Forensic engineering deals with determining how an accident occurred and what, if anything, could have been reasonably done to foresee and prevent the accident.  We have been serving attorneys for both plaintiffs and defendants for decades in all types of litigation matters.  We have experts who are skilled in accident reconstruction, biomechanics, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, and related fields.  Our engineers are also members of ANSI national standards committees, and are actively involved in safety research and publication.  Recent areas of publication by our staff include golf cart safety, balance and ladder safety.  We also have the capability to prepare sophisticated simulations and animations to clearly demonstrate to a jury how an accident occurred.

Our team of engineers is capable of investigating a wide range of accidents, and we have cultivated a network of consultants who are able to handle cases outside of our area of expertise.  Call us to see if we can help you with your case.

Our electrical engineers have experience investigating many kinds of electrical accidents.  We have served as expert witnesses for both plaintiffs and defendants in a number of cases.

Common accidents that a forensic electrical engineer would investigate include product failures, electrical shocks, electrical fires, and electrical burns.

Electric shocks can occur due to improperly designed, manufactured, or maintained equipment and appliances. When electric shocks cause damage to humans or even result in death (defined as an electrocution), then improper control or isolation of the associated electric power must be investigated. Shocks are typically caused by faulty ground connections, inadequate insulation, or improper circuit design. Establishing the causes of shocks and their effect  is key to establishing liability in these cases.

Electrical fires are caused by hear being released as electricity is dissipated through a resistive element, while the fuel to support combustion may come from the surroundings or from the material that makes up the appliance. When analyzing an electrical fire, it is important to find the origin of the fire as well as the safety precautions that could have prevented the fire. Common causes of electrical fires and explosions include insufficient insulation and improper grounding.

Electric burns are a common result of the use of heat massage or electrical stimulation, and can be caused by other defective or mis-used electrical appliances. A common cause of such a burn involves the use of a TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator). Our electrical engineering experts also have experience with contact burns originating from electric current, even if the current levels are below those that would cause shock or electrocution. We are also proficient in non-contact burns that involve “action-at-a-distance”, aka indirect or non-contact electric burns.

Our licensed electrical engineering experts can investigate your case to determine the cause of an electrical accident and determine what could have been done to prevent it.  We have years of experience assisting attorneys for both plaintiffs and defendants by serving as engineering expert witnesses numerous cases involving electrical accident investigation.

Electric burns are a common result of the use of heat massage or electrical stimulation, and can be caused by other defective or mis-used electrical appliances. A common cause of such a burn involves the use of a TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator). Our electrical engineering experts also have experience with contact burns originating from electric current, even if the current levels are below those that would cause shock or electrocution. We are also proficient in non-contact burns that involve “action-at-a-distance”, aka indirect or non-contact electric burns.

In 2006 a construction worker was seriously injured after his job foreman ordered him to ride in a makeshift trash box on a forklift to access an elevated work area. Forklifts are generally not designed to provide people with access to heights unless equipped with an approved personnel lift accessory basket or similar accessory. The improper use of a forklift for this purpose can often lead to significant falls and serious injuries. In this case, the accident resulted in the largest pretrial settlement in Connecticut history. Read the full article here.

In an effort to address the large number of serious hand and finger injuries that occur each year, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission voted unanimously to publish an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) aimed at improving the safety of table saws. The proposal is to require performance standards for a detection and reaction system (for example, Saw Stop technology) to reduce or prevent table saw blade contact injuries. Read the full article here.

Animations are a powerful tool to illustrate how an accident occurred, and to make an engineer’s accident reconstruction more accessible to individuals without engineering expertise. In a recent case, we were able to make a 3d animation that showed the plaintiff’s description of how an accident occurred was not consistent with the forensic evidence at the scene. We were also able to compare our animation to a security video from a nearby gas station that captured the accident, showing that our reconstruction and animation matched the security video footage (see comparison to the left).

