Trucks - Forklifts - Trailers Safety Expert Witnesses: 13

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.

Ricky Thigpen has over 30 years of experience in the area of Law Enforcement and Transportation Safety. Mr. Thigpen has training throughout the years in Law Enforcement and as an Investigator performing Compliance Reviews on behalf of the Texas DPS and FMCSA. He is also an Associate Instructor for the FMCSA National Training Center. 

Litigation Support - Since 2013, Mr. Thigpen has been providing expert witness services for transportation-related incidents. He has been a US DOT consultant since 2008. He has assisted over 400 companies with Transportation related issues. Services include site inspection, thorough reporting, depositions, and trial testimony as needed.

Areas of Expertise:

Background Experience - Prior to the formation of Axiom First Group, LLC, Mr. Thigpen worked with Axis Transport, LLC as their Senior Safety Officer responsible for DOT and FMCSA compliance. The 3 years before that, he served as the DOT Consultant with Disa Global Solutions where he consulted with DISA client motor carriers regarding FMCSA compliance and audits.

From 2008-2019, Mr. Thigpen was the Principal at Compliance Management, LLC, where he conducted audits for federally-regulated motor carriers and served as expert in litigation matters.

Cory W. Bruner has 28 years of experience in Safety in Construction and General Industry. Mr. Bruner is a qualified Safety Professional and holds a Safety Management Practitioner Certification. He has 25 years of Safety, Health and Environmental experience and 15 years specializing in Electrical and  Concrete Pumping. Mr. Bruner has provided services to clients in the Concrete Pumping, General, Construction, Electrical, Oil and Gas, Legal, and Insurance Industries. 

Concurrently with Bruner Safety Consulting, Mr. Bruner serves as Corporate Director of Risk Management, Safety and HR at Facility Solutions Group, Inc.  In this role, he oversees all aspects of Safety and Health including but not limited to policy and development, implementation, training, pre-qualification coordination, injury prevention investigation and reporting, site loss control auditing, management of facility safety trainers and staff, safety, and safety budgeting. 

Litigation Support - Mr. Bruner has provided expert opinions in numerous state and federal accident and injury cases. He specializes in electrical, concrete pumping accidents, and fatalities in construction, oil and gas, chemical process, and systems industry accidents and fatalities. Mr. Bruner is experienced with Federal and numerous State DOT / FMCSA regulatory compliance matters. He provides root cause analysis with corrective measures. 

Areas of Expertise:

View Bruner Safety Consulting's Consultant Profile.

" WHO IS AN EXPERT?
ONE WHO HAS ACQUIRED COMPREHENSIVE SPECIFIC EDUCATION,
ADVANCED AND CONTINUING TRAINING, AND EXTENSIVE SPECIFIC
EXPERIENCE TO GAIN THE KNOWLEDGE AND AUTHORITATIVE ABILITIES
REPRESENTING THE MASTERY OF THE SPECIFIC FIELD AND OF THE SUBJECT."

Nation Wide and International Expertise.

Timothy G. Galarnyk: Educated in Construction and Safety.  Continued Training in Construction and Safety. More than 45 Years of HANDS-ON Field Experience. Actively involved in construction since 1976. Equipment operator, member of International Union of Operating Engineers since 2004, Certified by ATSSA in Construction Work Zone Traffic Control - MUTCD since 1988. More than 1,000 Incidents Independently Investigated. 

Traffic Crashes in Construction Work Zones - Related to MUTCD Compliance. CERTIFIED by ATSSA in Work Zone Traffic Control since 1988. 

Construction Risk Management, Inc., is a corporation with experts in construction safety, structure collapses, construction means and methods, and construction work zone traffic control.  Investigation focuses on:

Bridges, Buildings, Residential, Industrial, Commercial, High-Rises, Marine, Highways, Underground, Water, General and Subcontractor Issues

Litigation Support - We conduct Forensic Investigations of Construction Accidents / Injuries / Deaths to establish the Cause. What happened? How did it happen? Where and When did it happen? Why did it happen? Who is Responsible? Depositions and Trial Experienced. State and Federal Courts. Defense and Plaintiff - Makes no difference as the case facts and evidence rules. 

Areas of Expertise (include but not limited to):

Donald L. Hess, President of DLH Associates, Inc., has been providing expert witness services to attorneys and other clients, including Analysis of Vehicle Crashes since 1996. His specialty is crashes involving Commercial Motor Vehicles, including trucks, tractor-trailers, and buses.

