruction, injury consistency analysis, mechanical design, instrumentation, experimental analysis, numerical methods, simulation, statistics, and image processing. Dr. Hill has lectured in the field of biomechanics and numerical methods, and his research has been published in 16 academic articles and presented at 40 international and national scientific conferences.

See Full Bio & CV.

Expertise:

View Quality Forensic Engineering's Industrial Forensic Engineering Expert Witness Profile.

Capt. David G. Bacon, is a Maritime Expert with over 30 years of vessel charter experience. He has a United States Coast Guard Captains License (Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessel). His expert work has included personal injuries, collisions, allisions, running aground, Rules of the Road and navigation. Capt. Bacon's vessel charters include fishing, research, cruising, eco-tours, whale watching, diving, kayaking, photography, oil seeps, and oil spills. As owner/operator, and captain of WaveWalker Charters, he has decades of vessel operations experience with zero accidents and zero injuries. Capt. Bacon is experienced with crew training, safety procedures, crew drills, and practice. The Founder and Executive Director of a nonprofit organization providing at-sea educational adventures for special-needs children and adults, he has extensive knowledge of passenger safety orientation and creating/maintaining a safe environment for passengers, including special-needs passengers in for-profit and nonprofit (501c3) ventures.

Introduction by Captain David G. Bacon

Litigation Support - Capt. Bacon offers expert witness services to attorneys for both Plaintiff and Defendant and has successfully performed in depositions and testimony.  His cases include:

Capt. Bacon has spent 30+ years participating as a technical writer for marine electronics and electrical journals, work procedures, user manuals, magazine articles, on-line publications, and social media. He is a public speaker with 15 years of experience hosting seminars, informational/motivational lectures, and presentations for civic organizations and clubs.

View Capt. Bacon's Consulting Profile.