Electrical (Electrocution) Expert Witnesses: 8

Henry W. Stormer, IAAI-CFI(V), CFPS, is the President / National Manager for VERTEX FIRE INVESTIGATIONS LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of The VERTEX COMPANIES LLC. His responsibilities include management of a forensic fire investigation team conducting Fire Origin and Cause Investigations nationwide for the insurance industry.

Mr. Stormer has over 37 years of experience investigating in excess of 2,300 fires and explosions both in the public (25 years) and private sectors (12 years). He is a Certified Fire Investigator through the IAAI and a Certified Public Fire and Life Safety Instructor, with both certifications recognized by the National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications. He is also a Certified Fire Protection Specialist through the NFPA.

Litigation Support - Mr. Stormer has served as an expert witness and is actively engaged in several legal cases related to property damage, product liability, personal injury, and criminal activity. Mr. Stormer's legal support activities have included depositions, interrogatories, mediation, arbitration, and trial testimony.

Areas of Expertise:

Mr. Stormer is currently licensed as a Private Investigator, Manager in: AL, CT, DE, FL, IN, KY, MD, MA, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, SC, TX, VT, WV with reciprocal licensing in: AL, CA, GA, LA, NC, TN and VA.

A Licensed Professional Engineer in 11 states, John Averrett specializes in Electrical Shock / Electrocution, Utilities, Lightning Strikes, and Grounding cases involving death, personal injury, industrial equipment failure, vehicular accidents, fire cause/origin, contract, and construction disputes. 

Areas of practice include: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, Kentucky, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas; other states by comity. 

John Averrett is Executive Vice President of Goodwyn Mills & Cawood headquartered in Montgomery, AL. He has more than 25 years' experience in plan development for governmental, municipal, industrial and commercial clients and is currently coordinating a group of twelve other electrical engineers and designers. In addition to his design efforts, Mr. Averrett's experience includes work with electric utilities that includes transmission, sub-stations, and distribution; work with investigating lightning strikes; work with investigating grounding insufficiencies; and work analyzing and providing solutions for arc flash hazards.

Litigation Support - Mr. Averrett offers expert witness services to attorneys representing plaintiff and defendant. He provides site review, thorough reporting, deposition, and trial testimony as needed nationwide.

Envista Forensics is a global leader in Forensic Engineering & Recovery Solutions. They provide Cause & Origin, Failure Analysis, Fire and Explosion Investigations, Accident Reconstruction, Damage Evaluations and Equipment Restoration Services following disasters of all kinds. Envista has offered Consulting Services to the insurance, legal and risk management industries, as well as businesses, public entities, and universities for over 25 years.

Their Experts travel globally from 30 offices located across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the U.K., Australia and Singapore. Envista's experience counts when equipment, systems, structures, or data have been threatened by catastrophe or litigation. Their experts and advisors determine cause and responsibility, and identify the nature and extent of damage or loss and provide a full range of solutions to protect their assets.

Envista's technical professionals are trusted advisors and industry leaders. Their expertise is broad and deep, capable of withstanding all forms of scrutiny. Envista's services are available globally so that certainty is assured no matter where in the world it is needed. As the recovery from disasters has grown more complex, Envista has developed a comprehensive array of services to help their clients and has associates located around the globe to provide assurance no matter the type of loss or location of the disaster. Envista helps attorneys quickly get to meaningful answers on the many technical issues at the center of a dispute. Their engineers have decades of experience working with both defendants and plaintiffs.

They offer effective Expert Witness Testimony, with the ability to communicate effectively, build rapport with juries and judges, and maintain adherence to structured, methodical approaches in drawing conclusions are all extremely critical. Envista Forensics understands how critical the selection of an expert can be, and we understand what makes experts effective. Their court qualified experts have extensive experience providing expert testimony on a wide variety of engineering and technical matters.

Areas of Expertise:

View Envista's Consulting Profile.

