Articles Posted in General Announcements

Rescue equipment expert witnesses may consult on issues involving boating accidents, rescue techniques and methods, and rescue equipment. Brandon Fisher, whose company was integral to the rescue of 33 Chilean miners in the fall, was a featured speaker in the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for National Preparedness Seminar Series last week. Fisher is founder and president of Center Rock Inc. of Berlin. PA. The company’s low-profile drill was used to bore through rock quickly to rescue the Chilean miners weeks before most experts thought possible. His firm led drilling operations for the Quecreek mine rescue in Somerset in July 2002.

Read more: Mine rescue expert to speak at Pitt – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_721658.html#ixzz1E4mhXnQU

Self storage expert witnesses may opine on public storage, self storage facilities, and self storage buildings. Here, self storage expert Julie C. Farrar writes on due diligence in the industry:

Whether buying or selling; here’s a typical list of what to expect when “due diligence” is required. Generally, within 10 days after the effective date, the seller is expected to deliver to the buyer a number of documents. Stock up on toner; a lot of reports will be printed and copies made. Don’t have it? A typical purchase contract assumes non-disclosure indicates the item is “not in seller’s possession” or is “not readily available”. Of course, you can’t produce what you do not have.

Here’s a standard list of what’s required today:

Hydrology and groundwater expert witnesses study the quantity, distribution, circulation, and physical properties of underground and surface waters to locate water and energy resources, predict water-related geologic hazards, and offer environmental site assessments.

Hydrologists can deduce the flow of underground water by characteristics, including permeability, of the soil and bedrock; by how water behaves near other sources of water, such as rivers and oceans; and through fluid flow models based on water movements on the Earth’s surface.

Hydrologists also study water pollution. They use their skills to determine the movement/extent of contamination from landfills, mine runoff, and other potentially contaminated sites to surface and subsurface water. Hydrologists employ sophisticated techniques and instruments, such as remote sensing technology, and numerical modeling to monitor the change in regional and global water cycles. Surface-water Hydrologists use sensitive stream-measuring devices to assess flow rates and the quality of water.

Insurance expert witnesses may advise on issues involving insurance claims, insurance adjusters, property insurance, and related issues. The 2011 National Association of Independent Adjusters 74th Annual Conference is set for the Grand Marriott Resort Golf Club & Spa, Point Clear (Mobile), Al, May 8-11, 2011.

Programming will open with:

Deconstructing Chinese Drywall – presented by Haag Engineering

A session on CPLIC with Michael Hale, Harvey Lightstone and CPLIC Board Members

From The Journal Gazette: The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act enacted this spring promised sweeping changes, but many local public and private employers are exempting themselves from some of its most stringent rules. Many of the public employers couldn’t offer specific provisions they wanted to avoid, but the uncertainty created by the law has led many to seek the exemption, according to a local insurance expert.

Denny Wright, president of IntraHealth Solutions and past president of the Indiana State Association of Health Underwriters, said the law has caused uncertainty for businesses. His company is a third-party administrator of health insurance for other businesses.

Read more: journalgazette.net.

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Call center industry expert witnesses may provide reports and opine concerning telemarketing, computer telephony integration, the call center industry, and related issues. The Telemarketing Connections Newsletter offers information of concern to the industry. Here are excerpts from the website:

Minnesota In Minnesota, a federal court has ruled that a debt collector did not have express consent to place an automated call to a consumer based on purchase of that consumer’s debt. The FCC standard for express consent requires more and users of automated telephone dialing systems or prerecorded message campaigns need to comply with the FCC standards.

Ohio An Ohio federal court has dismissed a private plaintiff’s claim against a telemarketer (Charvat v. NMP, LLC) holding that live telemarketing calls can only create one “violation” per call. The court ruled that automated calls were subject to the same limitation, i.e. one “violation” per automated call.

Spectroscopy expert witnesses may provide reports and testimony regarding absorption spectroscopy, microwave spectroscopy, and x-ray spectroscopy, as well as related issues. The 58th Annual Western Spectroscopy Association conference is coming up on January 19th – 21st, 2011, at the Asilomar Conference Center, Pacific Grove, CA. Read more: westernspectroscopy.org.

Collision analysis expert witnesses may opine on collision records, injury collisions, and related topics. On December 12, 2010, I-CAR, the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair, will present Steering And Suspension Damage Analysis. I-CAR is an international not-for-profit organization dedicated to training the collision inter-industry. Formed by the collision repair industry in 1979, all I-CAR activities, programs, services, and resources focus on supporting the auto collision repair industry to achieve a high level of technical knowledge through access to training.

For Questions or Telephone Registration Call: Stephen J. Saunders, Phone: (951)698-8215 Dec 16, 2010, Allstate Insurance – Corona 1250 Corona Pointe Court (5th Floor)
Corona, CA 92879-1762 I-CAR Customer Care: 800.422.7872

Accident reconstruction expert witnesses may write reports on collision analysis, collision speed, and more. In State Farm Data Shows That October Remains Most Dangerous Month Nationally for Teen Crashes, the Accident Reconstruction Network reports:

Teens Are Conflicted. State Farm survey shows 70% of new drivers are nervous about being in a crash or hurting someone, yet 57% say they text while driving.

A recent State Farm survey by Harris Interactive shows that despite concerns about getting into an accident, most teen drivers still lack awareness about the true ramifications of dangerous driving practices. In the survey, of 14- to 17 year olds who intend to have or already have a driver’s license, 70 percent of teen drivers admitted to being nervous about being in a crash or hurting someone. But despite these concerns, 57 percent of teens admit to reading or sending text messages while driving.