Forklifts Expert Witnesses: 9

David Smith is an experienced mechanical engineer (MS, PE) with seven issued patents. Award-winning inventor. Vice President of Alpine Engineering and Design, a mechanical engineering consulting company with clients around the United States ranging from individual inventors to Fortune 500 companies. Worked on the development of multiple successful products including among other things: aerial lifts, garbage trucks, thrill rides, ziplines, trailers, oil and gas equipment, exercise equipment, manufacturing equipment, and multiple consumer products. 

Graduated Cum Laude with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. Completed a master's of science degree in mechanical engineering and an MBA with an emphasis in product development. Licensed professional engineer (PE) and certified safety professional in comprehensive practice (CSP). Certified trainer for boom lifts, scissor lifts, rough terrain, and counterbalanced forklifts. Over 10 years of experience in product development, patents, equipment safety, and risk assessments. 

Experienced expert witness having drafted over 200 reports/declarations in patent cases and catastrophic injury and death cases. Designed and built multiple custom testing devices to obtain data and evaluate opinions. Created multiple demonstratives to explain the mechanics and circumstances of accident sequences and patented devices. Testified in deposition 11 times and in trial once.

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

Brian H. Aanestad has over 30 years of Construction and Fleet experience, including Heavy Equipment, Truck, and Trailer Transport. He currently serves as President and Construction Consultant at Inland Valley Engineering, Inc. and as an Expert Witness for Discover Experts.

Mr. Aanestad is a Consultant and Expert witness for matters including Underground Construction and Placement of Underground Utilities. He has decades of experience overseeing the placement of underground utilities, pipelines, and conduit. In addition, he has almost 20 years of experience in the Full-Service Truck Leasing industry, overseeing transportation, logistics, leasing, rental, and maintenance activities. His company was honored for its work on the Scripps Seawater Return Lines at the University of California, San Diego. The complex, $2.5 million project included nearly 4,500 feet of piping.

Litigation Support - Mr. Aanestad provides expert services to attorneys representing plaintiff and defendant which include on-site review, written reports, depositions, mediation, and trial testimony as needed. Most cases end in mediation or negotiated settlement.

Clients have included such firms as Heffernan & Boortz LLP, Wood Smith Henning & Berman LLP, Rutan & Tucker LLP, and Dowling/ Aaron, Chancio Brown LLC., Southern California Edison, Vast Networks (CVIN), City of Kansas City Missouri, and the City of Oceanside.  

Areas of Expertise:

Underground Trenchless Public Utilities Fiber Optics Installation   Engineering Contractor Negligence Feasibility Studies Underground Utility Easements Construction Standard of Care Construction Defects, Delays, Change Orders Construction Dispute Resolution Construction Damages / Cost Analysis Construction Equipment / Pipelines Heavy Trucks and Trailers

Forklifts Cranes Skip Loaders Backhoes Excavators Drilling & Boring Machines Horizontal Directional Drills Hydraulic Moles Truck Leasing, Rental, Maintenance Transportation Logistics DOT / BIT Review

Dennis W. Eckstine is an expert on cranes, aerial work platforms, various types of lifting equipment, heavy duty trucks, carriers, and other similiar construction, industrial and agricultural equipment. He has held senior positions in engineering, quality, product safety and reliability for major manufacturers including representing the company at trial. 

Through his active involvement in current standards committees, his education, and his engineering and product safety experience at Grove Worldwide, Mr. Eckstine brings a solid scientific and practical background to his clients. He was previously Vice President, Senior Director of Product Safety & Reliability, and Director of Engineering Administration for different major manufacturers. He possesses a BSME and MBA. 

Mr. Eckstine started as a full time employee in the construction equipment industry in 1971 for Grove. He is currently a member of numerous committees within the organizations of ANSI (American National Standards Institute), SAE (Society of Automotive Engineering), ISO, and National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators. Mr. Eckstine was the founding International Chairman of ISO TC 214 for Elevating Work Platforms. He is currently International Chairman of ISO TC 96 SC 6 for Mobile Cranes, and a Commissioner of CCO. 