With well over two million miles of safe cross-country trucking experience, followed by over 20 years as a driver trainer and creator / administrator of commercial driving programs, Mr. Hess is well-qualified to provide analysis of what drivers are trained to do in specific situations and circumstances, what federal and state regulations call for and require, and all aspects of the safe and proper operation of commercial motor vehicles. As a motorcyclist with over 45 years of riding and training experience, he is also qualified to comment on accidents involving motorcycles.

Mr. Hess has been nationally-recognized as a leader in safety and training issues, is a winner of the American Trucking Associations Million Mile Driving award, and was a winner of the Truckload Carriers Association Lee Crittenden award. Over his long and successful career in trucking and education, he has held numerous national board and officer positions in trucking and education.

Litigation Support - Mr. Hess is uniquely qualified to analyze and comment on driver behavior in virtually any situation, and has established a solid reputation as an expert witness in crashes involving trucks and commercial vehicles for both Plaintiff and Defense in over 500 hundred cases across the country since 1996. His experience includes significant deposition and trial testimony.

He possesses a unique combination of training, hands-on experience, and education that combine to position him as a leading expert in all facets of trucking. Mr. Hess still maintains a valid, current Commercial Driver License fully endorsed for Combination Vehicles, Doubles-Triples, Tankers, Hazardous Materials, Motorcycles, and Buses. He also holds a USDOT Medical Exam Certificate. His CDL and medical certificate have been maintained without interruption or fault since 1971.

Areas of Expertise:

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. 

JP Transportation Safety Consulting, LLC (JPTSC) has more than one hundred years of combined experience serving the Shipping and Transportation industry relative to Workplace Safety and Regulatory Compliance. JPTSC helps companies of all types and sizes that operate commercial motor vehicles, as well as shippers and carriers of hazardous materials, with respect to compliance with Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations.

Litigation Support - JPTSC provides expert services to attorneys representing Plaintiff and Defense. They consult on cases involving:

	Jon (Paul) Dillard, President and Co-Founder, has fulfilled all of the educational requirements, acquired the professional experience and knowledge of the field, and attained the level of expertise and professionalism in Motor Fleet Supervision as a Certified Director of Safety from the North American Transportation Management Training Institute. He has been employed in the motor carrier industry for over 30 years and has successfully managed the safety, compliance, and claims for two major motor carriers as a Vice President and/or Director of Safety resulting in satisfactory compliance audits and significant reductions in accident frequency. Mr. Dillard is experienced and trained in: Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety and Compliance - Quality Management - Defensive Driving - Accident Investigation - Commercial Motor Vehicle Operations - Inspection / Maintenance - OSHA - Cargo Loading and Securement - Hazardous Materials Transportation.
	Jon O. Cook, COO, Co-Founder, is a former Commercial Motor Vehicle Driver and Owner Operator with over 1,000,000 over-the-road miles to his credit. He is a certified commercial driver examiner, having trained and road-tested hundreds of commercial drivers. Mr. Cook has been employed in various capacities in the trucking industry over the last 36 years. He served as Director of Safety for a large food-store chain in Birmingham, Alabama covering seven states. Mr. Cook also remains active in the Alabama Trucking Association. He has served on the Board of Directors and was previously Chairman of the Board and as President and Chairman of the Board for the North Alabama Chapter of the National Safety Council. Mr. Cook is experienced and trained in: DOT Compliance / Safety - Driver Recruiting - Qualification - Training and Maintenance Programs - Road Testing - Accident Avoidance - Defensive Driving - Fuel Economy - Cargo Securement - Proper Equipment Usage.
	Kenneth M. Price, a recent addition to JPTSC, has spent the last 5 years As a Motor Carrier Safety Specialist with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. His duties included planning, scheduling, and conducting compliance reviews on motor carriers throughout the State of Alabama to assure compliance with regulations, policies, and /or guidelines, including those concerned with the transportation and handling of hazardous materials. Mr. Price also assisted the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Trial Attorney documenting evidence for a case that was going before an Administrative Law Judge. He has also worked with the Trial Attorney documenting evidence for the Field Administrators Reply to Preliminary Order on Petition for Review of Safety Ratings. Mr. Price is experienced and trained in: Compliance Reviews - Hazardous Materials - Safety Instructor - Motor Coach Bus Driver Qualifications.

