Litigation Support & Expert Witness Services
Expert witness and litigation support for heavy lifting equipment related accidents and product safety.
Expert witness and litigation support for the standards we help write.
When the equipment in your case is a crane, mobile elevating work platform (MEWP), aerial lift, forklift, or rigging hardware, you want an expert who actually sits on the committees that wrote the safety standards. That is what Eckstine & Associates brings to every engagement — from initial site inspection through deposition and trial testimony.
We have supported litigation involving crane collapses, mobile elevating work platform (MEWP) incidents, forklift accidents, rigging failures, and equipment-design defects across the United States.
How We Support a Case
Four phases. Engage us at the start of a matter or step in once discovery is underway.
Accident Investigation
Immediate on-site response to preserve evidence and document the scene before it changes.
- On-site inspection within days of being retained
- Photo & video documentation of equipment and surroundings
- Witness and operator interviews
- Equipment condition, configuration, and operating-control inspection
- Preservation-of-evidence recommendations to counsel
Accident Reconstruction
A thorough engineering analysis of the data to determine the most probable cause — and identify the contributing factors.
- Review of OSHA reports, operator logs, manuals, and prior inspections
- Load chart, capacity, and stability calculations
- Failure analysis (structural, mechanical, hydraulic, control)
- Reconstruction against applicable standards (ASME B30, ANSI A92, ITSDF B56)
- Identification of design defects, training gaps, or maintenance failures
Expert Testimony
Expert testimony grounded in active standards-committee experience.
- Written expert reports
- Deposition testimony
- Trial testimony
- Pre-trial preparation
Trial Exhibits & Testing
Demonstrative aids that make the engineering accessible to a jury — and physical testing when a question must be answered, not argued.
- Computer-generated 3D models and animations
- Conventional engineering drawings, charts, and visual aids
- CAD design and fabrication of mock-ups
- On-site physical testing of construction and industrial machinery
- Detailed failure-analysis experiments at partner test facilities
Why Eckstine & Associates
We help write them
Our principal consultants are members of the committees that write the industry safety standards. Our consultants include the founding International Chairman of ISO TC 214 (aerial lifts) and current International Chairman of ISO TC 96 SC 8 (Jib Cranes); the previous chair of ISO TC 96 SC 6 (Mobile Cranes) for 15+ years. Members of ASME B30 main committee and B30.5 / B30.26 subcommittees, members of Mobile Elevating Work Platform (MEWP) A92 subcommittees, members of B56 forklift subcommittees, and representatives on ANSI/ASSE A10 (construction & demolition) standards.
40+ years in equipment safety and litigation
Over 40 years of combined product-safety and engineering experience inside the lifting-equipment industry, with Dennis serving as expert witness in equipment safety and litigation support matters.
Active operators, not just analysts
Our consultants include CCO Certified Crane Operators, a Commissioner of NCCCO, trained and certified forklift operators and trainers, and trained mobile elevating work platform operators and trainers through various industry organizations and manufacturers such as IPAF, CAT, and JLG. Hands-on credentials, not just analysis.
When To Engage Us
Representative case types involving the equipment we work with.
- Crane collapse or tip-over
- Boom or jib structural failure
- Rigging hardware failure or drop
- Anti-two-block / load-moment indicator failure
- Aerial lift fall, tip, or platform failure
- Scissor lift / boom lift electrical-contact incident
- Forklift tip-over or struck-by injury
- Operator certification or training disputes
- Product defect or warning-adequacy claims
- Construction-equipment incidents (excavator, loader, backhoe)
- Maintenance and inspection-program adequacy
- OSHA / ANSI / ASME standards interpretation
Eckstine & Associates supports cases throughout the United States. Initial conflicts checks are confidential.