Parks and Recreation (General) Expert Witnesses

Robert E. (Bob) Preston has a proven record of providing successful Camp Operations since 1993. His experience is in Fund Raising, Growth, Marketing, and Innovative Programming for Camps in the Mid-Atlantic states and internationally.

Mr. Preston has directed 8 Scout Camps and 11 National Camping Schools, planned new camp facilities, developed, directed and marketed the Adirondack National High Adventure Area, and obtained the necessary monies for camp expansions while serving as a Council Executive and Area Director in the Northeast Region, BSA.

Since 2000, Mr. Preston has been a designated expert witness or court appointed receiver, assisting legal professionals in both District and Federal court situations. He has received testimonials from client attorneys in CT, DC, IL, ME, MD, MO, NC, NY, OH, PA, VA, TX, and WY.

Areas of Expertise:

Camp Staff Training Issues Maintenance Concerns Risk Management Mitigation Environmental Challenges Property Management Issues Human Resources

Program Design Impacts Aquatics Activities Firearm Safety Child Protection Matters Standards of Care for Campers/Guests American Camp Association Accreditation Deviations

View Bob Preston's Consulting Profile.

Douglas Baumgarten, M.S., offers consulting and expert witness services related to Fitness, Health Clubs, Exercise Equipment, Personal Training and Sports. Mr. Baumgarten is a graduate of Harvard University and California University of Penna. (M.S. Exercise Science). He is a certified Health/Fitness Director (Amer. Coll. of Sports Medicine), Performance Enhancement Specialist, Medical Exercise Specialist, Bike Fitter, cycling coach, and baseball/softball official.

Mr. Baumgarten has 35+ years in the fitness industry, as personal trainer, manager, consultant, equipment dealer, President of a large fitness company, and owner of SportFit Consulting. He has over 12 years' experience as a legal expert, on cases from equipment accidents to health club employee conduct. He works with both plaintiffs and defendants, and has testified in civil and criminal courts.

Mr. Baumgarten has contributed to Fitness Management magazine, Boardroom magazine, Club Management magazine, and other publications. His expertise also includes facility design and layout, as well as exercise equipment safety and efficacy.

Smith Aquatic Safety Service (SASS) was created in 1981, upon Dr. Smith's retirement from 25 year's service in the U.S. Coast Guard, to provide aquatic safety training. At retirement Dr. Smith was Chief, 2nd Coast Guard Boating Safety Division, St. Louis, MO, responsible for all federal boating safety activities in 15 primary states.

Litigation Support - In 1981 Dr. Smith first testified as an expert. Both aspects of SASS have grown markedly, with Dr. Smith being retained in hundreds of legal cases, for plaintiff and defense while also training thousands of aquatic safety/rescue personnel. He has been qualified in numerous state and federal court cases as a boating accident reconstructionist.

SASS provides consultation and related services to law firms in aquatics cases, plus water rescue and boating safety training seminars for fire, police, lifeguarding and EMS providers throughout North America.

Areas of Expertise:

Drowning Boat Collisions Diving  Personal Watercraft (PWC’s)  Personal Flotation Devices (PFD’s) Rules of the Road Alcohol

Hypothermia Pool and Beach Design Life Guarding and Supervision Water Skiing and Tubing Dams Rafting Environmental Stressor

Pool Operation Management (POM), founded in 1980, is an Aquatics Safety and Risk Management firm that is nationally recognized for pool consulting services including liability and risk management, compliance with governmental regulations, facility operations, mechanical questions, and personnel requirements.

Trevor A. Sherwood II has extensive experience in the swimming pool industry, with over 20 years of experience in service, consulting, training and education, code regulations, development and expert witness. He has contributed to aquatic textbooks and related articles, influenced State Recreational Bathing Codes and national conference presentations. He has provided leadership to such organizations as National Swimming Pool Foundation (NSPF), Northeast Spa & Pool Association (NESPA), Community Association Institute - New Jersey Chapter (CAI), New Jersey Apartment Association (NJAA), New Jersey Parks and Recreation Society (NJPRS), Pennsylvania Parks and Recreation Society (PRPS) and New Jersey and Massachusetts Health Departments. He has been retained by attorneys for both Plaintiff and Defense.

Mr. Sherwood's extensive swimming pool consulting experience qualifies him to appear in court on the following matters:

Swimming Pool Deaths - Drowning, Diving Chemical Exposure Chemical Fires / Hazards Pool Paint

Pool Equipment Patent Infringement Pool Light Electrocution Deck and Pool Surfacing Fitness Club Hot Tub Issues

View Consulting Profile.

Ken Tannar’s Golf Expertise is unique in the legal world. As an Errant Golf Ball expert, Mr. Tannar can analyze and give advice on potential damage produced by errant golf balls. 

