Arborist expert Neville Fay MA , MICFor, MArborA, FLS, FRSA, principal arboricultural consultant and company director at Treework Environmental Practice, describes the loss of mature trees:
We are really endangering our native-grown trees by bringing in diseases which our trees never evolved to cope with.
One of the biggest pressures on our trees is us – through things like pollution and trenching of roots. We are not managing our urban environment with enough water for trees.
On his website, flammble materials expert witness William E. Gale, Jr., PhD, PE, CSP, CFEI, CFII, writes on computer fire modeling.
Modeling fires and explosions is a computer-intensive process requiring many gigabytes of RAM to implement the computational process, and significant hard drive space to store the results. Simple fire models can be run on a desktop system; however, more complex problems may take weeks to run on desktop PCs and work stations. Multiple computers linked together in parallel and arranged as a computer cluster is the proper venue for providing efficient and effective modeling capabilities.
On his website, combustion expert witness William E. Gale, Jr., PhD, PE, CSP, CFEI, CFII, writes on Fire Testing.
Small scale testing, also referred to as bench scale testing, can show how a small-sized material specimen reacts to various failure modes and/or incipient fire situations. Flammability and fire retardancy on a comparative basis may be of interest, or conformance with specific ASTM testing requirements. Medium and large scale testing, however, may be warranted for data development. With the use of sophisticated data acquisition systems and equipment involving radiometers, thermocouples, infrared thermal imaging cameras, oxygen depletion sensors, Intermediate Scale Calorimeters (ICAL) and other similar devices, BG&S can provide the needed foundational basis for applying the scientific method in the investigative process as called for by NFPA 921.
On his website, explosions expert witness William E. Gale, Jr., PhD, PE, CSP, CFEI, CFII, writes on Fire Testing.
Fire testing can provide critically important data to the fire scientist and fire investigator that cannot be derived in any other way. Testing also provides a platform for meaningful material behavior analyses where variables such as fuel package configurations and arrays, ventilation conditions, and thermal inertia effects are of interest.
In Are You Waiting Too Long To Hire An Expert?, construction site expert witness William Gulya, Jr., President & CEO, Middlesex Trenching Company, writes:
Finally, there is the all important expert report. A logical, detailed, well-structured and well- written report can promote settlement. On the other hand, a hurried expert analysis is frequently flawed, inconsistent and poorly written, allowing an opposing attorney to have a field day questioning as to inaccuracies and conflicting statements and challenging the credibility of the expert. Allowing the expert sufficient time to make sure his or her thoughts are clear and all the pertinent facts along with opinion, conclusions and supporting evidence are presented in an easy to read and understandable fashion is essential.
Experts must be objective. The expert’s goal is to search for facts, expose the truth and provide opinion and conclusion based on them. Selecting the right expert for your needs is not always easy. The diligent, experienced trial counsel will engage and retain the expert early in the litigation process, which pays invaluable dividends.
Licensed engineers expert witnesses may write reports and testify on engineering document responsibility, professional engineers, design reviews, and correlated matters. In Client Expectations of Perfection, The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) Risk Management Committee writes:
Negligence vs Errors and Omissions
One major aspect of this problem is the term errors and omissions.” Clients know design professionals purchase professional liability insurance, which to the client should cover any deviation that could be deemed an error or omission. But, clients do not attach the term “negligent” to qualify an “error or omission.” Clients argue any deviation that has caused a loss or cost is an “error or omission” and the design professional needs to be monetarily accountable, regardless of the actual responsiveness of the insurance policy. (Professional liability insurance policies typically have significant deductibles and exclude coverage for warranties, penalties, liquidated damages, and other liabilities design professionals assume by contract alone.)
Psychology expert witness Walter Quijano testified in the murder trial of Duane Buck whose execution has now been blocked by the US Supreme Court. The high court ruled that Quijano had introduced racial bias into the case in 2000.
Professional engineering expert witnesses may write reports and testify on engineering document responsibility, licensed engineers, design reviews, and correlated matters. In Client Expectations of Perfection, The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) Risk Management Committee writes:
Design professionals are required by law to meet the existing standard of care in the performance of their professional services. Many clients have elevated expectations of performance to a level beyond the legal definition of standard of care; to the extent it is becoming more common for clients to expect design professionals to produce “perfect” deliverables. This is evident in both public and private contracts in which clients request or demand contract terms that: 1) establish an unreasonably high standard of care; 2) indemnify the client for anything connected with design services; and/or 3) require any and all “deficiencies” be corrected at no cost to the client.
Read more: acec.org.
Digital screen media expert witnesses may opine on video files, media formats, media players, and associated matters. The Digital Screen Media Association offers a glossary at http://www.digitalscreenmedia.org/glossary including:
Back channel – a data communication from which a media player exchanges information with a network management server. The back channel communications include content and playlist download, playback and system log upload, remote system control, etc.
Read more: digitalscreenmedia.org.
Truck driver qualifications expert witnesses may write reports and testify on driver training, driver experience, and affiliated matters. In The Large Truck Crash Causation Study, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Office of Research and Analysis reports:
Driver critical reasons are coded in four categories:
* Non-Performance: The driver fell asleep, was disabled by a heart attack or seizure, or was physically impaired for another reason.