On a clear fall day, a motorcycle operator was driving westbound along a two lane road behind a Ford pickup truck. As they both approached a nearby intersection, the Ford turned right into a gas station on the corner, while the motorcycle rider continued straight. At the same time, a Chevy pickup towing a utility trailer, which was waiting to exit the same gas station, began making a left turn into the eastbound lanes, while another eastbound vehicle was waiting to enter the gas station. Consequently, before the Chevy driver completed its left turn, he struck the right side of the motorcycle, knocking it over, causing it to leave a gouge mark in the road and severely injuring the rider. However, during their depositions, the defendant Chevy pickup driver as well as two nearby eyewitness claimed that the Ford pickup driver had stopped in the road to let the Chevy turn and that the motorcycle must have driven around the left side of the Ford, making an improper passing maneuver. Fortunately, the motions of the vehicles prior to and during the accident were partially captured by two security cameras at the nearby gas station. Technology Associates was asked to perform an accident reconstruction and accident animation based upon the physical evidence and the available security camera video.

The available surveillance video of the accident showed partially obscured views of the vehicles up to, including and beyond the moment of impact in the background region of two separate security cameras. In both camera views, the Chevy pickup and trailer were clearly visible, allowing us to determine that after the driver pulled away from the gas pump, he waited approximately 15 seconds from the time he came to a stop in the parking lot exit to the time he pulled out into the road. The Ford pickup first entered the security camera field of view approximately 1 second after the Chevy started its left turn, directly contradicting the Chevy driver’s testimony. Furthermore, during the time it was visible in the surveillance footage, the Ford pickup truck was never located in the same position in two consecutive frames, indicating that it was constantly in motion during this time, regardless of whether or not it came to a stop while it was off camera.

Technology Associates was also able to identify the motorcycle in several video frames, by comparing certain successive frames from immediately before the moment of impact. Based on this video analysis, combined with an inspection of the scene and the location of the gouge marks in the roadway, we were able to prove, irrefutably, that the motorcycle did not pass the Ford pickup while it was stopped as several witnesses had testified.

The surveillance video also allowed us to perform a vehicle motion analysis based upon our inspection of the accident site and the subject vehicles, thus determining the position of each vehicle at various moments in time relative to features of the scene and other landmarks measured at our inspections. In addition, we were able to calculate certain vehicle speeds for those vehicles that were visible in multiple video frames. This was relevant because the Chevy driver testified that the impact occurred in the eastbound lane (i.e. that the motorcycle had left his proper lane of travel), but by analyzing the surveillance footage, we were able to demonstrate that the impact actually occurred in the motorcycle’s westbound lane. This motion analysis was then combined with all the other available information to create computer-generated three-dimensional animations of the accident.

The animations not only matched the surveillance video, but also showed the vehicle motions from alternate points of view, that were not obscured. Upon showing these animations to the defendant, the plaintiff was able to obtain a favorable settlement.

A falling piece of rebar recently struck a young boy in the hand at the world trade center construction site. The four foot long iron rod fell through a small gap in a platform used to suspend construction staff in the air while they work on the building’s exterior. Such construction site scaffolding is typically designed not only to provide an elevated platform for construction workers, but also to protect people passing below the construction zone from falling objects. In this case, it appears that a gap in the scaffolding was large enough to allow a piece of rebar to fall through, endangering pedestrians below. Read the full article here.

One common type of bicycle accident actually involves collisions with vehicles that are not moving. When a vehicle door is flung open in the path of a bicyclist, serious injuries can results. When a cyclist is “doored”, he can be thrown from his bike resulting in fall-related injuries or even become exposed to passing vehicles. Read the full article here.

With many Toyota sudden acceleration lawsuits progressing, Toyota has voiced certain intellectual property concerns about allowing plaintiff experts access to the computer codes that control their vehicles. Toyota has disputed any flaws in its electronic throttle control system and NHTSA investigations have found no causes for unintended acceleration other than sticking accelerator pedals and floor mats that jammed the pedals. Read the full article here.

Yet another report of a serious golf cart accident involving a rollover while traveling down a hill. Read the full article here.

To learn more about one of the most common causes of these accidents, read here.

This neighborhood’s residents are asking for a crosswalk to be added to an intersection some describe as a “death zone.” Crosswalks are one common type of traffic calming device used to reduce pedestrian-vehicle conflicts. Read the full article here.

Structural failure can often produce catastrophic results. In many cases, the damage seen after the accident is not indicative of the cause of the initial failure. Fortunately, based on physical evidence, an investigator can frequently determine how and why a structure failed. The most common reasons for a failure include defective materials, defective design, improper assembly, excessive or improper loading or a combination of these. Through testing and structural analysis, it is possible to determine the root cause of the failure and propose solutions to prevent such failures from reoccurring.