Services Offered

• Expert on construction, industrial and agricultural equipment
• Evaluate Product to Promote Safe Design and Safe Use of Equipment
• Hazard Analysis, Design Review, Warnings Development, Safety and Operational Training
• Offer Guidance on Human Factors
• CIE - Certified Industrial Ergonomist
• Develop Standards for Design and Safe Use of Products
• Develop Training Materials and Perfrom Training for Operators of Lifting Equipment Including Cranes and Aerial Work Platforms
• Conduct Presentations at Seminars and Work Shops

The four PhD and registered PEs at Miller Engineering are celebrating 40 years of Professorships at three universities along with providing services to Government, Insurance, and Industry—through research, publications, presentations, and expert testimony. We have a dedicated office with a full time staff of engineers, researchers, and technical writers. The span of our collective academic and experiential expertise covers well the Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, Agricultural, Industrial, Human Factors, Ergonomic and Safety fields of engineering. The areas listed below are from actual projects completed in our 40 years of history. 

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 Electronic Vehicles 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 CPSC Recall Information & Strategies

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 Fire Control & Explosion Issues

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 Engineering Professor at the University of Michigan. He has directly served in Washington originating several Federal OSHA safety regulations, and interacts regularly with CPSC regarding safety and product recalls. Dr. Miller often works on projects relating to compliance with occupational safety standards, provides upper management guidance on product design, recall and liability issues, and serves as an expert witness.

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, where he specialized in Human Factors Engineering, in particular Warnings and Labeling. 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 PhD graduate from the University of Michigan, where he specialized in human factors engineering and system safety analyses. He has a special expertise in electrical fire- and explosion-related accidents, and has extensive experience working for loss control companies, performing over 150 fire origin and cause investigations in the past few years.

Adam M. Olshove, PE, MSE – Engineering Manager Mr. Olshove has over 10 years of experience providing consulting services to industry and the legal profession. He holds an MS in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on control systems and battery modeling (2019), and a BS in Mechanical Engineering (2012), both from the University of Michigan. He has performed dozens of on-site investigations nationwide in relation to consumer product design and industrial accidents, including failure analysis and testing.

Jeffrey D. Rupp, MSE – Engineering Associate Mr. Rupp has a BS in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan and a MS in systems engineering and engineering management from Wayne State University. Among his company affiliates is 26 years with Ford Motor Company and Volvo Car Corporation, where he was involved in crash development and crash sensing calibrations.

Dr. J. P. Purswell, PhD, PE, CPE has extensive experience in Human Factors, Ergonomics, and Safety Engineering. He holds a doctorate in Industrial & Systems Engineering from Virginia Tech. He has taught Safety Engineering and Ergonomics in the Industrial Engineering Department at CSU-Pueblo since 1999. 

A member of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society and the American Industrial Hygiene Association, Dr. Purswell also served as the Chair of the Industrial Engineers PE exam from 2005 to 2009. He continues to serve on the committee which is responsible for the preparation of the national professional engineering examination in industrial engineering. 

Dr. Purswell is the author of more than 20 publications and presentations on Product Safety, Occupational Safety, Printed Warnings, and Auditory Warnings. Examples of products addressed include silica, asbestos, cleaning chemicals, gasoline containers, and recreational equipment. Dr. Purswell maintains NIST-calibrated equipment for the measurement of light, sound, force, and whole-body and hand-arm vibration in addition to standard photo and video equipment. 

Litigation Support - An Expert Witness in the legal industry since 1997, Dr. Purswell has been qualified as an expert in state and federal courts across the nation in safety engineering, including safety analysis techniques such as Fault Tree Analysis and FMEA as well as product warnings / instructions and OSHA compliance issues. His services include site inspections, document review, drafting Rule 26-compliant reports, deposition, and trial testimony. He has been retained by attorneys for both Plaintiff (40%) and Defense (60%) more than 100 times, has been deposed approximately 50 times, and has testified at trial over 20 times. 

Areas of Expertise:

Warning and Safety Instructions OSHA Compliance Chemical Accident Prevention Product Safety Lockout / Tagout & Machine Guarding Trucks and Forklift Accidents

Power Tools Safety Hazard Communication - Audible Alarms Employer Safety Training and Supervision Perception / Reaction Time Ergonomic Work Practices Working and Walking Surfaces - Slip, Trip and Fall

View Dr. Purswell's Consulting Profile.

