Accident Prevention & Safety Expert Witnesses

Dr. C.J. Abraham, P.E. is a Certified Professional Chemical Engineer with over thirty five years of international experience consulting to insurance companies, municipalities, government agencies, and the legal profession. He provides consultation to International corporations in the areas of New Product Development, Manufacturing, Packaging, Warnings and Instructions. 

Dr Abraham's services include Expert Witness Testimony for both Plaintiff and Defense in matters involving Personal Injury and Product Liability. 

Areas of Expertise:

Construction Accidents OSHA ADA Labor Law Human Factors Household / Industrial Products Safety Engineering

Retail Store Safety Industrial Hygiene Textiles Fires / Explosions / Flammable Fabrics Slips / Falls Recreational / Sports Accidents Toxic Exposures

Kenneth J. Shorter, MS, CSP, ARM, TCDS has over 30 years of experience planning and managing Construction and Demolition Safety for local, national, and international companies, including an extensive range of projects from rapid transit systems, airports, highways, hospitals, and landfills to tunnels, bridges, marine projects, and underground utility systems. He recently directed safety for the $1.3 billion expansion of the Bethesda Naval Hospital. Throughout his career, Mr. Shorter has been responsible for investigating and explaining why a wide range of complex accidents happened and how they could have been prevented. 

Mr. Shorter has his Masters Degree in Safety and Professional Certifications in Safety, Risk Management, and Traffic Control Design. He is a member of the ANSI A10 Committee for the Safety of Construction and Demolition Operations which produces the national consensus safety standards for the industry. His expertise extends beyond OSHA to the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, ANSI, NFPA, and a wide range of other consensus standards. A highly qualified Expert, Kenneth Shorter provides litigation support services for both Plaintiff and Defense. 

Areas of Expertise:

• Construction, Demolition, and Temporary Traffic Control
• Tunnels, Rapid Transit Systems, Highway, Bridge, Building, Marine, and Underground Utility Construction and Demolition
• Falls, Confined Spaces, Electrical
• Cranes, Forklifts, Earthmoving, Paving, Trenching, Shoring, Scaffolding, Aerial Lift, Pile Driving, Marine

View Kenneth Shorter's Consulting Profile.

William R. Acorn is founder of Acorn Consulting Services, LLC, an engineering firm. As a consulting mechanical engineer, Bill provides project analysis, forensic reconstructions and litigation support services relating to the design, delivery, and functioning of high-tech manufacturing facilities, semiconductor fabrication facilities, institutional laboratories, data centers, health care facilities and a variety of commercial buildings. He is a recognized expert in the evaluation of deficiencies in HVAC systems, cleanrooms, piping systems, refrigeration systems, construction defects, building and fire code compliance, and patent and trade secret disputes. He represents both plaintiffs and defendants.

Bill has more than 40 years of experience as a professional engineer and is a recognized expert in assessing, evaluating, remediating and providing testimony on complex project design, construction and operational matters. His consulting expertise has been influential in shaping approaches to code compliance and life safety in semiconductor and similar advanced technology facilities.

• Registered as a Professional Mechanical Engineer in the States of Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Washington.
• Registered with the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying NCEES (Certificate No. 6999)
• Fellow in the HVAC industry leading organization ASHRAE
• Visiting lecturer at the Arizona State University Del E. Webb School of Construction in Tempe, AZ
• Advisor to CREATE, ACE – Alliance for Construction Excellence and the IAB – Industry Advisory Board, all affiliated with ASU

Building Systems Analysis:

• HVAC and Refrigeration
• Process and Power Piping
• Plumbing Systems
• Standard of Care in Design and Construction
• Chemical Exposures in the Workplace
• Cleanroom Design and Performance
• Codes and Standards
• Patent and Trade Secret Disputes

Bill’s pragmatic approach to both forensic and litigation consulting as well as project consulting is based on more than 40 years of real-world experience as a design professional, mentor and forensic analyst, as well as many years as an instructor in professional and academic settings.

