Biomechanical Reconstruction Expert Witness

Education

Master of Engineering Bioengineering, 1995 Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
Emphasis in electrical engineering and biomechanics.

Bachelor of Science Bioengineering, 1993 Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
Emphasis in electrical engineering and pre-medicine.

Licensure

Professional Engineer, Mechanical engineering, biomedical engineering, registered in Texas

Patents

Available Upon Request

Associations and Supplemental Education

Biomechanics for Collision Reconstruction, Texas A&M University
Traffic Collision Reconstruction, Texas A&M University
Society of Automotive Engineers, Member
National Society of Professional Engineers, Engineering Professional Membership
Texas Society of Professional Engineers, Engineering Professional Membership
American Society for Quality, Division Member

Areas of Expertise

Biomedical/Biomechanical Engineering
Occupant Dynamics
Injury Potential/Causation
Vehicle Accidents
Machinery Usage
Railroad Accidents
Railroad Equipment
Amusement Rides
Medical Equipment
Sports Equipment
Seatbelt/Airbag Interaction
Driver Determination
Human Factors
Visibility
Perception/Reaction
Ergonomics
Brain Injury
Spinal Biomechanics
Trauma Causation
Medical Device Failures
Hospital Equipment Failures

Accidents/Mechanical Engineering

Motor Vehicles
Multiple Impacts
Rollovers
Low Speed
Order of Impacts
Damage Consistency
EDR “Black Box” Download
Pedestrian Incidents
Industrial Incidents
Slips/Trips and Falls
Amusement Park Rides
Photogrammetry
Product Liability

Qualifications

Expert 3266 has spent 15 years working in the field of biomechanical engineering. He has applied engineering principles in the areas of accident reconstruction, injury potential/causation analyses, human factors analyses and medical device evaluation/design. As a forensic engineer, Expert 3266 has reconstructed accidents involving automobiles, motorcycles, pedestrians, amusement park rides, walking surfaces, public transportation, and railroad/industrial equipment. Expert 3266 has performed analyses to determine damage consistency between vehicles, the order of impacts in multi-vehicle collisions and to determine the driver of vehicles involved in roll-over collisions, as well as other accident reconstruction related analyses. As a biomechanical engineer, he is qualified to use injury based evidence from medical records, photographs and autopsy reports to create a complete and quality analysis. Expert 3266 is a seasoned professional and has testified over 65 times.

Over the course of his career, Expert 3266 has worked in the area of orthopedic biomechanics, developing equipment related to the testing of implantable orthopedic medical devices, studying human kinematics, and testing the material properties of human tissue. Expert 3266 understands occupant dynamics/kinematics and can reconstruct an occupant’s motions during an accident. He is familiar with head injury causation, spinal biomechanics and the biomechanical properties of human tissue including muscle and bone. He understands environmental factors that may contribute to an incident including human factors.

Expert 3266 is also an accomplished medical device engineer and has experience in the field of neuroelectrical engineering. As a clinical engineer, Expert 3266 worked in the field to advance the science of neuromodulation, or the application of electricity to a group of nerve fibers to reach a therapeutic result. Expert 3266 comprehends neuroscience principles and the generation/cessation of action potentials with the aid of an applied electrical signal. He has worked closely with research and development departments to advance the design of tools and implantable devices used in the operating room and clinic. He has contributed to the content and design of study protocols used in clinical trials to evaluate the safety and efficacy of medical devices. He has trained surgeon investigators as well as clinical sales teams on the implantation of these devices. Expert 3266 is familiar with Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) and Pre-Market Approval (PMA) processes.

Currently, Expert 3266 spends most of his professional time reconstructing accidents and performing biomechanical analyses. He is a reviewer for an independent institutional review board. He specializes in evaluating medical device study protocols for their scientific merit and safety prior to being performed on human subjects. With the growing emphasis being placed on human factors, Expert 3266 also spends time helping companies design usability studies and designing usability into studies for medical device manufacturers seeking FDA approval.

