Articles Posted in Expert Witness News

Former NYPD detective James M. Gannalo is a forensic firearms consultant, firearms and ballistics expert witness and President of Stria Consulting Group. Here he describes aspects of firearms identification:

3) Laser Trajectory Analysis of Bullet Paths – use of a portable scientific laser and inclinometer to determine the direction and angle of a bullet’s flight. This method is also used to accurately determine the origin of a gunshot.

4) Gunshot Residue Distance Determination – creating and analyzing test specimens to illustrate the approximate distance a firearm was discharged from an individual. This test can produce crucial evidence when assessing the validity of witness statements.

Occupational and environmental health expert witness Dr. David Egilman is concerned about two cases of Parkinson’s disease that he recently encountered in employees from one of the largest flavoring companies in the country. seattlepi.com writes:

It has been repeatedly documented that inhalation of vapors from diacetyl butter flavoring has destroy lungs of scores of workers at popcorn plants and in other industries involving flavoring agents…Egilman, who has served as an expert witness for many workers reportedly injured by exposure to diacetyl, says the Food and Drug Administration and the companies manufacturing, using and selling flavoring agents must be held accountable for exposing workers, and in some cases, the public, to toxic food additives that remain untested for adverse effects.

Former NYPD detective James M. Gannalo is a forensic firearms consultant, firearms and ballistics expert witness and President of Stria Consulting Group. He describes aspects of firearms identification:

1) Microscopic Analysis of Ballistic Evidence – visual assessment of firearm related toolmarks using a comparison microscope to evaluate an agreement or disagreement of class and individual characteristics. Bullets, bullet fragments, cartridge cases and live ammunition can be examined and evaluated using this scientific method.

2) Shooting Incident Reconstruction – use of precise measurements, digital imaging, bullet damage assessment and crime scene sketches to reconstruct shooting incidents. This can be used by both the prosecution and defense in cases where questions are raised as to the actual location of the person discharging a firearm or when witness statements fail to coincide with the physical evidence.

Insurance attorney and bad faith expert witness Steven Plitt is the current author of Couch On Insurance 3d. His expert practice involves the analysis of complex insurance coverage and bad faith claims in both the 1st party property and 3rd party liability contexts.

COUCH ON INSURANCE 3D is the authoritative source for expert guidance on almost any insurance law question. It provides coverage on virtually every type of insurance in every phase of insurance law: substantive and procedural, state and federal, case and statutory. The treatise series contains 23 substantive volumes and also is supplemented with COUCH ON INSURANCE FORMS 3D which contains nearly 1,000 forms for insurance litigation in the business of insurance. The Couch treatise has been cited thousands of times by attorneys and courts each year as being the authoritative source of insurance law.

In What is a Physiatrist? Board Certified Physiatrist and Independent Medical Examiner J. William Wellborn, M.D, tells us that a physiatrist (fiz eye’ a trist) is a medical doctor who after medical school attends a 3-4 year residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Physiatry is a non-surgical specialty treating musculoskeletal and neurological conditions. Wellborn, an independent medical examinations expert witness, also writes:

Physiatrists treat a variety of medical conditions and injuries including catastrophic injuries such as spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury and amputations….Physiatrists may treat sports injuries, occupational injuries and many conditions involving the spine. Their expertise often allows patients to avoid surgery. They are frequently asked by other physicians to perform electrodiagnostic studies (EMG / NCS) to evaluate such conditions as carpal tunnel syndrome, pinched nerves in the neck and back and other nerve and muscle conditions. They may also treat chronic pain syndrome and provide therapeutic injections to the spine and extremities.

For more, see http://www.physmedexpert.com/index.htm.

Plastics expert witness Dr. George Pasternack has this to say on coatings for web form plastic films:

The rapid cure speed of UV curable coatings has enabled manufacturers of CDs and DVDs to maximize manufacturing line speed (~ 3 to 4 seconds per unit). Two different types of UV materials are used in the manufacture of CDs. First, a UV abrasion resistant clear coat is spin coated onto the metal reflective layer. The protected metallized surface is then screen printed with a UV curable ink. In the case of DVDs, a UV curable adhesive is used to bind the protective polycarbonate layer to the metallized polycarbonate layer. The viscosity of the CD clear coat varies between 10 to 100 cps at 25o C, and the viscosity of DVD adhesives is less than 1,000 cps at 25o C.

For more see http://mysite.verizon.net/mb.pasternack/

Dr. George Pasternack, paints and coatings expert witness, writes this on safe handling of UV/EB curable coatings:

Acrylates are considered to be skin irritants and skin sensitizers. Therefore, as with any other liquid chemical, it is important to prevent skin and eye contact when handling UV/EB curable coatings. Wearing chemical resistant gloves, safety glasses or goggles, and a work uniform or protective apron are required to safely handle UV/EB curable coatings. Clothing soiled with acrylates should be removed immediately to prevent skin contact. Washing hands routinely with lukewarm water and a mild soap is also advisable to remove any undetected acrylate that may have come with the skin. Depending upon the situation, wearing a plastic bootie over shoes may be advisable. The skin and eye irritation and sensitization hazards are eliminated once the coating is fully cured. Instructing employees in the safe handling of UV/EB curable coatings should be part of an employee-training program.

When hiring an aviation expert witness, look for one who can provide litigation and legal support in the domain that fits your case’s fact pattern. AeroPacific Consulting breaks down general aviation into the areas of :

Aerobatics Accident investigation and reconstruction Aeronautical judgment and decision-making Aircraft loss of control Aircraft system-subsystem/failure analysis Airline operations Airline safety management Airline transport pilot Airmanship Airworthiness ATC procedures Cockpit automation Commercial flight operations CVR/FDR interpretation and analysis Controlled flight into terrain (CFIT)

Evaluation of deposition and documentation analysis Expert testimony FAA regulations Failure analysis Flight dynamics/aerodynamics Human factors Legal research Litigation support Medical qualification and certificates NTSB report analysis Pilot error Pilot/crew performance Pilot/crew “standard of care”

In Checklist of Suspicious Features, Jacqueline A. Joseph, Certified Document Examiner and handwriting expert witness writes:

If you have a suspicious document or handwriting or typewriting, these clues should alert you to the need for a document examiner:

Only copies are available, and they are of unusually poor quality.

In Checklist of Suspicious Features, Jacqueline A. Joseph, Certified Document Examiner and handwriting expert witness writes:

If you have a suspicious document or handwriting or typewriting, these clues should alert you to the need for a document examiner:

The paper, ink, mode of production or other feature of the document may not have existed at the time the document purports to have been executed or may not have been available in the place where the document originated. An example of that last point would be a computer-generated and printed document from a place where computers were not available until more recently.