Litigation Support:

• Forensic Analysis
• Strategic Litigation Consulting
• Trial Demonstratives
• Expert Testimony

Represented both plaintiffs and defendants in a variety of jurisdictions throughout the US and Asia. Bill’s ability to explain complex issues to non-technical audiences, including juries, mediators and judges, is a key to successfully solving your litigation challenges.

Acorn Consulting Services

Consulting Services: Services range from peer review to conceptual design to development of strategies and programs for expedited project delivery.

Bill frequently acts as an owner’s agent and mentor, functioning as an extension of the owner’s project team. On other projects, Bill serves as a subject matter expert assisting project delivery firms in their development of viable solutions and review of construction documents.

As a project consultant, Bill assures the project gets off to the right start and provides his expertise through completion and operation to maximize return on investment.

Consulting Expertise Includes:

• Project Design and Management Consulting
• Forensic Analysis and Litigation Consulting
• Mentoring & Advanced Education

Peter J. Sullivan is a World Class Certified ASE Technician and ASE Certified Master Technician in Heavy Duty Truck, Passenger Car / Light Truck, Collision Repair, and Machinist, (National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence). He has over 35 years of technical, academic, operational, and managerial experience in the private and commercial transportation, heavy equipment, marine, and recreational vehicle industries.

Mr. Sullivan has 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.

Litigation Support - Mr. Sullivan utilizes his comprehensive legal, technical, and FMCSA / DOT knowledge to specialize in:

Product Defect Cases Driver or Motor Carrier Compliance Electronic Engine Control (ECM) Electronic Throttle Control Electronic Power Steering

Anti-Lock Brake Supplemental Restraint Computerized Systems Closed-loop Systems Hydraulics

He and his team perform accident site and vehicle inspections, perform data downloads, including analysis, on most all makes and models of vehicles and equipment, reconstruct accidents, perform exemplar and product testing, metallurgical testing, fluid analysis, and CMV driver and motor carrier compliance analysis. His primary areas of expertise include medium duty / heavy duty truck, hy-rail, light duty car / truck, motorcycle, ATV, marine, heavy equipment, machinery, tire, bicycle, commercial motor carrier safety and DOT compliance, and commercial motor vehicle driver / operator qualification and compliance, and job site safety.

Mr. Sullivan's services are available to counsel representing both Plaintiff and Defense. His litigation support services also include expert reports, depositions, and testimony for trial, OSHA, and governmental hearings.

View Peter Sullivan's Consulting Profile.

AEROSOL TECHNICAL EXPERT with 35 years of AEROSOL INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE.

Mr. Chadwick is an aerosol products technical consultant, his areas of expertise include:

• Aerosol Technology
• Product Development and Propellant Systems
• Aerosol Packaging Systems: Valves and Containers / Spray Optimization
• Product Scale-up for Manufacturing / Aerosol Product Quality Assurance Systems
• Aerosol Laboratory: Operation / Design / Safety Systems

ATS expert witness services include:

• Technical support for case analysis & planning.
• Aerosol product failure analysis
• Expert reports, depositions, and testimony at trial if needed.
• A complete CV and case list are available upon request.
• Mr. Chadwick has a proven track record of successfully participating as an expert witness in court cases involving aerosol products and/or aerosol technology.

Please contact ATS directly at 603-895-0778 to discuss your aerosol projects or training needs.

Experienced in Fire Cause and Origin, Arson Prosecution and Defense, Product Subrogation, Fire and Building Codes, Life Safety Codes, Fire Injuries and Fatalities, as well as Fire Department Operations and Management.

With over 28 years of fire department experience and 15 years in the private sector, Mr. Agosti has completed over two thousand investigations of fires, explosions, and life safety incidents. He has testified in both federal and state courts for both plaintiff and defense clients.

John Michael Agosti & Associates provides assistance to insurance companies, attorneys and other agencies in the determination of cause and origin in fires and explosions.

Our goal is to provide independent and articulate findings to you the client, quickly and accurately.