Experience

10/09-Present
Principal Engineer
Private Firm, Houston, Texas

Expert 3266 provides expert engineering analyses in cases involving motor vehicle collisions, injury causation, industrial/railroad accidents, amusement park ride accidents, product liability and premises liability. He performs complex analyses to determine the effects of occupant restraint systems, the driver of a vehicle, and other occupant related analyses. Expert 3266 evaluates medical devices and equipment for failures and malfunctions. He is currently a medical device consultant for an independent institutional review board to determine the merit and safety of device oriented clinical trials. Expert 3266 also provides human factors engineering services for cases involved in litigation and the design of usability studies for medical device companies.

4/07-10/09
Senior Field Clinical Engineer
Private Company, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Expert 3266 provided biomedical engineering support to surgeons during the implantation of the MAESTRO system, a fully implantable class III neuromodulation device intended for the treatment of obesity. As a human factors engineer, Expert 3266 invented a patent pending device to assess patient compliance prior to enrollment in the Empower clinical trial. The device was responsible for the second largest number of patent exclusions after BMI. He was responsible for the design and implementation of surgeon and clinician training sessions which included laparoscopic implantation in porcine specimens. As a liaison between R&D and the surgeon investigators, Expert 3266 facilitated the transfer of clinical and engineering information. He contributed significantly to the continuing development of the MAESTRO system, supported study centers in Norway and Australia and developed analytical tools for analyzing patient data.

9/05-4/07
Principal Field Clinical Engineer
Private Company, Valencia, California

As a member of the emerging indications department, Expert 3266 supported clinical trials involving experimental neuromodulation modalities. He worked with an array of different device designs used to treat several indications including migraine, incontinence, chronic pain, and erectile dysfunction. He provided biomedical engineering support during implant and explant operations. Expert 3266 was involved in the development of surgical tools used for the implantation of novel neuromodulation devices. He was responsible for the implementation of surgeon training and experimentation involving human cadaver specimens. He designed and implemented a training program for the European sales team which included both didactic and laboratory training.

5/97-9/05
Senior Accident Reconstructionist and Biomechanical Engineer
Private Company, Houston, Texas

As a consultant for one of the world’s largest forensic engineering firms, Expert 3266 served the insurance and litigation sectors with analyses of accidents and product failures. Expert 3266 reconstructed motor vehicle accidents, amusement park ride accidents, boating accidents and accidents involving walking surfaces. He has analyzed injury potential/causation in incidents involving railroad equipment, oilfield equipment, children’s walkers, and falling objects. He provided support in lawsuits involving patent infringement issues. Expert 3266 also analyzed medical device and medical equipment failures.

1/96-5/97
Clinical Research Engineer
Private Company, Webster, Texas

Expert 3266 acted as a liaison between clinicians and engineering personnel. He provided engineering support in the operating room to surgeons in IDE study centers in the USA and Canada. He performed statistical analyses on the long term usage data of the NeuroCybernetic Prosthesis. Expert 3266 authored two volumes of the PMA submission to the FDA which led to market approval. He managed the data acquisition team and developed software to streamline the validation of clinical data. Expert 3266 also provided human factors engineering support and risk analysis for MDR investigations and complaint handling.

1/97-5/98
Biomedical Engineer
Private Company, League City, Texas

Expert 3266 designed and equipment and experiments for testing artificial and bovine arterial grafts. He also implemented a LabView based system for testing the porosity of arterial grafts.

1/95-1/96
Orthopaedic Biomechanics Fellow
Undisclosed Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas

As an orthopaedic biomechanics fellow, Expert 3266 performed biomechanical tests on cadaveric specimens to study the kinematics of joints, material properties of tissues and orthopedic surgical techniques. He also supervised medical students and orthopedic residents during research rotations. Expert 3266 developed an imaging and analysis system for the strain patterns on bone surfaces using the photoelastic technique and original software programs.

Publications

Available Upon Request

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