View JP Transportation Safety's Consulting Profile.

• Truck Accident Investigation
• Advanced Accident Reconstruction
• Human Factors Analysis
• Heavy Truck Vehicle Accident Reconstruction
• Pedestrian Motor Vehicle Accident Reconstruction
• Vehicle Dynamics

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:

View Dr. Purswell's Consulting Profile.

R. Kevin Smith PE, BSME, MMAE, has been a specialist in Engineering Forensic Safety and Design for 35 years. He has consulted on over a 1,000 matters nationwide. Mr. Smith is a registered professional engineer and holds a BSME and MMAE from the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. He is board certified forensic engineer through the National Academy of Forensic Engineers. He specializes in Material Handling Equipment Safety, including lift trucks, dock safety, truck loading, conveyors, and aerial work platform safety. Mr. has been actively involved as a member of the committee that writes the Safety Standard for Low Lift and High Lift Trucks (ASME/ANSI B56.1) for over 30 years. He also serves on the B56.6 committee (rough terrain lift trucks) and the ANSI A92.5 and A92.6 subcommittees (self-propelled elevating work platforms). Litigation Support - Mr. Smith formerly worked for Triodyne, Inc. for over 15 years as a forensic engineer/principal engineer. As President of R. K. Smith Engineering Inc., for over 25 years, he currently has a laboratory for examination and testing, and owns or has access to varied testing equipment and tools. Kevin Smith has testified at depositions and trials on several hundred matters. He has performed hundreds of investigations into product failures involving injury and property damage, and has reconstructed numerous accidents. His expertise is available to counsel representing both Plaintiff and Defendant. Mr. Smith also was previously on the Adjunct Math faculty at Prairie State College for 13 years. Areas of Expertise:

View R. Kevin Smith'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:

View Greg Gerganoff's Consulting Profile.

More than 40 years experience: defective packaging; unreasonably dangerous products; failure-to-warn; materials-handling; warehousing; cargo loading and securement; falling cargo; insurance claims for loss or damaged cargo; falling merchandise; patent infringement; trade-dress infringement. Has testified in state and federal courts and knows how to connect with a jury. Has worked for Plaintiffs and Defendants. Services: consulting; analysis; cite inspections; exemplar testing; opining; report writing; testifying. Long list of attorney references. Self-employed consultant. Former employee at Fortune 100 firms. Former university instructor. Many published articles and speaking engagements. Knows how to combine theory and practice.

Scott L. Turner is a highly qualified Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) Transportation Expert, FMCSR Regulatory and PHMSA-HMR Expert with approximately 30-years experience in the highly specialized field of CMV crashes and incidents, and 16 years as the CEO of a nationwide CMV crash & HazMat disaster response corporation. 

Mr. Turner's career includes personal response and/or investigation of over 1,000 CMV crashes, 200 cargo-tank truck crashes/incidents and a multitude of industrial setting incidents including fixed facilities, loading docks and loading rack disasters. His FMCSR and PHMSA knowledge (Federal Enforcement Training), detailed reporting and testimony can be a focal point of any civil litigation, where commercial motor vehicle crashes and/or transit incidents are at issue, with or without hazmat involvement. Mr. Turner is qualified in both the Federal Court system as well as multiple States throughout the United States and testifies on an approximate 50/50 average of Defense to Plaintiff ratio.

Areas of Expertise:

• Level 1 FMCSA Inspections
• Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) Post-Crash Inspection
• CMV Post-Crash Investigation
• Driver Qualifications
• HOS / Fatigue Driving
• Motor Carrier Fitness Standards
• Safety Programs
• Trucking Industry Standards
• Cargo-Tank Truck Incidents / Crashes
• CMV loading/Off-loading Cases (van, cargo-tank, flatbed)
• Flatbed, Cargo Securement Failure
• Loading Dock Incidents w/ CMV
• Forklift Incidents w/ CMV
• CMV Crash Involving Hazmats
• Loading Rack Explosions / Disasters
• Pedestrian v. CMV Incidents

Services Include:

• Litigation Support
• Trial Preparation Consulting
• Courtroom Testimony
• Commerical Vehicle Accident Investigations
• CMV, Highway Construction Zone Crashes
• CMV Loading and Offloading Investigation
• Level 1 FMCSA Audits
• Load Securement Incidents