Greg Gerganoff, CSP, Esq., possesses extensive experience in safety compliance and practice involving OSHA and MSHA.  He obtained is law degree from Western Michigan University, Cooley Law School and practiced general civil law for approximately 12 years in Colorado prior to entering the safety profession. Mr. Gerganoff earned a Certified Safety Professional certification and has 18 years of field safety experience in mining, oil and gas, construction, manufacturing, power plant outages, and light rail construction.

His professional safety experience includes OSHA / MSHA Safety field work and compliance with experience in the heavy construction, manufacturing, light rail construction, power plant outages, public schools, oil and gas, mining, pipeline, and trenching and excavation industries.

• Authorized Outreach Trainer for OSHA General Industry.
• PEC Safeland Basic and Core instructor (Oil and gas).
• MSHA Approved Instructor (Blue Card) for Surface, Metal/nonmetal.
• Member of the American Society of Safety Professionals.

Litigation Support: Mr. Gerganoff assists with discovery questions regarding safety matters. Safety opinions based upon statutory, administrative, judicial rulings and related industry association safety policies ancillary to OSHA and MSHA.  Mr. Gerganoff is retained by attorneys for both Plaintiff and Defendant. Some of the subject matter litigation he has handled include:

Forklift Safety and Operation Lock Out Tag Out/Natural Gas Compressor Stations Oil and Gas Safety Manufacturing Safety Construction Safety Compressed Gas Cylinder Safety

Crane and Aerial Lift Safety Mining Safety Traffic Control Plans / MUTCD Working at Heights, Employee Safety Training Fall Protection, Ladders, Stairways

View Greg Gerganoff's Consulting Profile.

Michael P. Lawler, CSP, ASP, CHST, is a Construction Safety Expert with over 30 years of experience. He offers a unique combination of formal education and "project based" technical experience working on some of the largest construction projects in the United States. 

Litigation Support - Mr. Lawler's experience includes over 50 OSHA inspections and associated negotiation and defense preparation related to OSHA citations.   His background allows him to opine on OSHA Standards and Contract Responsibility with a demeanor of care and confidence. 

Mr. Lawler is an expert at applying OSH Act of 1970 standards, CFR 1926 & 1910 regulations, policies, construction industry practices, contract responsibility, incident investigation, and accident reconstruction. Mr. Lawler analyzes how post incident details and investigations should be completed and who is responsible per the OSHA Standard and construction industry practices. He is experienced in personal injury, catastrophic injury, and fatality cases. 

Areas of Expertise:

Construction Personal Injury OSHA Construction Standards Catastrophic Injury / Fatalities Multi-Employer Worksites Failure to Train General Contractor Responsibility Sub Contractor Coordination of Safety Responsibilities Contract Application on Construction Sites Mobile Elevating Work Platforms (MEWP)

Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) Fall Protection Scaffolds / Cranes Steel Erection Silica / Lead Confined Spaces Scissor Lift / Aerial Lift Equipment Accidents Amputation / Crush

Bransford Pickett, PE, DFE, BSc, MScBA, has over 25 years of experience as a Mechanical Engineer. SEFS expertise includes design and review of material handling equipment, material handling management, and ship board systems. SEFS offers litigation support services for Accident Investigation and Reconstruction covering failure analysis, process simulation, regulatory compliance, equipment reliability, and personal injury / safety. His materials handling and engineering services are offered to attorneys, insurance and end user companies nationally and internationally.

Mr. Pickett is a member on the American Society of Mechanical Engineers B30 committee on Safety Codes and Standards for cranes and rigging as well as a member of several subcommittees. He is also a member of American Society of Mechanical Engineers P30 Committee- Planning for the Use of Cranes, Derricks, Hoists, Cableways and Lifting Accessories. ASME BTH Standards Committee.

Mr. Pickett is a Professional Engineer, and holds a BSE from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and a MScBA in Finance from San Diego State University, as well as a board certified Diplomate Forensic Engineer. He has qualified as an expert witness in the State of New York Supreme Court and the State of California Supreme Court.

