Heavy Equipment Expert Witnesses

Phoenix, Arizona

Mechanical Engineering, Failure Analysis - Accident Reconstruction, Automotive Engineering, Fire, Explosions, Plumbing, Premises Liability, Slip-Trip & Fall, Bicycle, Motorcycle, Products Liability, Transportation, Recreational Vehicles, Heavy Equipment, Industrial Equipment & Machinery, HVAC

Mr. Behrens has 40 years of experience in mechanical engineering, with the last 36 years primarily devoted to failure analysis and forensic engineering. His forensic engineering practice is diverse and has included conducting over a thousand engineering investigations involving a wide range of fires, explosions, accidents, and product failures. Mr. Behrens has conducted hundreds of full-scale vehicle crash, fire and component-level tests, which has provided a practical basis for his extensive knowledge and expertise in the analysis of automotive fires, failures and accidents. Mr. Behrens also has expertise in fire and failure analysis involving appliances, plumbing systems, fire sprinkler systems, HVAC, and commercial/industrial equipment. Mr. Behrens is a Certified Fire Investigator (CFI) and Certified Vehicle Fire Investigator (CVFI) by the International Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI) and a Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator (CFEI) by the National Associat...

White Heath, Illinois

Mechanical Engineering, Equipment & Machinery - Mining Equipment, Construction Equipment, Heavy Equipment, Off-Highway Trucks, Large Mining Trucks, Hydraulic Systems, Exhaust Systems, Structural Analysis, Fatigue Failure, Bolted Joint Failure, Finite Element Analysis, Machinery Accident, Equipment Fire, Product Defect, Catastrophic Failure, Loss of Control

Eric Defend is a licensed Professional Mechanical Engineer (P.E.) with extensive experience in the design, testing, and analysis of large construction and mining equipment. At Caterpillar Inc., he has led engineering projects addressing critical safety, reliability, and performance issues in hydraulic, intake/exhaust, cooling, and structural systems for off-highway and large mining trucks. Mr. Defend specializes in identifying the root cause of complex mechanical failures, including those related to catastrophic breakdowns, warranty disputes, and safety incidents. His work has included conducting detailed failure analyses, overseeing prototype testing, leading design reviews for high-risk issues, and resolving major product reliability concerns. He has provided clear, data-driven findings to technical and non-technical stakeholders, making him adept at explaining complex engineering principles in plain language. Areas of Expertise • Heavy equipment design and failure analysis (con...

Ridgeland, Mississippi

Fire - Certified Fire Investigator, Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator, Certified Vehicle Fire Investigator, Origin and Cause, Explosions, Industrial Fires, Commercial Fires, Residential Structure Fires, Vehicle Fires, Agricultural Equipment, Heavy Equipment, Fire Code Enforcement, Wildland Fires

Along with a B.S. degree in Criminal Justice, Mr. W. Andrew Asbell is a Certified Fire Investigator, a Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator, and a Certified Vehicle Fire Investigator. He served as a Fire Investigator with the City of Charlotte, NC Fire Department, the City of Norfolk, VA Department of Fire-Rescue, and as a private fire investigator where he investigated and determined the origin and cause of more than 2,500 fires and explosions in industrial facilities, commercial and residential structures, vehicles, agricultural equipment, heavy equipment, wildland, and fire-related injuries/fatalities. Mr. Asbell has completed numerous educational seminars and continuing education courses in the field of fire investigation and fire code enforcement. He has testified in federal and state courts and been qualified as an expert witness in court proceedings pertaining to fire origin and causation. Mr. Asbell has coordinated and instructed continuing educational traini...

Wexford, Pennsylvania

Equipment & Machinery, Construction - Crane accidents, Lift planning, Crane collapse, Critical lifts, Mobile cranes, Standard of care, Rigging, Heavy equipment, Crane operations, Signaling, Operator qualification, Accident causation, Crane set up, Ground bearing, Expert testimony, Construction safety, Crane movement, Failure analysis, Load charts, Crane attachments

-I analyze crane and heavy equipment accidents, injuries, and tip-over events to determine cause.— -My findings explain what actually happened on the jobsite in language attorneys, courts, and juries understand.— -Experience drawn from more than 35 years in crane operations. ——-NATIONWIDE AVAILABILITY—— //-CURRENTLY INVOLVED iN DAILY CRANE OPERATIONS //

Grapevine, Texas

Safety, OSHA - OSHA, OSHA Citations, Construction Accidents, Workplace Safety, OSHA Compliance, Industrial Accidents, Forklift Accidents, Crane Safety, Excavation Safety, Multi-Employer Sites, Fall Protection, Scaffolding, Steel Erection, Struck-By Incidents, Slips/Trips/Falls, Work Zone Safety, MUTCD, MEWP, Heavy Equipment, Contractor Duty of Care

Jack L. Brazil, MS, CSP Construction Safety & OSHA Expert Witness – Texas & Nationwide Expert Witness Overview Jack L. Brazil, MS, CSP is a nationally retained construction safety and OSHA expert witness specializing in serious injury and fatality cases involving complex, multi-employer construction worksites. He provides expert opinions regarding OSHA compliance (29 CFR 1910 & 1926), construction standard of care, and the application of ANSI/ASSP consensus standards. Mr. Brazil brings more than 30 years of construction safety experience, including executive leadership as Vice President of Safety and National Safety Director for ENR Top-20 contractors, where he held direct responsibility for hazard controls, work sequencing, staffing, and risk acceptance on multi-billion-dollar construction portfolios. His opinions reflect the perspective of a senior safety executive responsible for real-world OSHA implementation, not post-incident or theoretical analysis. He is retained by both ...

Dallas, Texas

Mechanical Engineering, Metallurgy - Product Liability, Failure Analysis, HVAC, Oilfield, Heavy Equipment, Cranes, Cables, Medical Devices, Plastics, Boilers, Water Heaters, Plumbing

Using his combination of mechanical and metallurgical (including plastics) experience and education, Mr. Plank provides forensic and consulting engineering services to attorneys, insurance professionals, and manufacturing companies. A registered engineer in Texas and 23 other states, his experience includes 32 years in manufacturing in the metals processing industries, 29 years performing failure analyses, and 26 years investigating claims. Mr. Plank has testified in a wide variety of matters including personal injury and property damage, in both state and federal court, and his testimony has never been excluded. Assignments have involved mechanical equipment, appliances, oil and gas transmission equipment, plumbing, HVAC, heavy equipment, machine tools, cranes and wire cables, manufacturing processes, and thermal processes, among many others.