Dr. Adam K. Aleksander, PhD, PE, CSP, has over 40 years of experience in the areas of Mechanical Engineering, Human Factors, and Safety Engineering. He combines both academic credentials and active work in industry to provide a grounded perspective in Product Liability, Industrial Incidents, Warnings, and OSHA related issues. He is also a VP of an Energy Services firm, with over 35 overseas assignments related to forensic services, power utility issues, and equipment failures.

Dr. Aleksander has been a practicing engineer since 1972, focusing his Manufacturing, Consulting and Forensic investigations on Problem Definition and Root Cause Analysis of complex problems in confidential issues. His firm has experience encompassing an enormous variety of claims, from large $45 million dollar dam claims, to environmental clean-up claims, to small road construction claims. His litigation services often involve reconstruction, perception reaction studies, warnings, equipment operation, mechanical failures, industrial accidents, skiing, and bicycling injuries.

As an Expert Witness, Dr. Aleksander has worked with many clients, including plaintiff's and defendant's attorneys, both civil and criminal, attorneys representing corporations, corporations in the power utility area, and corporations that produce products. His services are also available to insurance executives with complex claims issues that involve industrial or utility related losses. Dr. Aleksander has been retained over 125 times in a wide range of technical investigations.

Litigation Expertise:

• Product Liability - Design, Manufacturing and Marketing Defects, Involving Damage, Injury or Fatality
• Equipment Failures - Proximal Cause of Failure with Contributing Factors
• Human Factors, Visibility, Ergonomics, and General Research Issues - Product Usability, Warnings, Instructions, Perception, Reaction Time, Visibility and Conspicuity Issues
• Construction, OSHA, and Safety Engineering - Regulatory and Safety Issues
• Industrial Projects
• Power Utility - Service and Equipment Failures

View Dr. Aleksander's Consulting Profile.

For over 25 years, Alpine Engineering and Design, Inc. has provided expert witness services in the fields of patents, Intellectual property, product liability, mechanical design, human factors, industrial safety, accident reconstruction, failure analysis, DOT compliance, compliance with standards, hydraulic systems. We specialize in the development of hydraulically operated equipment, trucks and related equipment, aerial lifts, industrial equipment, mobile equipment,amusement rides, aerial lifts, material handling, forklifts, boom trucks, suspension systems, man lifts, garbage trucks, front loaders, side loaders, automated loaders, rear loaders, roll-offs, and liftgates. Our engineers have over been retained on over 500 cases and hold 75 U.S. Patents.
 
Alpine Engineering and Design experts use resources such as a model shop, computer graphics and animations, full-size prototypes and written descriptions to communicate their ideas to their customers. They use these same resources to explain their opinions in a clear, concise manner in reports and when testifying.

EDUCATION & LICENSES

BSME, MSME, MBA (Product Development), PE, CSP

Expert Witness Services Professional Expert Reports Testing Forensic/Failure Analysis Accident Reconstruction Demonstratives Inspections/Measurements Compliance with Standards Expert Testimony Patent & Patent Related Issues Patent Searches Provisional Patent Complete with Illustrations Patent Infringement Review Product Development Innovative Concept Multi-Industry Experience Powerful Design Tools Full Service Fabricating Materials Design Analysis Finite Element Analysis (FEA) Hydraulics, Pneumatics, Electrical Structural Integrity Tests Value Analysis

Ralph Aronberg, P.E., has reconstructed over 1,500 accidents and has testified in over 150 jury trials, since founding the firm in 1983. He provides Expert Witness services in the areas of:

• Traffic accident reconstruction (cars, trucks, motorcycles and pedestrians).
• Vehicle occupant kinematics (seatbelts)
• Biomechanics
• Traffic engineering design (geometrics, signing, markings, signals and lighting)
• Sight distance analysis
• Hazardous roadway conditions
• Work Zone Traffic Control evaluation
• Evaluation of roadway curvature
• Traffic signal operations
• Pedestrian safety
• Computerized accident reconstruction and simulation
• Vehicle "black box" data retrieval (certified>

Mr. Aronberg is published in the fields of pedestrian / bicycle / motorcycle accident reconstructions, and 3 Dimensional Animations and Scientific Visualizations through the Society of Automotive Engineers. Mr. Aronberg is a Fellow member of the National Academy of Forensic Engineers, and certified as a Diplomat in forensic Engineering.

