Highway - Traffic - Transportation Safety Expert Witnesses: 7

Ricky Thigpen has over 30 years of experience in the area of Law Enforcement and Transportation Safety. Mr. Thigpen has training throughout the years in Law Enforcement and as an Investigator performing Compliance Reviews on behalf of the Texas DPS and FMCSA. He is also an Associate Instructor for the FMCSA National Training Center. 

Litigation Support - Since 2013, Mr. Thigpen has been providing expert witness services for transportation-related incidents. He has been a US DOT consultant since 2008. He has assisted over 400 companies with Transportation related issues. Services include site inspection, thorough reporting, depositions, and trial testimony as needed.

Areas of Expertise:

FMCSA Regulations FMCSA Compliance and Audits Texas Trucking Regulations Texas Transportation Code Texas Administrative Code

Commercial Vehicle Crash Investigation  Transportation Safety / Transportation Compliance DOT Compliance Drug Testing Proper Load Securement

Background Experience - Prior to the formation of Axiom First Group, LLC, Mr. Thigpen worked with Axis Transport, LLC as their Senior Safety Officer responsible for DOT and FMCSA compliance. The 3 years before that, he served as the DOT Consultant with Disa Global Solutions where he consulted with DISA client motor carriers regarding FMCSA compliance and audits.

From 2008-2019, Mr. Thigpen was the Principal at Compliance Management, LLC, where he conducted audits for federally-regulated motor carriers and served as expert in litigation matters.

" WHO IS AN EXPERT?
ONE WHO HAS ACQUIRED COMPREHENSIVE SPECIFIC EDUCATION,
ADVANCED AND CONTINUING TRAINING, AND EXTENSIVE SPECIFIC
EXPERIENCE TO GAIN THE KNOWLEDGE AND AUTHORITATIVE ABILITIES
REPRESENTING THE MASTERY OF THE SPECIFIC FIELD AND OF THE SUBJECT."

Nation Wide and International Expertise.

Timothy G. Galarnyk: Educated in Construction and Safety.  Continued Training in Construction and Safety. More than 45 Years of HANDS-ON Field Experience. Actively involved in construction since 1976. Equipment operator, member of International Union of Operating Engineers since 2004, Certified by ATSSA in Construction Work Zone Traffic Control - MUTCD since 1988. More than 1,000 Incidents Independently Investigated. 

Traffic Crashes in Construction Work Zones - Related to MUTCD Compliance. CERTIFIED by ATSSA in Work Zone Traffic Control since 1988. 

Construction Risk Management, Inc., is a corporation with experts in construction safety, structure collapses, construction means and methods, and construction work zone traffic control.  Investigation focuses on:

Bridges, Buildings, Residential, Industrial, Commercial, High-Rises, Marine, Highways, Underground, Water, General and Subcontractor Issues

Litigation Support - We conduct Forensic Investigations of Construction Accidents / Injuries / Deaths to establish the Cause. What happened? How did it happen? Where and When did it happen? Why did it happen? Who is Responsible? Depositions and Trial Experienced. State and Federal Courts. Defense and Plaintiff - Makes no difference as the case facts and evidence rules. 

Areas of Expertise (include but not limited to):

Scaffolding Cranes Rigging Earth Moving Equipment Aerial Lifts Forklifts Trenching / Excavating Falls Steel Erection Electrical Injuries / Electrocution

Confined Spaces Concrete Work OSHA Issues Bridge / Building Structural Collapse Trucking of Construction Material Steel Materials Reinforcing Bars Concrete Pilings Loading / Unloading Injuries

Dean Tekell Consulting provides expertise in the areas of Traffic Engineering, Parking, Public Transit, Vehicle Dynamics, Accident Reconstruction, and Technical Accident Investigation.

Often, government agencies, consulting engineers, architects, developers, business institutions, and attorneys must know how to move people and their goods safely and efficiently. The firm offers advice on site selection, traffic access, and traffic circulation on the site. The firm provides insight into potential problems with zoning and subdivision regulations. Traffic impact studies, traffic signal warrant analysis, traffic signal design and permitting services related to development activity are also available through the firm. Parking garage and parking lot operations are specialties offered to business institutions.

Other services include: Queuing Studies for drive-through services; Traffic Calming and neighborhood speed control; School trip and pedestrian safety plans; Traffic Accident Reduction and highway safety techniques; Transit Funding Operation; Intelligent Vehicle-Highway Systems.

Donald L. Hess, President of DLH Associates, Inc., has been providing expert witness services to attorneys and other clients, including Analysis of Vehicle Crashes since 1996. His specialty is crashes involving Commercial Motor Vehicles, including trucks, tractor-trailers, and buses.

With well over two million miles of safe cross-country trucking experience, followed by over 20 years as a driver trainer and creator / administrator of commercial driving programs, Mr. Hess is well-qualified to provide analysis of what drivers are trained to do in specific situations and circumstances, what federal and state regulations call for and require, and all aspects of the safe and proper operation of commercial motor vehicles. As a motorcyclist with over 45 years of riding and training experience, he is also qualified to comment on accidents involving motorcycles.

Mr. Hess has been nationally-recognized as a leader in safety and training issues, is a winner of the American Trucking Associations Million Mile Driving award, and was a winner of the Truckload Carriers Association Lee Crittenden award. Over his long and successful career in trucking and education, he has held numerous national board and officer positions in trucking and education.

Litigation Support - Mr. Hess is uniquely qualified to analyze and comment on driver behavior in virtually any situation, and has established a solid reputation as an expert witness in crashes involving trucks and commercial vehicles for both Plaintiff and Defense in over 500 hundred cases across the country since 1996. His experience includes significant deposition and trial testimony.

