Mukul K. Verma, PhD in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, brings more than 35 years of industrial, academic and R&D experience to his consulting practice. This extensive experience includes various engineering and management assignments in the development and testing of new automobiles at a major manufacturer of vehicles. He has led the implementation of technical advances in multiple fields of vehicle design and automotive safety, some examples being in areas such as - performance of airbag systems, pedestrian’s protection, car-to-SUV crashes, telematics for crash notifications, post-crash protection, heavy truck rollovers, motorcycle handling, etc. During period, Dr. Verma was additionally appointed by the automobile manufacturers’ associations and other research organizations to lead an international team of experts which then successfully developed engineering solutions to the urgent problem of safety of occupants in passenger cars when involved in crashes with heavier SUVs or pickup trucks.
His recent academic experience has been in the field of sustainable transportation and he has taught graduate courses in mechatronics systems in vehicles and intelligent tire-and-vehicle systems.
Dr. Verma has published more than thirty papers in peer-reviewed journals and at international conferences and has been active in professional organizations as invited speaker, session chairman and organizer. He is well-known for his expertise in Vehicle Engineering and Traffic Safety and his interviews and opinions have appeared in US and in international media on several occasions
Litigation Support – Dr. Verma’s recent litigation-related work has been in two fields:
1. Automotive forensics – accident investigation and product liability evaluation of automobiles. His work includes detailed incident analysis, evaluation of the performance of vehicle and airbag systems, preparation of expert reports, depositions and trial testimony.
2. Intellectual Property – analysis of a patent’s validity and evaluation of infringement claims for complex electromechanical and safety-related components. This includes literature search, prior art, detailed reports on validity & infringement and deposition and trial testimony.
His clients have included automobile manufacturers, large corporations, private citizens and government entities.
View Dr. Verma's Consulting Profile.
In crashes between two automobiles, it is generally assumed that the lighter vehicle will suffer more damage and that its occupants will suffer higher levels of injury.
Every year, there are approximately 6000 fatalities (6227 in the year 2018) and many more serious injuries to pedestrians and bicyclists from vehicles in the USA. More recent data1 show that these numbers have increased by 45% since 2009. These trends have varied over the years but injuries and fatalities to pedestrians and cyclists from automobiles remain a serious issue.
Hybrid cars have been on US roads for many years, starting with Honda InSight (1999) and Toyota Prius(2000) in mass production.
This article contains a few of the findings from our recent study of automobile safety in frontal crashes. Parts of the data analyses are presented but details such as the relationship of a particular design feature to the measured injury indicators are highly dependent on specific cases and are available only for individual discussions.
The structural behavior of automobile seats and seatbacks is one of the factors often examined in investigating injuries to a vehicle's occupant(s) in crashes.
Many automobile accidents are complex cases with multiple events during a single accident. The aim of forensic investigations of such (and all other) accidents is to reconstruct the sequence and the severity of events during the accident and then to establish cause and- effect relationships between the injuries (or damages) and the probable factors - vehicle design (e.g. brakes, structure, airbags); vehicle operator (e.g. distracted driver, alcohol impairment, reduced vision); and operating conditions (e.g. fog, failed traffic sign, excessive speed, icy road).
In crashes between two automobiles, it is generally assumed that the lighter vehicle will suffer more damage and that its occupants will suffer higher levels of injury.
The New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (part of the U.S Department of Transportation) underwent major changes recently. For automobiles designated as model years 2011 and later, the changes involve both what is measured and what is published.
Over the years, there have been several product liability litigations regarding pedestrians being injured and the front structure designs of the vehicles being alleged as the significant factor.
Airbags in modern automobiles have been around for many years and their record in improving occupant safety in crashes is generally well accepted. However, many questions still arise regarding their deployment and performance in crashes.
T. Kim Parnell, PhD, PE is a Professional Mechanical Engineering consultant and is Principal & Founder of Parnell Engineering & Consulting (PEC). Dr. Parnell holds PhD and MSME degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University, a BES from Georgia Tech, and is a registered Professional Mechanical Engineer (PE) in the State of California. He is an ASME Fellow, an IEEE Senior Member, and a Member of ASM and SAE. Dr. Parnell is Past-Chair of the IEEE Santa Clara Valley Section (IEEE-SCV) (over 12,000 members) and Past-Chair/Board Member of the IEEE Consultants' Network of Silicon Valley (IEEE-CNSV). Dr.Parnell is an experienced Expert Witness, has provided testimony in both trial and deposition, and has authored numerous expert reports and IPR declarations. He has worked extensively as an expert in medical devices, patents, product failure, product liability, and personal injury. Dr. Parnell has been retained in medical device litigation cases that are in the news and adjudicated in MDLs. Products include IVC Filters (Inferior Vena Cava Filters), Pelvic Mesh, Transvaginal Mesh, Intragastric Abdominal Balloon Weight Loss Systems, Back Pain Reduction Systems, and others. Dr.Parnell brings both breadth and depth of experience to clients. He has over 34 years of professional consulting experience, has taught both graduate and undergraduate University classes (Visiting Professor at Stanford University & Adjunct Professor at Santa Clara University), and has also worked in industry. His industrial positions include sectors such as software, hardware, medical devices, and telecommunications equipment. He has extensive experience in areas including patents, medical devices, Nitinol shape memory alloy material, mechanical failure of products or equipment, and material failure by fracture or fatigue. Dr.Parnell frequently works with early-stage companies as both a technical consultant and a business advisor in sectors including medical devices and flash memory technology.
James M. Miller, PE, PhD – Founder Dr. Miller is an Emeritus Professor at the University of Michigan College of Engineering and a registered professional engineer and consultant with over 30 years of experience as an expert witness. He has served as a consultant to industry and government and is highly qualified to give engineering testimony.
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 in 1985, where he specialized in Human Factors Engineering, in particular Warnings and Labeling. He has taught courses at Purdue in human and safety factors areas, as well as decision making and artificial intelligence. He has authored numerous professionally-reviewed articles, and he has authored / coauthored internationally-recognized textbooks in the areas of human factors and ergonomics.
