Defective Transportation Trailer Design Blamed For Significant Injuries

Case Overview

This case involves a product liability claim against the manufacturer of a liquid tanker trunk. The driver of the truck had pulled off the highway and parked the tanker trailer at a rest stop. While the driver was standing beside the trailer, it suddenly tipped over and poured hot liquid on the driver. The driver suffered extreme scalding injuries on his head, back, and one side of his body. He is unable to work and remains on disability. An expert in tanker trailer design with experience in product liability assessment was sought to inspect the tanker and determine what caused it to tip over.

Questions to the Automotive expert and their responses

Please briefly describe your experience designing tanker trailers.

I have 25 years of engineering experience, working mostly with mobile equipment. I was the engineering manager at a trailer manufacturer for 4 years and I worked on a tank truck as well as many dump truck trailers. I've also done contract design work for liquid manure spreaders at a large farm equipment supplier which involved tanker trailers. I am also very familiar with landing gear and stability.

Please describe your experience assessing product liability.

I have experience in legal consulting and have reviewed 40+ product liability cases over eight years.

About the expert

This experienced engineer has 40 years of experience in engineering and machinery design. He earned his BS in mechanical engineering from Lafayette College and his MS in agricultural engineering from Cornell University. A registered professional engineer in Pennsylvania and Maryland, the expert is a member of several industry societies including the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Society of Automotive Engineers. This expert owns 6 patents. He previously held engineering positions with Ford New Holland, Steiner Turf Equipment, and Tekfor USA. In all of these positions, he was intimately involved in patent development and engineering design for heavy machinery. For four years, the expert was an engineering manager and the chief engineer for J&J Truck Bodies. He then served as an associate in forensic engineering for Lapina Associates. He currently runs his own forensic engineering and design analysis consulting business and is an assistant professor of engineering at a university in Pennsylvania.