Madden Accident Analysis, Investigation, Reconstruction - Equipment and Machinery Accidents
Detailed Curriculum Vitae / Resume'
Summary Curriculum Vitae / Resume'
Phone: (440) 838-0640
determine whether industrial, commercial and construction equipment and consumer products involved in accidents were defective, in regard to safety, in: 
  • their design 
  • their manufacture
  • their installation
Our reconstruction of accidents involving industrial equipment and consumer products determines whether such equipment caused or contributed to the accident.  Work in this area also includes determining whether revision of the equipment or related equipment systems was feasible and required for safety. 
  determine whether such equipment had adequate warnings
  determine whether such equipment conformed to appropriate: 
  • accepted engineering practices
  • codes and standards
  • regulations, including state and federal regulations for safety
  equipment for use by the public, or for which the public has access:      
  • chairs
  • coffeemakers
  • vending machines
  • display stands
  • powered vehicular gates
  • passenger and freight elevators
  • material lifts used as elevators
  • car washes, etc.
  construction, mining and heavy maintenance equipment:
  • scaffolding
  • hand tools
  • front end loaders
  • excavators and similar mobile equipment, etc.
  commercial and light maintenance equipment:
  • clothes washing, cleaning and pressing equipment
  • food preparation equipment
  • floor buffers, etc.
  farm, landscaping and garden equipment:
  • tractors
  • farm trailers
  • commercial lawnmowers
  • harvesters
  • trimmers, etc.
  industrial equipment:
  • forklifts/towmotors, and similar mobile equipment
  • cranes, hoists
  • banders
  • grinders
  • punch presses
  • forming presses
  • drill presses
  • printing presses 
  • conveyors
  • filters
  • industrial heating equipment
  • wood-working machinery
  • blow-molders, for plastics processing
  • calanders, for rubber processing
Consultation is available before starting a case. We invite you to
consult with us. There is no charge for an initial phone consultation.
Call us, or if you prefer we can schedule the consultation in advance.
Consultation with James D. Madden, PE, a Professional Engineer, and Forensic
Engineering Consulting and Testifying Expert Witness, is available to the client at all
times during the work - before, during, and after the investigation,
engineering analysis, reconstruction, report, and any other work on the case.
Download a Summary or Detailed Curriculum Vitae (CV) / Resume' for James D. Madden, P.E.,
email us, and bookmark this website. 
For mailing addressphonefax and email address click a button below the Fee Schedule section.
Contact us by phone, fax, mail or email for a copy of the Fee Schedule for charges for engineering
and consulting services and testimony.  Click a button below for contact information.
Over the last 30 years we have regularly worked on accidents which occurred in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, New York and nearby, including inspections of accident sites, equipment, and facilities, with reports and testimony. During these 30 years we have also worked on accidents which occurred in other states, and equipment and facilities located in other states, with inspections of accident sites, equipment, and facilities, from Utah and Kansas to Vermont and North Carolina, with reports and testimony for these accidents, when applicable.
Contact us to discuss your case by phone at NO CHARGE
This consultation can be scheduled in advance to meet your schedule.
We analyze equipment that was involved in accidents for mechanical failure, safety design and the presence of required safety features, particularly safeguardssuch as barrier guards, light curtains, dual operating buttons, safety instrumentation, etc., and warnings

Examples of equipment which has been analyzed to date include:
  took extensive college coursework in engineering design of equipment
See details of this work on the Engineering Design page and the Employment History page.
earned 2 Engineering degrees, Bachelor of Science and Master of Engineering, and took additional post-degree coursework, with coursework in physics, chemistry, mathematics, engineering mechanics, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering and normal psychology
designed and specified equipment, and equipment systems, including instrumentation and controls, warnings and safeguards, during 17 years working in industrial operations and design engineering     
  over 45 years of engineering experience, with: 
  17 years experience in industrial operations, engineering design and construction assistance
  over 30 years experience in forensic engineering, including:  
  working on over 1100 cases
  issuing over 700 reports and over 70 affidavits
  testifying in over 100 depositions and over 90 trials
at the start of forensic work, completed refresher and additional post-degree college credit coursework and continuing education coursework in mechanical engineering, metallurgy and materials
  attended the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) seminar on product liability
  attended engineering seminars presented by the National Academy of Forensic Engineers
regularly attend additional technical courses and seminars each year to meet the requirements for continuing engineering education for the Professional Engineer's license
Our Engineering Analyses of Industrial and Commercial Equipment and mechanical Consumer Products cover mechanical failure, safety design and safety features, particularly safeguards (such as barrier guards, light curtains, dual operating buttons, fail-safe instrumentation, etc.) and warnings, with the intent to: 
determine whether such equipment had appropriate safeguards, such as barrier guards, light curtains, dual operating buttons, safety instrumentation, etc.