Peter Petrovsky, PE, CE, ME , has provided services as a consultant and an expert witness in applied Civil and Mechanical Engineering Science, Building, Infrastructure, and Earthwork Contracting. His strength and experience is to successfully combine engineering and applied mechanics with the field experience and contracting skills. He packages civil, mechanical engineering, as well as, general, engineering, earthwork and paving and hazardous waste contracting into one package for the use of his clients. His services also include construction job site safety in fire prevention and personnel protection. 

Litigation Support - Mr. Petrovsky's shirtsleeve approach to problem solving gives him the ability to distill complex technical issues to a palatable presentation in the appropriate forum. Serving the legal industry for 25 years, he has been retained in over 600 plaintiff and defense cases, been deposed over 200 times, and given testimony approximately 100 times. Mr. Petrovsky's services include testing and analysis, trial preparation case analysis, deposition review and expert summary, evidence presentation, consulting, report writing, court exhibits, static and computer depictions, construction and engineering contract analysis, accident reconstruction, and interpretation of administrative regulations. He has assisted counsel on cases in California, New York, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Hawaii, Kentucky, and Nevada. 

Areas of Expertise:

• Mechanical Engineering and Mechanical Design: Machine safety and guarding, Strength of materials, wood, metals, plastics
• Materials Issues and Failure Analysis: Mechanisms, components and machinery; Pressure testing, fatigue analysis
• Accident Investigations: Heavy equipment accidents, bulldozers, backhoes, excavators; Cranes, lifts, manipulators
• Air conditioning and Refrigeration: Thermography services and analysis
• Civil Engineering: Design of Buildings; Residential, industrial, commercial site plans; Land development, site preparation and paving, drilling and boring; Public and private roadways, sidewalks, ramps, parking lots, lighting; Septic systems, sewers, public sewer blockage and stoppage; Scaffolds & scaffolding erection and accidents; Retaining walls and retaining wall failure; Foundation failure / structural damage; Plumbing leaks, water intrusion, explosions; Earthquake Damage Assessment and Remediation; Construction Disputes / Insurance claims; Stucco defects and failures; Job site fire prevention industry standards

Dr. Randall Atlas AIA , CPP is a Registered Architect, NCARB certified, and he practices Criminal Justice Architecture and Environmental Security Design. Atlas is a certified protection professional (CPP) with the American Society of Industrial Security (ASIS), and is an appointed member of the ASIS Security Architecture and Engineering Committee. Atlas has his doctorate in criminology and a masters of architecture. Dr Atlas is a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Architecture for Justice Committee.

Dr. Atlas has taught CPTED (Crime Prevention through Environmental Design) and criminal justice courses at Florida International University, Florida Atlantic University, and the University of Miami, Keiser University, and he is a trainer with the National Crime Prevention Institute at the University of Louisville. Dr. Atlas has been a technical Assistance consultant with the National Institute of Justice, National Institute of Corrections, and the Florida Department of Corrections and U.S. HUD Drug Elimination CPTED Program.

He has conducted ADA accessibility compliance audits for private and public sector clients, and served as an expert witness on over 200 premises liability lawsuits.

Dr. Atlas has been a speaker and trainer at security conferences from New Delhi, India to Seattle, Washington and has written over 200 articles in various publications on security, safety, and counter terrorism issues.

Dr. Michael J. Fagel, PhD, CEM has over 30 years of broad based experience in a variety of fields relating to Crisis Management & Recovery, Consequence Management & Emergency Management. He provides specialized assistance in OSHA compliance assistance and training in Disaster Management, Emergency Response as well as Occupational Safety and Health. Aurora Safety has extensive experience in litigation guidance drawing from decades of experience in all phases of safety and emergency response and planning. They provide guidance to attorneys and insurance companies on a variety of topics and offer effective evaluations regarding the many facets of each case.

