Crashworthiness experts at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration answer the questions “DO MOTORCYCLE HELMETS INTERFERE WITH THE VISION AND HEARING OF RIDERS? ‘ Motorcycle crash statistics show that helmets are about 29 percent effective in preventing crash fatalities. That is, on average, riders wearing a helmet have a 29…
In What Fire Scene Responders Need to Know in Tough Economic Times (Part 1), fire expert witness and Principal of Pyrocop Inc., Robert Rowe writes: Fire investigation is one of the most difficult of the forensic sciences to practice and as the motivations for arson increase, so too may the…
In Basic Characteristics And “Life” of Residential Mortgage Loans mortgages expert witness J. F. “Chip” Morrow writes: The underwriter must also evaluate the character risk of the borrower. Statistics have shown that past satisfactory payment credit history indicates with high probability that the prospective borrower will make future payments including…
In When the Phone Rings … Twelve Questions for Prospective Expert Witness Assignments, insurance claims expert witness Kevin M. Quinley, CPCU, ARM, AIC writes: Consultants and expert witnesses are more used to answering questions than asking them. When the phone rings, there may be an attorney or prospective client on…
Risk management expert witness Robert Maughan testifed on the damage real estate values sustained in Port Colborne, Ontario, Canada, as a result of historical contamination at the Inco refinery. The class action suit against the nickel giant led by Eric Gillespie on behalf on the plaintiff wants to establish the…
In Is it Fabricated?, document examination expert witness Ronald N. Morris writes on what material can be on a copy in addition to the material on the original. First, copies may include toner reproduction of scratches, trash, dirt, etc., found on the glass or drum. Based on the examination and…
A settlement has been struck in a group of lawsuits filed by 190 people who claimed they were injured by working around asbestos and other dangerous materials during remodeling at the Salinas, CA, Courthouse. The plaintiffs – courthouse employees, attorneys, a judge and others who worked in the north courthouse…
In MACHINE TOOL GUARD RISK ASSESSMENT, equipment and machinery expert witness Kenneth Knott, Ph.D., P.E., Product Liability Dynamics, Inc., writes: There are three times in the life cycle of a machine tool when it is useful to be able to assess the level of risk associated with the machine guarding…
In When the Phone Rings … Twelve Questions for Prospective Expert Witness Assignments, insurance claims expert witness Kevin M. Quinley, CPCU, ARM, AIC writes: Consultants and expert witnesses are more used to answering questions than asking them. When the phone rings, there may be an attorney or prospective client on…
The half-mile-long Champlain Bridge was abruptly closed as structurally unsafe Oct.16 when engineers learned the 80-year-old massive concrete piers were rotting away just below the waterline. Underwater diving inspections of the piers was done every five years but gave no advance hint at the rapid deterioration to come. Skip Carrier,…