Mr. Tannar provides litigation support services on all cases involving golf club / ball interactions. Using a highly accurate golf ball projectile model, Mr. Tannar can determine the “zones of danger.” including:

- Golf Netting Safety Height - Topographic Errant Ball Analysis - Adjoining Property Errant Golf Ball Safety Determination

Based on over 50 years of experience, Bill Uhl helps attorneys with standard of care, safety and training issues regarding ATV, utility vehicle/side by side, snowmobile, motorcycle dirt bike and other off-road vehicle accidents. Mr. Uhl also assists attorneys with cases regarding recreational facilities and tours using all-terrain vehicles and other recreational off-road vehicles (ROVs). Other cases have dealt with safety training for customers, trail route maintenance, mechanical maintenance, motocross racecourse design and construction safety, dual sport bikes, street bikes, quads, and mountain bike trails.

Mr. Uhl has been a Sr. Instructor for OHVtraining.org, designated a “Preferred Training School” for over 25 years, training off-highway vehicle users in agencies as diverse as all branches of Military Special Forces, government agencies, Honda ATV test riders, Quest, T-Mobile, Kinder Morgan Natural Gas Pipeline Company and power plants. He was also inducted into the AMA International Hall of Fame for his on and off course expertise

Mr. Uhl has been the co-owner, operator, and lead mechanic of a retail store selling OHVs and street bikes for 26 years. He has been sponsored by OHV companies to represent the U.S. in international competitions, winning 5 gold medals for the U.S. Racing over 150,000 miles in the most rugged terrain around the world, Mr. Uhl has been named "Enduro Rider of the Year" by Motorcycle Magazine and been honored as a "Cross Country Legend" by the AHRMA national organization. He has also been designing, constructing, and maintaining recreational trails for over 20 years.

Litigation Support: Since 2004, Mr. Uhl has completed over 78 Off-Highway Vehicle cases, working for both plaintiffs and defendants, helping attorneys identify case merits, writing reports, preparing exhibits and providing depositions and trial testimony. He also helps attorneys understand Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) guidelines for OHVs. He simplifies complex information about safety and risk issues related to incidents and injuries so they are easy for both attorneys and jurors to comprehend.

Areas of Expertise:

ATV (All-Terrain Vehicle), Quad, Four-Wheeler UTV (Utility Terrain Vehicle), Side by Side, RZR Snowmobile Motorcycle Dirt Bike Mountain Bicycle Dual Sport Motorcycle Motocross Track Design Motocross and closed-course competition Street Bike Motorcycle accident Standard of care Human factors Ergonomics

Analyze merits of a case Content of off-road vehicle owner / operator’s manuals Content of AMA’s off-road Competition Rulebook Guided ATV Tour accidents / lack of maintenance or safety training Guided UTV Tour accidents / lack of maintenance or safety training Guided Snowmobile Tour accidents / lack of maintenance or safety training ATV, Snowmobile & UTV rental accidents / lack of maintenance or safety training Inadequate safety training for your off-road vehicle The physics of operating off-road vehicles Training & skill development for off-road / off-highway vehicles Instructor training for ATV, UTV, snowmobiles & motorcycle dirt bikes Motorized and non-motorized trail construction and maintenance Off-road vehicle (ORV) Accident site inspection

View Bill Uhl's Consulting Profile.

Gary Deel, Ph.D., J.D. has 10 years of experience in executive-level positions in the hospitality industry and 10 years of experience teaching hospitality management and law curriculum for some of the nation's top hotel schools.

Dr. Deel holds both a Ph.D. in Hospitality and a J.D. in Law, so he understands the nuances of expert witness testimony from the perspective of attorney strategy. He has also worked in a variety of different hospitality industry capacities including operations, sales, security and risk management, training and administration, and others. His services are available to help attorneys make the strongest possible arguments for clients in hospitality-related cases. Dr. Deel offers expert witness services nationwide in the areas of:

Hotels Resorts Restaurants Travel and Tourism Meetings and Events

Theme Parks Airlines Cruise Lines Casinos Golf Courses

Recent Cases:

• Suit against Miami beach resort involving catastrophic injury in the ocean and hotel duty to warn about latent hazards known to hotel and not obvious to visitors (plaintiff).
• Suit against Orlando city center convention hotel involving sexual assault of a minor guest by an employee and hotel duty to monitor employee whereabouts and activities (plaintiff).

Water safety expert Shawn P. DeRosa is committed to helping reduce the drowning rate by training lifeguards, pool operators and beach managers in appropriate risk management strategies and emergency response protocols.

Helping educate pool and beach managers about the risks inherent in aquatic recreation with the ultimate goal of reducing the drowning rate is one of the primary goals of DeRosa Aquatic Consulting. 