Accident Investigation:

• Man baskets, Forklifts, Scissors Lifts, Aerial Lifts, Rigging Gear, Hydraulic Jacks, and Hydraulic / pneumatic Lift Systems, Automotive Lift Systems, Conveyors, Pallet and Packages Conveyors, Pneumatic Systems, Machine tools, Boats, Barges, and Elevators
• Tower, Mobile, Bridge, Truck, Portal, Container, Jib and Floating Barge Cranes, and Derricks
• Operator training compliance to National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators, NCCCO, requirements for tower crane, mobile crane, overhead crane, articulating crane operator training and certification, signal person, and rigger certification
• Compliance covers applicable national and international standards that include the ABS, ASTM, ASM, ASME, ANSI, WSTDA, ALI, etc. and DIN, EN, FEM to list a few. National regulations include state and federal OSHA requirements as well as DOE, military specifications and standards

View Bransford Pickett's Consulting Profile.

Transportation & Safety Compliance Experts, Inc. is a full-service Consulting Firm that offers a wide variety of services, including OSHA Expert services. Built on the expertise of former OSHA regulators, they exist to provide accurate, affordable safety and compliance solutions. Our OSHA team works with both sides of OSHA regulations and commands a thorough understanding of the system. It’s the reason why attorneys call on them as expert witnesses and clients trust our services.

Litigation Support - Transportation & Safety Compliance Experts services hundreds of clients in transportation, general industry, construction, and the maritime industries and understand the day-to-day compliance obligations they have. Our OSHA experts have decades of hands-on experience to tackle any regulatory issue including:

• Litigation consultation services and trial testimony
• Application and interpretations of the OSH ACT of 1970
• Opinions regarding employer and employee OSHA compliance obligations  
• Occupational safety and health (OSHA) compliance consultation services

Stephen L. Day, CSP, is a retired OSHA Assistant Area Director for the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, US Department of Labor. His expertise is in providing guidance on the interpretation and application of the OSH Act of 1970 and its promulgated rules as well as industry consensus standards regarding occupational safety and health.

In his role as OSHA Assistant Area Director, Mr. Day led and directed occupational safety and health investigations and regulatory enforcement programs in support of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 in assigned areas within Region IV of OSHA. He supervised OSHA investigative and enforcement personnel, including safety engineers, safety specialists, industrial hygienists, and administrative personnel, in the accomplishment of the federal regulatory mission of OSHA, and directed and managed OSHA regulatory enforcement actions regarding complaints, accident, and fatality investigations in order to ensure occupational safety and health and compliance with federal OSHA regulations, including but not limited to construction, general industry, chemical manufacturing, petroleum refining, healthcare, auto manufacturing, sawmills, logging, steel erection, long shoring and maritime settings.

Areas of Expertise:

• Litigation consultation services and trial testimony regarding workplace safety and health standards of care and OSHA compliance throughout transportation, general industry, maritime, and construction industry settings
• Opinions regarding employer and employee OSHA compliance obligations based upon the OSHA Act of 1970
• Opinions on the application and interpretation of OSHA and industry consensus standards regarding workplace safety and health

Contact Information: 251-454-4967 (Cell) steve@transportationsafetyservices.com

Jeff Funke, MS, CSP, is an Industrial Hygiene Expert who serves as an occupational safety and health subject matter expert to industry clients and legal counsel on a wide range of occupational safety and health matters specifically related to Employer Obligations under the OSH Act of 1970.

Mr. Funke provides expert guidance on the nature and scope of jurisdictional applicability of the OSH Act related to different aspects of the workplace regarding the regulatory requirements of 29 CFR 1910 General Industry and 29 CFR 1926 Construction. He is an experienced safety and health professional with extensive knowledge of industrial hygiene principles and feasible application in the workplace.
  

Areas of Expertise:

• Safety and health compliance audits and on-site training to assist industry clients and legal counsel regarding their obligations under the OSH Act
• Deposition and trial testimony on a broad array of matters related to occupational safety and health, OSHA compliance, and best practices
• Identifying a wide range of hazards in various industries, including construction, manufacturing, agriculture, and numerous other specialty industries
• implementing feasible corrective actions that create a safe and healthful workplace, which limits the employer’s risk, and increases productivity and profitability

Contact Information: 304-989-1619 (Cell)  jeff@transportationsafetyservices.com

View Transportation Compliance Experts, Inc.'s Business Consulting Profile.