Public Safety Expert Witnesses: 5

Richard A. Lazar is the nation’s leading Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Program Compliance Expert. He and his company, Readiness Systems, design and document complete AED programs, remotely monitor AEDs, provide AED law and public policy resources and publish industry standards

An AED program consists of a design and supporting set of policies and practices that ready an organization for Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) emergencies, suggest what actions should be taken if SCA is encountered and help manage the legal risks that come with owning AEDs. Industry standards and AED laws guide what to include in an AED program’s policies and practices.

Background Experience: For over 25 years, Mr. Lazar has designed and documented AED programs for AED programs nationwide. Examples include Microsoft, the Federal Aviation Administration, 24 Hour Fitness among many others. Earlier in his career, he practiced emergency medical services law, designed emergency medical services (EMS) systems, served as an EMS system administrator, and was an emergency medical technician. He also holds a law degree from Lewis & Clark School of Law and a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Affairs from the University of Oregon.

Mr. Lazar develops and publishes national AED Program Design Guidelines that describe industry standards for AED programs and the AED Law Center, the only comprehensive online information resource that helps AED owners learn about the AED laws for every state, understand the AED laws in plain English, and stay informed about pending AED legislation nationwide.

Litigation Support: As the leader in his industry, Mr. Lazar has provided both consulting and testifying expert services to lawyers in a variety of cases around the U.S. involving sudden cardiac arrest response in workplace and community (non-medical) settings. His deep understanding of AED programs has led him to testify before the U.S. Congress in support of the Cardiac Arrest Survival Act, the FDA on AED over-the-counter and reclassification issues, and numerous state legislatures on AED public policy issues and immunity laws.

View Readiness Systems' Consulting Profile.

Management and Homeland Security

Dr. Hargreaves is a Brazilian emergency physician, holding an MA in Security Management (Webster University) and an MS in Political Science with a focus in International Terrorism. His passion for the field of Crisis and Disaster Preparedness having been engaged for some years as Director of the Medical Department at the Brazilian House of Representatives as well as the Emergency Coordinator of the Special Operations Unit.

His previous experience extends to planning and managing emergency response operations, disaster preparedness and homeland security, including five presidential inaugurations, mass gathering, sporting and entertainment events involving many celebrities and some official visits by Heads of State and other authorities. 

In the Academic field, Dr. Hargreaves has lectured at different Universities and worked as a speaker in many conferences abroad. He also has many years of experience as a Professor and Academic Coordinator for several Graduate programs. He is the author of various books and articles in the field of disaster preparedness, crisis management, and Homeland Security. 

Core Competencies:

Languages Spoken: Portuguese, English, Spanish, French (Basic) and Italian (Basic).

Areas of Expertise:

Highly Qualified Retail Accident Expert. Involved with many High Profile Retail Injury Cases Top 40 Retail Industry Leader ( DDI Magazine ) and Top 50 Retail Design Firm ( VMSD Magazine ) 2016 Slip, Trip, Fall & Safety Expert Witness of the Year - Corporate America Journal Expert for Retail accidents, slip and fall, display defects, construction issues, ADA and local codes. A 35 year veteran in the Retail Industry for all venues of Retail and Product Vendors, Product Showrooms, Display Design and manufacturing able to determine the cause and effect leading to accidents occurring inside and outside of stores. Other areas of expertise include Arena design, Furniture design, Office design, Product showroom design, licensing and branding agreements and product, display design, merchandising and product presentation. Review CV on website including two degrees in Architecture, Industry awards in Store and Display design, contributing editor of trade magazines, featured company at industry trade show "Store of the Future" area, high profile projects and clients. Extremely capable to cut to the chase, find relevant facts about the accident often not thought of by the attorney representing the Plaintiff or the Defendant. Over 30 cases handled in the last three years while maintaining the highly successful Retail Design Business.

View Jerry Birnbach's Consulting Profile.

Andrew W. Thomas is the founder of Collision Analytics, an ACTAR certified Motor Vehicle Crash Reconstructionist, and a licensed Illinois Private Investigator. He regularly instructs crash investigation and reconstruction courses throughout the United States and Canada for the Northwestern University Center for Public Safety.  Background Experience - Mr. Thomas has over 14 years of experience as an Illinois law enforcement officer and has attended nearly 1,000 hours of crash investigation and reconstruction training, ranging from pedestrian collisions to accessing and interpreting heavy vehicle event data recorders. Throughout his tenure, he has investigated over 200 major collisions involving all types of vehicles. Litigation Support - Mr. Thomas has worked in the public and private sector investigating numerous personal injury and fatal crashes and has been recognized by courts as an expert witness in crash reconstruction.

He currently leads a team of 7 investigators and 6 reconstructionists responsible for investigating all major crash investigations within unincorporated McHenry County, outside Chicago-land.

Since 2017, Collision Analytics has served clients as a full-service crash investigation and reconstruction company providing expert consultation, analysis, and testimony. Mr. Thomas' services are available to attorneys representing both plaintiff and defendant.

Serving Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, and Michigan, Collision Analytics has the equipment to retrieve electronic data and the experience to assess its impact on a case. Their services also include survey and drone scene mapping, forensic vehicle examinations, courtroom exhibit preparation, and crash reconstructions including electronic, GPS, and cellular phone data.

Areas of Expertise:

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.