Scaffolds (structurally supported or suspended) provide elevated work platforms for tasks such as construction, repair and cleaning. There are many different types of scaffolds including fixed structures (davit), mobile (rolling), suspended (swinging), motorized and others. Falls from height are one of the most significant occupational hazards, thus special care must be practiced to insure that appropriate safety systems are in place to protect scaffold users and bystanders. These include guard railings and fall protection equipment. Some scaffolds involve multiple personnel and motorized suspension systems that must be synchronized for leveling and vertical travel, while others rely on structural design to minimize instability and sway. As a result, scaffolding accidents have a wide variety of root causes. Construction codes and safety standards often dictate the manner of construction and worker protection required for a given application. With the appropriate installation, safety equipment, and user practices, work from scaffolds can be done safely; however, serious accidents can occur if adequate precautions are not taken.

The CPSC is looking into an invention that can stop a saw blade upon contact with a person, before serious injury occurs. Power saws are estimated to lead to 10 finger amputations per day and, by one estimate, each table saw causes a harm to society far in excess of its sale price.
Click here to read the full article by Jayne O’Donnell in USA TODAY.

View examples of our past case work.

Our engineering staff is well prepared to explain and defend our expert opinions in the courtroom. We have experts who:

• Have been qualified to testify as experts in state and federal courts
• Are experienced in testifying in depositions and trials
• Have successfully defeated Daubert / Frye challenges
• Can prepare and explain compelling exhibits at trial

Since 1990, we have been assisting attorneys, insurance adjusters, and their clients by applying our engineering expertise to determining the causes of accidents and injuries, thereby enabling them to make informed decisions on how to proceed with a case. Once the likely cause or causes of an accident are understood, we are in a position to weigh contributing factors, evaluate the opposing party’s claims and offer expert opinions based upon the principles of science and engineering. We can answer questions regarding liability and the correlation of damages to a particular event. Whenever necessary, site and product inspections, exemplar testing, computer simulation and other engineering analyses and review of relevant scientific literature are all exploited to help our clients understand the root cause of an accident and all of the relevant technical issues. In addition to our technical analyses, we are also experienced in assisting in the discovery process, preparing clear and effective expert reports, creating animations and court exhibits, assisting in preparing a case for trial and if necessary, testifying in court. For a more complete summary of our philosophy please see our article “How to use an expert witness.”

If you are an attorney or insurance claims manager and would like to find out if we can be of assistance in your case, please call us as (800) 358-9909 or submit an inquiry for a free initial phone consultation.

Before establishing Technology Associates, Dr. Ojalvo worked for 35 years as a professor and aerospace engineer for Columbia University, the University of Bridgeport, Grumman Aerospace and Perkin-Elmer Corporations, contributing numerous design ideas and studies for the Lunar Module, Space Shuttle, Princeton Fusion Test Reactor and the Hubble Space Telescope. A structural dynamics specialist, Dr. Ojalvo has taught advanced dynamic modeling for NASA and Launch Space, Inc. in Washington, D.C. He has received many engineering awards including the Bullard Chair from the University of Bridgeport and a special citation from NASA. He was also named a Fellow of the ASME for his significant contributions to Mechanical Engineering. Dr. Ojalvo holds advanced degrees from both MIT and NYU. His software algorithms are in use around the world.

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Kristopher Seluga received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the Mechanical Engineering department at MIT where he worked on the development of novel three dimensional printing technologies. In 2001 he joined Technology Associates where he has worked as a forensic engineer investigating hundreds of accidents. His investigative and analytical experience includes motor vehicle accident reconstruction, biomechanics, product design and safety and computer simulation and animation. He is also a licensed Professional Engineer and has served as a member of the ANSI engineering committee for the Z130.1 and Z135 standards for golf cars and PTV’s. His research interests and peer reviewed publications span the topics of motor vehicle dynamics, product safety and biomechanics.

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Dr. Baker began work with Technology Associates after graduating with a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT in 2007.  His thesis dealt with computer simulation of gaseous phenomena at microscopic length scales.  He also received both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering from MIT, and conducted postdoctoral research at the same institution.  Since joining Technology Associates, he has investigated and analyzed hundreds of accidents, utilizing his skills in mechanical and biomechanical analysis and accident reconstruction.  He remains involved in scientific research and publication, with recent work in both human factors and engineering safety. 


Dr. Baker is a Licensed Professional Engineer (Connecticut) and is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES).

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