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Trucking expert witness V. Paul Herbert, C.P.S.A., of Western Motor Carrier Safety Institute, Inc., offers resources on his website including:

NHTSA is responsible for reducing deaths, injuries and economic losses resulting from motor vehicle crashes. This is accomplished by setting and enforcing safety performance standards for motor vehicles and motor vehicle equipment, and through grants to state and local governments to enable them to conduct effective local highway safety programs.

For more, see Paul Herbert.

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Amednews.com reports on Maryland’s requirements for medical expert witnesses:

Maryland’s highest court upheld a tort reform measure requiring certain qualifications for expert witnesses in medical liability cases, a move physicians say will prevent plaintiffs from using so-called “hired guns” to bolster meritless lawsuits. The 2004 law prohibits the use of medical expert witnesses who devote more than 20% of their professional time to testifying in personal injury cases….
“This allows a qualified doctor to continue to utilize his or her expertise [to assist in medical liability cases], but prevents him or her from launching a second career as purely an expert witness,” states the opinion in University of Maryland Medical System v. Waldt (mdcourts.gov/opinions/coa/2009/130a08.pdf).

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In Citations and Your Credibility, construction site expert witness William Gulya, Jr., President & CEO, Middlesex Trenching Company writes:

Whether you have been an expert witness for years or are just starting out, accurate research, proper formatting of citations and clarity will make your written report accurate, impressive and, most of all, credible. As you gain more experience in utilizing proper techniques you will become more comfortable and confident.

One of the most common and repetitive mistakes I see when analyzing my counterparts’ expert reports is in the proper formatting of references and citations. In some instances, they are entirely void of any citations or references. This is a critical error and can result in cross-examination Armageddon for the expert witness. Improper citations or references will frequently result in an unintentional misleading fact or unsubstantiated conclusion. I can assure you, this will be red flagged by opposing counsel and you will be rigorously questioned in cross-examination. The questioning will be harsh and deliberately targeted in an attempt to reduce and bring into doubt your credibility in the eyes of the judge and/or jury. Once doubt is injected into the jury’s mind, your report, testimony and conclusions become questionable at best and at worst unreliable and unbelievable.

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In When the Phone Rings … Twelve Questions for Prospective Expert Witness Assignments, insurance 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 other end of the line. He or she poses questions to the consultant or expert, trying to gauge whether there is a good “fit” between the client’s needs and what the practitioner can offer in the way of experience and expertise.

After answering prospective clients’ questions, effective consultants and expert witnesses may have some queries of their own. In fact, they should. Here are 12 questions that can form the basis of an effective fact-gathering process which unearths aspects of a case to help the consultant and expert witness gauge the degree of fit.

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Trucking expert witness V. Paul Herbert, C.P.S.A. of Western Motor Carrier Safety Institute, Inc. offers resources on his website including:

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) is a not-for-profit organization, established to promote an environment free of commercial vehicle accidents and incidents. CVSA is an association of state, provincial, and federal officials responsible for the administration and enforcement of motor carrier safety laws in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

For more, see Paul Herbert.

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In The Concept of the Coefficient of Friction in Slip and Fall Litigation accident investigation expert witness Melvin M. Friedlander, P.E., writes:

When a person enters litigation, because of an injury from a slip and fall accident, the slipperiness of the surface becomes a major factor in the matter before the court. The slipperiness of the surface is measured by a dimensionless ratio called the coefficient of friction or COF. The COF is the surface force, generated by a pedestrian, in the walking direction, divided by the weight of the pedestrian. As an example, a 200 pound pedestrian generating a 100 lb surface force will have a COF equal to 0.50

For more, see https://www.jurispro.com/MelvinFriedlanderPE.

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In What Fire Scene Responders Need to Know in Tough Economic Times (Part 3), fire expert witness and Principal of Pyrocop Inc., Robert Rowe writes:

Another factor that can reduce the incidence of arson is ensuring that every suspicious fire is investigated. Ensuring that an investigator is called to investigate is the job of those who initially respond to fire scenes.

Fire Scene Responders (FSR’s) such as firefighters, police officers, emergency medical services personnel, and insurance personnel are typically the first individuals who walk into a fire scene. As such, they must have the necessary tools to properly identify indicators of a suspicious fire incident, develop a “gut feeling” that something is not quite right, and take the necessary steps to ensure that a qualified investigator is called to the scene as soon as possible.

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State District Judge Jose Longoria ruled this week that former Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce CEO Terry Carter’s lawsuit can continue but without two of his planned defamation expert witnesses. Carter filed a lawsuit in March 2008 against the chamber, former and current board members, the Caller-Times and others, saying they knowingly disseminated false statements about him and the chamber’s finances which caused him to lose his job.

All the defendants have denied Carter’s accusations and the chamber has counter sued Carter alleging a breach of contract. Attorney Jorge Rangel, who represents the Caller-Times and E.W. Scripps, said Monday that because the case involves first amendment rights the newspaper immediately can appeal on the summary judgment issue. Rangel said that will be the next step.

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In When the Phone Rings … Twelve Questions for Prospective Expert Witness Assignments, insurance 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 other end of the line. He or she poses questions to the consultant or expert, trying to gauge whether there is a good “fit” between the client’s needs and what the practitioner can offer in the way of experience and expertise.

After answering prospective clients’ questions, effective consultants and expert witnesses may have some queries of their own. In fact, they should. Here are 12 questions that can form the basis of an effective fact-gathering process which unearths aspects of a case to help the consultant and expert witness gauge the degree of fit.

Continue reading

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Jamie and Jarrod Bacon are facing 10 firearms charges stemming from the discovery of a secret gun compartment containing weapons the day after Jamie was wounded in a shooting outside the family’s home. Defense lawyers for the Red Scorpion gang siblings are challenging the legality of the vehicle search as well as the police conduct in the Bacon house after the shooting and before the gun compartment was found.


Police procedures expert witness Paul Vogt of the Canada Border Services Agency says the Bacon brothers’ secret gun compartment is the work of a specialist. The compartment in the Suburban in which four loaded handguns and five magazines were found had carpet installed to “stop any contraband from moving around,” Vogt said. “It is a very sophisticated compartment professionally installed by someone who knows what they are doing,” he testified.

For more, see vancouversun.com.