  verbal reports, by telephone or in face-to-face conferences
We present the results of our investigations, engineering analyses and reconstructions in 
the client's choice of any, or all, of the following: 
Our work investigating, analyzing and reconstructing accidents, and presenting the results, may include any 
or all of the following, depending on the needs of the case: 
  written reports and affidavits
  deposition testimony, including video deposition
  trial testimony and arbitration testimony
James D. Madden, P.E., while performing Forensic Engineering work full-time for over 
the last 30 years, for both plaintiff and defendant, has to date:
  completed over 1100 cases
  written and issued over 700 reports                  
  testified in over 100 depositions
  written and issued over 70 affidavits
  testified in over 90 trials                               
  
  click on underlined words to use links - if no word is underlined try hovering the mouse over words to see underlines
earned the Professional Engineers license (P.E.) by taking the National Council of Engineering Examiners' (NCEE) examination in Fundamentals of Engineering and the Mechanical Engineering and Chemical Engineering sections of the NCEE examination in Principles and Practices of Engineering
designated a Diplomate Forensic Engineer by the National Academy of Forensic Engineers in accordance with the standards of the Council of Engineering and Scientific Specialty Boards (CESB)
  Our Engineering Analysis of Equipment and mechanical Consumer Products
  Examples of Industrial, Commercial, and Construction Equipment We have Analyzed  
     • including mining & extraction equipment, and farm, lawn & garden equipment, etc. 
<< click for a description of the typical activities and work performed
over 190 incidents  involving consumer products and industrial and commercial equipment have been investigated, analyzed and reconstructed as part of the forensic engineering work during over the last 30 years
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
<< click for examples of many types of Equipment analyzed
Our Work with Equipment & Machinery includes investigation and reconstruction of accidents associated with this equipment, and investigation and engineering analysis of unsafe operation and/or failure of the involved equipment, when either occurs.
Our work includes assessment of the activities of the persons involved in the accident as these activities relate to the equipment involved. Engineering analysis of the design, construction, and assembly of the involved equipment is included in our work. In particular we assess and evaluate the conformance of the equipment to the requirements of Safety Design principles and the applicable Codes, Standards and Recommended Practices. We determine the requirements for the presence of safety features including Safeguards and Warnings, and determine whether the required safety features were in place and performing properly at the time of the subject accident. 
Our work includes assessment of the operation of the involved equipment, particularly as it relates to safety and the accident events, both as a result of the accident events and as the cause of accident events, when either, or both, is the case.
Our engineering analyses of equipment cover mechanical failure, safety design and safety features. Safety features analyzed include safeguards, such as barrier guards, light curtains, dual operating buttons, fail-safe instrumentation, etc., and warnings. These analyses are for the purpose of determining the safety of this equipment, and if it is unsafe, the source of this defect. Our engineering analyses are discussed further in 'Our Engineering Analysis' below. Also see 'Typical Work' below for other activities typically involved in our work. Click on the red underlined words in this website to link to the sections named. 
Our reconstruction of accidents involving industrial, commercial and construction equipment determines whether such equipment caused or contributed to the accident. Work in this area also includes determining whether revision of the equipment or related equipment systems was feasible and required for safety. 
We have analyzed a broad range of industrial, commercial and construction equipment. Example of the products and equipment that have been analyzed are included in 'Examples of ... Equipment We have Analyzed' below.