Dr. Fagel provides expert witness services to cases in across North America. He has served various Federal Agencies providing Occupational Safety Services at disaster sites. He also was EMS coordinator for the fire rescue division in North Aurora, as well as serving as an officer in the local fire service. Dr. Fagel currently teaches industrial safety and emergency medical services at several college locations and lectures at various professional trade conferences throughout the country. He offers Expert Witness Services and Litigation Support to attorneys representing both Plaintiff and Defense.

Areas of Expertise:

• Disaster / Crisis Management and Recovery
• COVID-19 / Coronavirus Recovery
• OSHA Compliance
• Voluntary Protection Programs (VPPs)
• Fire, EMS, Disaster Management
• Site Inspections
• Training Assessment Management and Development of Safety Programs
• Critical Incident / Crisis Management Site Inspections
• Safety Audits

View Consulting Profile.

Larry Grandy has over 46 years of progressive experience and knowledge in Aviation Operations, holding numerous civilian and military ratings and designations. He served for decades as a Career Officer and Squadron Commander in the United States Marine Corps. Mr. Grandy is currently serving as a Flight Instructor and Pilot in Command for a large Aeromedical Helicopter Company. His background includes previous service as an FAA Check Airman. 

Litigation Support - Mr. Grandy's has over 20 years of experience providing Aircraft Accident Investigation and Aviation Operations Research and Analysis, including military and civilian Mishaps. He provides expert witness testimony and consulting to defense and plaintiff attorneys. Excellent attorney references.

Areas of Expertise :Aviation Safety Consulting, Accident Reconstruction, Human Factors, Pilot & Aircrew Actions, FAA,  NTSB.

Keith M. Cianfrani, MAS, CRSP, a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, the founder and owner, has over 30 years of aviation experience. He is a master army aviator, aviation safety officer, commercial pilot, instructor pilot, and was an accident investigator for the U.S. Army Safety Center.

Background - Mr. Cianfrani is rated in both rotary wing and fixed wing aircraft. As a safety officer, he has managed safety programs in organizations with over 100 aircraft stationed throughout 5 states. Mr. Cianfrani is currently an instructor for Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and Kansas State University. He is also presently attending Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) as a PhD Student in Aviation Science.

Mr. Cianfrani is a certified Flight Instructor (CFI) and has also worked in the civilian, commercial aviation industry. He has been flying for companies such as Petroleum Helicopters, Damin Aviation, Keystone Helicopters, Island Helicopters, and Chopper 6 and Chopper 3 in Philadelphia. He also has experience in the flight for life, aero medical evacuation industry.

Litigation Support - Keith Cianfrani specializes in Human Factors and Material Failure in Aviation Accident Investigations. He serves as an aviation safety consultant for the Federal Aviation Administration and FIT. An IS-BAO Certified Safety Auditor, he provides safety evaluations in accordance with Federal Aviation Regulations. His services are available nationally and internationally and include written reports, depositions, and trial testimony as needed.

Areas of Expertise:

Pilot / Crew Performance Human Factors Maintenance Environmental Factors Meteorological Factors

Safety Training Material Factors Aviation Accident Reconstruction FAA Regulatory Compliance Safety Audits

View Keith Cianfrani's Consulting Profile.

Dr. William L. Bainbridge, Ph.D., FACFE, is a Forensic Education Expert with extensive experience in School Related Accidents, Incidents, Sexual Abuse, Sexual Assault, Sexual Harassment, College Athletics/Sports Injuries and Title IX compliance. He is court qualified in Schooling, Education Standards, Policies, and is considered to an Expert in over 35 states.

Dr. Bainbridge currently serves as President and CEO of the SchoolMatch® Institute and as a Distinguished Research Professor at The University of Dayton.

www.expertonschools.com