He possesses a unique combination of training, hands-on experience, and education that combine to position him as a leading expert in all facets of trucking. Mr. Hess still maintains a valid, current Commercial Driver License fully endorsed for Combination Vehicles, Doubles-Triples, Tankers, Hazardous Materials, Motorcycles, and Buses. He also holds a USDOT Medical Exam Certificate. His CDL and medical certificate have been maintained without interruption or fault since 1971.

Areas of Expertise:

Commercial Driver Training Truck Driver Training Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations Commercial Driver Theory Commercial Driver Backing City Driving Federal Hours of Service Requirements

Highway Driving Extreme Weather Operations Live Skid Pad / Skid Prevention and Recovery Emergency Driving Skills Warehouse Issues Loading Dock Issues Forklifts

Greg Gerganoff, CSP, Esq., possesses extensive experience in safety compliance and practice involving OSHA and MSHA.  He obtained is law degree from Western Michigan University, Cooley Law School and practiced general civil law for approximately 12 years in Colorado prior to entering the safety profession. Mr. Gerganoff earned a Certified Safety Professional certification and has 18 years of field safety experience in mining, oil and gas, construction, manufacturing, power plant outages, and light rail construction.

His professional safety experience includes OSHA / MSHA Safety field work and compliance with experience in the heavy construction, manufacturing, light rail construction, power plant outages, public schools, oil and gas, mining, pipeline, and trenching and excavation industries.

• Authorized Outreach Trainer for OSHA General Industry.
• PEC Safeland Basic and Core instructor (Oil and gas).
• MSHA Approved Instructor (Blue Card) for Surface, Metal/nonmetal.
• Member of the American Society of Safety Professionals.

Litigation Support: Mr. Gerganoff assists with discovery questions regarding safety matters. Safety opinions based upon statutory, administrative, judicial rulings and related industry association safety policies ancillary to OSHA and MSHA.  Mr. Gerganoff is retained by attorneys for both Plaintiff and Defendant. Some of the subject matter litigation he has handled include:

Forklift Safety and Operation Lock Out Tag Out/Natural Gas Compressor Stations Oil and Gas Safety Manufacturing Safety Construction Safety Compressed Gas Cylinder Safety

Crane and Aerial Lift Safety Mining Safety Traffic Control Plans / MUTCD Working at Heights, Employee Safety Training Fall Protection, Ladders, Stairways

View Greg Gerganoff's Consulting Profile.

Dr. Shakir Shatnawi, PhD, PE, is a nationally and internationally recognized expert in the Transportation Engineering industry. Shakir has a Ph.D. in Transportation Engineering. He has over 30 years of practical and extensive engineering and transportation expertise covering industry and public agencies including FHWA and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). 

Shakir is currently the president of Shatec Engineering Consultants. He taught highway engineering, traffic engineering and transportation engineering and pavement design at California State University. Dr. Shatnawi served as a principal investigator on multi-million dollar transportation projects. He held various positions at Caltrans including a Senior Transportation Engineer, a Supervising Transportation Engineer and a Division Chief.

 Dr. Shatnawi's education and experience demonstrates a wealth of engineering knowledge encompassing highway design, traffic engineering, pavement design, geotechnical engineering, materials and construction . As a recipient of many acknowledgements from the government, Dr. Shatnawi has an impeccable reputation within the industry for his significant professional contributions. As an expert orator, he frequently shares his knowledge at major conferences around the world. Dr. Shatnawi provides expert witness services in the following areas:

Traffic Engineering Highway Design Standards Highway Specifications / Guidelines Public Agency Policies / Practices Pavement Design / Materials Construction defects Highway Geometric Design Drainage Asphalt Concrete Highway Repairs / Maintenance

Construction Quality Control / Quality Assurance Construction Claims Surface Conditions - Friction, Skid Resistance Road Defects Traffic Safety Highway Safety Traffic Control Devices / MUTCD Sight Distance Requirements Roadside Hazards ADA Requirements Code Violations

View Dr. Shatnawi's Consulting Profile.

Scott L. Turner is a highly qualified Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) Transportation Expert, FMCSR Regulatory and PHMSA-HMR Expert with approximately 30-years experience in the highly specialized field of CMV crashes and incidents, and 16 years as the CEO of a nationwide CMV crash & HazMat disaster response corporation. 

Mr. Turner's career includes personal response and/or investigation of over 1,000 CMV crashes, 200 cargo-tank truck crashes/incidents and a multitude of industrial setting incidents including fixed facilities, loading docks and loading rack disasters. His FMCSR and PHMSA knowledge (Federal Enforcement Training), detailed reporting and testimony can be a focal point of any civil litigation, where commercial motor vehicle crashes and/or transit incidents are at issue, with or without hazmat involvement. Mr. Turner is qualified in both the Federal Court system as well as multiple States throughout the United States and testifies on an approximate 50/50 average of Defense to Plaintiff ratio.

Areas of Expertise:

• Level 1 FMCSA Inspections
• Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) Post-Crash Inspection
• CMV Post-Crash Investigation
• Driver Qualifications
• HOS / Fatigue Driving
• Motor Carrier Fitness Standards
• Safety Programs
• Trucking Industry Standards
• Cargo-Tank Truck Incidents / Crashes
• CMV loading/Off-loading Cases (van, cargo-tank, flatbed)
• Flatbed, Cargo Securement Failure
• Loading Dock Incidents w/ CMV
• Forklift Incidents w/ CMV
• CMV Crash Involving Hazmats
• Loading Rack Explosions / Disasters
• Pedestrian v. CMV Incidents

Services Include:

• Litigation Support
• Trial Preparation Consulting
• Courtroom Testimony
• Commerical Vehicle Accident Investigations
• CMV, Highway Construction Zone Crashes
• CMV Loading and Offloading Investigation
• Level 1 FMCSA Audits
• Load Securement Incidents