Our analysis of product and equipment accidents includes consideration of the human-mechanical interface in the accident, as understood through Human Factors and from extensive experience in the safety design of equipment and equipment systems, including control instrumentation. See 'Experience and Qualifications...' below for this experience and the other qualifications for work with Product and Equipment Accidents. Also see''Engineering Design' on another page for examples of equipment, equipment systems and facilities designed while a design engineer. Also see the closely related specialty 'Industrial and Commercial Operations and Construction Activities' on another page.
See 'Human Factors' on another page for more information regarding Human Factors work with the forensic work. Also see 'Safeguards''Warnings''Safety Design' and 'Codes and Standards' on other pages for more information regarding work in these areas as it relates to the forensic work. 

^^^ click on buttons to go to other pages covering these subjects  ^^^
Commonalities in Equipment - are important in the forensic analysis of accidents and incidents and the analysis of the involvement of equipment in an accident. Different types of industrial, commercial and construction equipment, have the same or very similar requirements for mechanical integrity, stability, safety design, safety features and performance, control and safe operation, as they relate to safety. 
Equipment items and the need for mechanical integrity, stability, performance and control, as they relate to safety, and safe operation, and safety features as related to an accident, are analyzed by us using generally accepted engineering and safety design principles, including the safety design hierarchy. These engineering principles have application to all equipment and all equipment accidents, and are used in the analysis of the requirements for, and the use and performance of, safety features in all equipment, including industrial, commercial and construction equipment, and even consumer products. The safety effects, if any, of the requirements of applicable Standards & Codes are considered in all equipment analyses.
Mechanical integrity is the ability of equipment to avoid failure under various conditions. Safety design covers techniques and features to provide fail-safe design (a design that will not allow the creation of a safety hazard as a result of a failure or mis-operation). Safety design also covers techniques and features to design out hazards for aspects of the equipment that impact safety. Safety features include safeguards (barrier guards, light curtains, fail-safe safety instrumentation, dual operating buttons, etc.) and warnings. Equipment features for mechanical integrity, and safety, and their use, when applicable, are similar or the same among various types of equipment, including mechanical consumer products. The requirements for mechanical integrity, and performance, control, operation and potential mis-operation, as they relate to safety, and specific safety features are determined primarily by the potential hazards, with operational considerations, not the type of equipment, whether industrial, commercial or construction equipment, or even consumer products.
  equipment installed with buildings and structures*:
  • glass doors and panels 
  • windows and window assemblies 
  • interior and exterior steps, stairs and ramps, and their handrails and guardrails
  • passenger and freight elevators and lifts used as passenger elevators
  • interior and exterior balconies 
* also see the Premises page for more information about equipment installed with buildings and
    structures (opens in a separate browser window)
  equipment involved in fires and explosions*:
* also see the Fire and Explosion page and the Hazardous Combustion page for more information
    about equipment involved in fires and explosions (they open in a separate browser windows)
  • automobiles 
  • motorboats
  • personal watercraft ("jet skis")
  • incinerators in multi-story buildings
  • trash chutes in multi-story buildings
  • space heaters 
  • residential furnaces
  • industrial furnaces and boilers
  • industrial process heaters
  • hydrogen tankers (over the road trailers)
  • gasoline storage tanks
  • gas-fired residential furnaces and heat circulation systems
  • wood-burning residential furnaces and heat circulation systems
  • gas-fired space heaters
  equipment involved incidents of carbon monoxide poisoning*:
* also see the Hazardous Combustion page for more information about equipment involved in carbon
    monoxide poisonings  (opens in a separate browser window)
Phone: (440) 838-0640
Summary Curriculum Vitae / Resume'
Detailed Curriculum Vitae / Resume'
Phone: (440) 838-0640
Table of Contents - Equipment and related - links to content on this page
  Our Typical Work Activities and Products, when warranted by the case
  Qualifications of James D. Madden, P.E., Senior Forensic Engineer
  Downloads and Links -  Curriculum Vitae, Email and Bookmark
  Contact information
  Fee Schedule
  Geographic Area of Practice - North America 
  Presentation of results of our work
  Forensic Engineering Work by Senior Forensic Engineer James D. Madden, P.E. 