• Storm hardening electric transmission and distribution systems to quantitatively manage tree-caused service interruptions
• Advise and develop protocols for assessments of power line tree exposure and mitigation
• Advise on least cost vegetation management by synchronizing economics and ecology
• Advise on impacts of vegetation management program alternatives, modifications
• Provide context for vegetation management, greenhouse gas mitigation measures in a competitive energy market
• Facilitate for management, staff, contractors and stake holders an actionable understanding of ecological principles and their impacts on vegetation management needs and costs
• Provide project management; expert review of programs and proposals
• Develop and advise on quantification, monitoring and verification of biotic greenhouse gas mitigation measures

Mark McFarland, is a licensed and Board Certified Electrical and Telecommunications Engineer.  He provides expert consulting for plaintiff and defense counsel on civil and criminal cases nationwide. 

Mark's practice covers a wide range of cases, typically involving electrical, electronic, software, cellular, GPS, and telecommunications evidence. He has worked with lawyers in several fields including: wrongful death, personal injury, product liability, securities fraud, homicide, sex trafficking, medical malpractice, class action, insurance claims, patent litigation, contract disputes, and more.

Mark has worked dozens of cases and testified in court for civil and criminal trials.

Many of the cases he's worked have settled on his expert report.

Contact Mark at Discovery Engineering when you have litigation involving electrical, electronic, software, cellular, or GPS evidence. Licensed & Board Certified.  720-593-1640

For more information, please give me a call or visit my website.  

Have a fantastic day!   

Joe Scerbo is a distinguished expert witness, construction consultant, and construction management advisor with over 36 years of experience in the construction industry. As a licensed General, Electrical, and HVAC Contractor in California for 25 years, Mr. Scerbo has cultivated specialized expertise in Building Envelope, Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing (MEP) systems. His extensive background includes significant experience in mechanical systems, heating & cooling systems, ventilation, solar energy systems, battery energy storage systems (BESS), generators, and design-build projects.

Litigation Support - Mr. Scerbo and his team at Danliv provide comprehensive forensic consulting and litigation support services for all things related to Construction Defects, Standard of Care Issues, Non-conforming of Contractors Licensing Laws, and Cost of Repairs. Serving defense and plaintiff attorneys, insurance companies, and government agencies across the United States. Mr. Scerbo has been disclosed as a designated expert on numerous cases and consulted on over thirty cases for advice as well as field investigations, document evidence evaluation, and material findings. 

Areas of Expertise:

Mr. Scerbo brings extensive expertise across multiple sectors, including single-family, multifamily, hospitality, commercial construction, renewable energy, and utility-scale infrastructure projects. Well-versed in framing, flashing, metal and composite roofing, concrete, exterior cladding systems such as Portland Cement Stucco, underground construction, MEP issues and opines on standard of care for contractors, construction managers, inspection companies and specialty sub-contractor services. He has hired and supervised engineering and design teams for Design-Build projects and Construction Defect cases, ensuring precision and compliance.

Anthony S. Boom is an Electrical Engineer and Escalator Controls Expert Witness with over 35 years in the escalator business. Currently providing expert witness services though Cetek, Inc., he spent the last three decades working as an Electrical Engineer with Montgomery Escalator and KONE R&D, escalator division.

Three patents Mr. Boom received while working at Montgomery and at KONE include one for Safety Switch and Method of Checked Redundancy, utilized in all of the current transit escalator safety circuits; an Apparatus and Method for Variable Torque Braking of Escalator and Moving Walkways; and a Method and Conveyor System for KONE Sleep Mode Controller.

Litigation Support - Mr. Boom offers expert witness services to attorneys representing plaintiff and defense. Services include expert witness testimony, written or oral affidavits, site inspections, technical investigations, technical review documentation, etc. 

Areas of Expertise:

Background Experience and Accomplishments:

• Designed and developed many custom escalator electrical controls. He also designed and wrote the code for Montgomery Escalator and KONE escalator controls, including the controls for the Trans 180 escalator platform (the ES373’s model).
• Developed diagnostic guides for escalator controllers and braking systems and technical bulletins for all aspects of the escalator electrical control system.
• Oversaw the CSA certification of the escalator control and brake systems.
• Supervised and trained electrical and mechanical engineers.
• Provided tech support to KONE personnel regarding Otis controls and performed power studies on a variety of Otis escalators. 

Selected Case Experience:

• 2022: Escalator at department store, PA: Alleged injury on escalator.
• 2023: High rise transit escalator, NY: Ongoing.
• 2023: Public transportation escalator, NY: Ongoing.  See CV for Full List

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.