Vehicle / Vehicular Automation Expert Witnesses

Richard D. Curtis, PE, is a Professional Engineer, Consultant, and Technical Expert with 40 years of significant contributions in the Freight and Passenger Vehicle Transportation industry. His experience includes design, development, procurement, leasing, operation and maintenance of locomotives, freight cars and rail passenger cars (intercity, commuter, transit & light rail). As a technical consultant to MBTA, CTA, NYCT, WMATA, Phoenix Valley Metro, NICTD, UTA, BART, CALTRANS, IDOT, and many more, Mr. Curtis has provided technical expertise in an oversight role to:

• Ensure that the design, manufacture, and testing during new car contracts met all necessary requirements
• Ensure that the design, overhaul, and testing on overhaul contracts met all necessary requirements
• Solve difficult maintenance and operational problems
• Design Cars on transit, commuter, and intercity passenger car contracts

Mr. Curtis has also been responsible for industry leading innovative design and development on Double Stack Intermodal Cars, Auto Rack Technology, RoadRailer®, Unit Train Coal Cars, Covered Hoppers, and Heavy Duty Special Purpose Cars. 

Litigation Support - As an expert witness with an MS degrees in engineering, his years of experience, and diversified background Richard Curtis offers a unique perspective to his clients. His services are available to insurance companies and attorneys representing both plaintiff and defendant. Mr. Curtis' services include site inspection, written reports, depositions, and trial testimony as needed. 

Areas of Expertise:

Mechanical Engineering Transportation Engineering Derailment / Railroad Accident Investigation Transit Systems Patents

Freight Cars Passenger Vehicle Design Railcars Rail Transit Standards Patent Infringement

View Richard Curtis' Consulting Profile.

Dr. Kanellakopoulos is a technology leader with 25+ years of experience in R&D and Engineering Management in both academia and industry. He has designed and built telecom products such as DSL and Carrier Ethernet Hardware and Software, as well as a prototype fully automated electric vehicle. He has conducted applied research in adaptive control of nonlinear systems, with applications to automotive driver assistance systems (adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, vehicle collision avoidance) and active suspensions. 

Dr. Kanellakopoulos has significant experience with international telecommunication standards (ITU-T SG15/Q4), and has directed collaborative projects with several automotive/truck manufacturers and vendors (Ford, Mercedes-Benz, DaimlerChrysler, Freightliner, Gentex, Visteon). His deep technical expertise in the areas of telecommunications and automotive driver assistance systems has allowed him to analyze patents and products in detail, and explain clearly (in expert reports, depositions, and court testimony) the main issues that the judge and jury need to comprehend in order to understand the essence of the case. 

Dr. Kanellakopoulos' extensive educational experience allows him to help judges and jurors understand the topic they are dealing with, instead of confusing them with unnecessary technical details. After all, it takes excellent teaching skills and a deep understanding of a complex technical concept to convey the essence of that concept to non-experts without talking down to them.

William H. Pultar, BSME, ACTAR, is a Mechanical Engineer with over 20 years of experience in the field of Event Data Recording, Accident Reconstruction, and Human Factors.

Background Experience - Employed by the Massachusetts State Police for several decades, Mr. Pultar's duties have included the investigation of line of duty injuries, citizen complaints, cruiser crashes, and the use of force incidents. As Section Supervisor for the Northeast Team of the C.A.R.S. unit, he was responsible for the training of the Northeast Team members in newer aspects of total station technology and was consulted numerous times on the kinematics of motor vehicle crashes by the Essex, Middlesex, and Hampshire District Attorney’s Offices.

Promoted to Lieutenant in 2010, Mr. Pultar was responsible and accountable for the supervision of A Troop personnel and the oversight of a geographical area that covers the northeast corner of Massachusetts and, as SCO, was put in charge of large high risk NIMS and crime related incidents such as the 2012 Beverly homicide and the Boston Bombing incidents.

Litigation Support - While employed by the Massachusetts State Police, Mr. Pultar testified numerous times in Federal District, Massachusetts Superior, and District Courts as an expert in the kinematics, kinetics of motor vehicle crashes, and human factors involving crashes, and as an expert in the electronic imaging of Crash Data Recorders. His services are available to counsel representing both Plaintiff and Defendant.

Areas of Expertise - William Pultar's expertise is in the Extraction of Electronic Data from Commercial Vehicle Engine Control Modules (CVEDM), motor vehicle crash data (CDR), restrain control module (RCM) and engine control modules (ECM) for all “supported vehicles. He currently has the only privately owned Hyundai and Kia download kits in New England. All of these modules are commonly referred to as vehicle “black boxes,” although they are NOT black boxes.

Mr. Pultar also specialized equipment to measure Luminance (NOT illumination), electronic survey crash scene, and measure acoustical data (sound energy), such as backup alarms, sirens, etc.

View William Pultar's Consulting Profile.