  Experience and Qualifications of James D. Madden, P.E. in regard to accidents involving
     Equipment & Machinery and mechanical Consumer Products*
                  * these accidents are analyzed using the same engineering principles and experience 
Industrial, Commercial and Construction Equipmen
Industrial, Commercial and Construction Equipmen
Industrial, Commercial and Construction Equipmen
See details of the pre-forensic work on the Employment Page and the Engineering Design Page.
The qualifications of James D. Madden, P.E., Senior Forensic Engineer, Consulting and Testifying
Forensic Engineer and Accident Reconstruction Engineer, are listed on the Qualifications Page and the Specialties Work Page.   <<< Click on the underlined text.
See details of the forensic work throughout this website, and a summary on the Employment Page.
See more about qualifications of  James D. Madden, P.E. on the Qualifications Page.
For more on qualifications see the Qualifications Page<<< Click on the underlined text
Use the Search Box at the left to search the whole website.  
Use Control F, 'Ctrl' + 'F', to locate specific words on this page.
Bookmark this site by typing Control D ('Ctr' + 'D'). 
  Curriculum Vitae, CV, Resume'
  Contact Us by Phone, Mail or Email 
  Consult, before and after assignment
  Fee Schedule Availability
      click on the underlined squares and underlined words to link to the subjects
  Our Forensic Engineering Work - number of  ● Cases  ● Reports  ● Affidavits  ● Testimonies  
  Experience & Qualifications in regard to Equipment and Equipment Systems
  Engineering Analysis of Equipment and Systems
  Commonalities in Equipment
  Examples of Equipment Analyzed
  Equipment listed by Type/Category
  Also see Premises Accidents for equipment-like fixtures in buildings, on another page.
  Also see Fires & Explosions for equipment involved in fires and explosions, on another page.
Our Work with Equipment, Machinery and associated systems, including instrumentation and controls, SafeguardsWarnings and Codes and Standards
Also see Combustion Hazards for combustion equipment and systems causing fires and explosions or carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, on another page.
Detailed Curriculum Vitae / Resume'
Summary Curriculum Vitae / Resume'
Phone: (440) 838-0640
Equipment by Types/Categories - links to content on this page
The set of categories listed below are provided for the convenience of the user of this webpage in finding particular products and equipment, but are not the only way equipment can be categorized. Thus, if you are looking for a particular product or piece of equipment, you may find looking at the complete list of products and equipment or using Ctrl-F (Page Search) to be useful in this search. The products and equipment items listed on this webpage are examples of equipment and products analyzed. The listings on this webpage do not include all the equipment and products analyzed.
Equipment for:
* including equipment installed in facilities
Equipment involved in:
  Use by Public
  Construction and Mining
  Heavy Maintenance
  Commercial and Light Maintenance
  Fire and Explosions*
  Carbon Monoxide (CO) poisoning*
      click on the underlined squares to link to the subjects
  Our Typical Work Activities and Products
  Presentation of The Results of Our Work
  Other Experience & Qualifications
  Geographic Area available for Work
  Links to Other Pages (left sidebars)
  Farm, Landscaping & Gardening
  Industrial Operations
  Buildings and Structure
See the Consumer Products page for mechanical consumer products for equipment that might also be encountered in Industry, Commercial facilities, and Maintenance and Construction use.