Consulting Services	Educational Services	Expert Witness Services
Aquatic Program Audits	Swimming Pool Operator Certification Courses	Legal Orientation
Staff Performance Audits	Lifeguard Pre-Service Training Workshops	Site Inspections
Facility Inspections	Conference Presentations	Report Preparation
Zone Validation	Aquatic Risk Management Workshops	Sworn Testimony

Shawn P. DeRosa brings over 30 years experience in aquatics as a lifeguard, Water Safety and Lifeguarding Instructor Trainer, Certified Pool Operator, and Aquatic Facility Operator Instructor. He is a frequent speaker at industry events including the World Waterpark Association annual conference, the Association of Aquatic Professionals annual conference, as well as regional workshops and training events. For nearly 9 years Shawn worked at The Pennsylvania State University: seven years as the Director of Aquatics and Safety Officer for Intercollegiate Athletics / Associate Director of Campus Recreation, Aquatics and Safety and then nearly two years as the Senior Associate Director of Campus Recreation for Business and Administrative Services. Prior to joining Penn State, Shawn served as the Waterfront Program Coordinator for the Massachusetts State Park system, where he oversaw 66 aquatic facilities including 38 inland beaches, 6 ocean beaches, and 20 swimming pools. He has been instrumental in the development of the American Red Cross Lifeguarding program, having served as a technical consultant with both the 2000 and 2012 program revisions.

The author of numerous articles concerning risk management and aquatic safety, Shawn is also the contributing author to two textbooks: Safer Beaches and The Complete Swimmiing Pool Reference. He also developed two certifications programs used to train pool operators worldwide in the principles and standards for operating aquatic facilities. Shawn has trained pool and waterpark operators across the United States as well as in Canada, Hong Kong, Mexico and the United Arab Emirates. 

Litigation Support - A well-recognized expert in the field, Shawn offers a critical and unbiased review of aquatic cases, whether as a plaintiff or defense expert. An expert in Water Safety, Lifeguarding, Pool Operations, and Beach Management, Shawn is uniquely positioned to critically and objectively evaluate cases involving injuries or deaths including drowning and diving injuries. A cum laude graduate of Suffolk University Law School, Shawn appreciates the many legal questions that arise in the course of litigation and is well-positioned to apply the facts revealed during discovery to the critical elements of a case.

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

Richard A. Young, is an Aquatics Safety expert with over 30 years of public, institutional, commercial, water park, and high-end residential pool experience. A California State Contractor, his background includes aquatic facility water treatment planning, design, equipment sales, installation, and troubleshooting.

Certifications and Affiliations

• Certified Pool Operator (National Swimming Pool Foundation)
• Aquatic Facility Operator Instructor (National Recreation and Park Association)
• Technical Adviser for the Professional Pool Operators of America
• Member, National Association of Aquatic Consultants
• Member, National Park and Recreation Association
• Member, California Pool and Spa Association

Mr. Young teaches one of the two national professional pool operators courses, develops problem solving pool mechanical equipment, and speaks at state and national conferences on pool safety and filtration systems. He has published over 30 writings in industry texts and periodicals, and is the managing editor of the 6th edition of the Aquatic Facility Operator's Manual for the National Recreation and Park Association "AFO" course.

Litigation Support - Richard Young is uniquely qualified to provides expert witness services to counsel representing both Plaintiff and Defendant. He has completed mechanical work at over 500+ public, institutional and large commercial aquatic facilities. This work included total mechanical renovations comprised of recirculation, filtration, heating, chemical control and chemical feed systems.

Services Include:

• Pool Design and Construction Review
• Mechanical Water Systems Analysis
• Accident and Drowning Analysis
• Pool Assessments and Reports

Recent Swimming Pool-Related Cases:

• Patron Injuries
• Operator Injuries
• Drowning, Near Drowning
• Pool Related Accidents
• Construction Disputes

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

Daniel J. Maple, BCMA, RCA, MA, TRAQ, is a Registered Consulting Arborist, Board Certified Master Arborist, ISA Municipal Specialist, ISA Tree Risk Assessment Qualified, and holds a Commercial Applicators License. As of August 2017, there are 284 RCAs, 698 BCMAs, and 884 MSs in the world. Mr. Maple has the distinction of having all of these qualifications as well as others. With over 30 years of industry experience, Mr. Maple has provided ethical, scientific sound arboriculture solutions to both the public and private sector. During this time, Mr. Maple owned and operated a tree service, and was a first responder in several natural disasters that resulted in thousands of tree failures. His investigations into the tree failures and the experience gained makes him uniquely qualified among his peers as a risk assessor and risk mitigation planner. Mr. Maple has used his years of hands on experience along with his formal education to advise states, cities, parks, developers, managers, HOAs and the private sector. Litigation Support - As an expert witness, Daniel J. Maple is well respected for his ability to document evidence, superior communication skills, forensic investigations, and pragmatism. He is articulate and knowledgeable under cross-examination. Mr. Maple's services are available to attorneys representing both plaintiff and defendant. Areas of Expertise:

Line of Sight / Safety Issues Tree Accident Investigation / Reconstruction Tree Defect Personal Injury Plant Damage Assessment Tree Property Value Tree Appraisal Valuation of Landscape Plants

Tree Inspections and Risk Assessment Border and Boundary Line Tree Disputes Negligent or Intentional Timber Trespass Insurance Claim Investigation Lightning / Storm Damage Evaluation Tree Preservation During Construction Loss to Eminent Domain Taking

View Daniel Maple's Consulting Profile.