Podcasts
Introducing: The Mechanical Engineering Expert Witness Glossary
Mechanical engineers play a vital role in nearly every aspect of modern life – cars, computers, cell phones, satellites, air conditioners, vacuum cleaners, and millions of other machines and components that are used for countless purposes. This means that mechanical...
The Case Within the Case – The Importance of Claim Construction in Patent Litigation
In 2021, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) granted over 374,000 patents. That number may seem high, but it is only a fraction of the number of active patents. As of 2020, there were over 3.3 million patents in force in the U.S. In 2004, there were...
Patent Expert Witness – Part of the Team or Puppet at Trial?
Expert witnesses can be a valuable element to any type of legal case. This is especially true when the case involves complex concepts or technologies that are likely to be unfamiliar to judges and juries. Effective patent expert witnesses need to have thorough...
Doubling Up – Two Fall Protection Standards Make it On OSHA’s Top 10 List
OSHA sets forth workplace safety standards meant to keep employees safe and employers are obligated by law to comply. If you do not follow OSHA guidelines, your organization will face stiff fines and penalties. It is also possible that you will be sued for...
Know Before you Tow: Essential Safety Checks When Hooking Up Your Trailer
Hooking up your Trailer can be a dangerous job if proper safety precautions are not taken. Before towing, make sure that your vehicle and trailer maintenance is up-to-date, and that you check the following each time you hook your trailer up. Photo 1: Trailer coupling...
The 7 Sins of Expert Witness Work
Expert witness work can be a valuable asset in both criminal and civil court cases, providing unbiased and knowledgeable testimony that is often persuasive for a judge or jury. However, presenting impartial opinions on complex or charged issues is no easy task, and...
Expert Opinion: Auger Conveyor Design Defect Amputates Employees Arm
The experts at Alpine Engineering and Design, Inc. (AED) provided Mechanical Expert Witness services on a case involving an auger conveyor. It is our understanding that this case was resolved outside of court. AED has multiple offices in the intermountain west, and...
Engineering Standards Buckling Under Americans Ever Increasing Weight Gain
Standards are commonly used in engineering design. Some standards are legal requirements while others are consensus or voluntary standards. There are a number of organizations that provide standards including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA),...
Expert Opinion: Just Because It Can Be Done Without Injury Does Not Mean It Is Safe
As a mechanical engineer who works in equipment design safety, I sometimes get involved in lawsuits where injuries occur while equipment is being used. Usually in the roll of an expert witness. One question that I am often asked in one form or another during...
Expert Opinion: Improper Forklift Operation Kills Delivery Driver
Forklift Expert from Alpine Engineering and Design offered expert opinions in a lawsuit around the events and equipment involved in the unnecessary death of a delivery driver. The case settlement was confidential, but we have been informed that it was favorable to...
Expert Opinion: No, Ma’am! The Swing Set was NOT Vandalized
Recently, there was a big hullabaloo in my neighborhood regarding the swings in the park maintained by our HOA. Someone posted a picture on our neighborhood Facebook page showing two of the swings hanging by only one chain. As you might imagine, the neighborhood...
Close Enough to Kiss – Estimations in Mechanical Engineering Analysis
While going to college I had a professor who liked to reference the Zeno paradox. “That which is in locomotion must arrive at the half-way stage before it arrives at the goal.” He would make this point with an analogy. An engineer and a mathematician are in a bar. ...