Links on pages of This Website include:

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  inspection of the accident site, such as a roadway, outdoor facilities, building or industrial facilities
  interviewing witnesses (often during the inspection of the accident site, product and/or equipment)
coordinating or interfacing with others while they are preparing specialized exhibits such as video animations and videos of demonstrations
review and study of case documents, evidence and applicable codes, standards, regulations and recommended practices
  written reports and affidavits, and exhibits
drawings, calculations, graphical analyses, computer analyses, etc. as required to analyze and reconstruct the accident, and to present the engineering analysis and reconstruction
  testing accident items and exemplar items (such as consumer products)
  photography and/or video of the accident site and involved equipment
  testimony in deposition, trial and arbitration




inspection of the involved equipment, in current condition, including in damaged condition (such as crashed vehicles); and when available for operation, during operation (such as industrial equipment)
Work on accidents involving equipment may include inspection of
Work on accidents involving equipment may also include
 equipment  ● controls  ● safeguards  ● warnings  ● other safety features 
 reconstruction of the accident, including  evaluation for equipment failure  
 engineering analysis of the ● equipment design  construction  assembly,  
 operator actions ● equipment performance ● safety feature performance 
 analysis for adherence to  ● applicable codes  ● OSHA  ● standard of care     engineering analysis of the operation of equipment and facilities, including
particularly for  adherence to safety design principles
Work on accidents involving equipment may also include
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over 30 Years Investigating, Analyzing, Reconstructing & Testifying about Accidents
Contact us at  440-838-0640 or ▪ 440-832-9540 or  [email protected]
Forensic Engineering & Scientific Accident Reconstruction
Links to Specialty Pages
Page Links 
Links to General Pages





Basic Forensic Specialties
Main Forensic Specialties
click on items below 
click on items below 
Link to Equipment and Machinery Website 
click on item below
Website opens in a browser tab next to the tab for this page
Senior Forensic Engineer
General Information
Madden Accident Analysis, Investigation, Reconstruction
MAAIR
Madden
Accident
Analysis,  
Investigation,
Reconstruction
MAAIR
Copyright 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022 by Madden Accident Analysis, Investigation, Reconstruction, and by James D. Madden, P.E. All rights reserved.
This website contains photographs which are licensed with restrictions that prohibit downloading, reproduction, re-publication or re-transmission.
Madden Accident Analysis, Investigation, Reconstruction, through its Senior Forensic Engineer, James D. Madden, P.E., a licensed Professional Engineer, and Board Certified Diplomate Forensic Engineer, has performed Accident Investigations, Engineering Analyses and Accident Reconstructions routinely for accidents / incidents and cases located in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and New York, in the technical areas which are noted in this website, as well as providing expert reports and testifying in court proceedings in these states in the capacity of an Expert Witness, including depositions, arbitrations and/or trials. Forensic Engineering work has also performed in, and/or for cases in, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Maryland, North Carolina, Vermont, Kansas and Utah, with testimony in deposition and court in West Virginia and Kansas.
Madden Accident Analysis, Investigation, Reconstruction, through its Senior Forensic Engineer, James D. Madden, P.E., a licensed Professional Engineer, and Board Certified Diplomate Forensic Engineer, has performed Accident Investigations, Engineering Analyses and Accident Reconstructions for accidents / incidents and cases in the metropolitan areas of Cleveland, Akron, Canton, Toledo, Warren, Youngstown, Mansfield, Columbus, Dayton, Cincinnati, Lima, Findlay, Marietta and Steubenville, Ohio, as well elsewhere throughout Ohio, and the metropolitan areas of Pittsburgh and Erie, Pennsylvania, as well as elsewhere throughout western and central Pennsylvania, and the metropolitan areas of Detroit, Ann Arbor, Lansing, Flint and Port Huron, Michigan, as well as elsewhere in southern Michigan, and the metropolitan areas of Buffalo and Syracuse, New York, as well as elsewhere in western and central New York state. In many of these areas James D. Madden, P.E. has provided expert reports and testified in the capacity of an Expert Witness in court proceedings, including depositions, arbitrations and/or trials.  
Latest updates to the overall document and activity counts (reports, affidavits, cases, trials, and depositions), and counts of the number of individual specialty cases reported in this website were completed 7/15/2020. The updates of the overall document and activity counts and the counts of the number of individual specialty cases for the period between 12/2007 and 7/15/2020 were based only on the documents produced, and thus are under-counts (i.e. cases without a report or affidavit were not included in the counts).
Madden Accident Analysis, Investigation, Reconstruction
1700 West Market Street, Suite 318, Akron, Ohio 44313
or contact us for our Cleveland Ohio address
phone: 440-838-0640 or 440-832-9540, fax: 440-838-1192
email address: [email protected]

Madden Accident Analysis, Investigation, Reconstruction, through its Senior Forensic Engineer James D. Madden, P.E., is available for Accident Investigations, Engineering Analyses, Accident Reconstructions, and testimony in depositions, hearings, arbitrations, and trials, for cases located throughout North America.