Mr. ONeil is a Registered Professional Engineer, CA Metallurgical Engineer #1815, and a certified Crane Surveyor, with experience in multiple failure analyses and root cause investigations related to truck, auto, crane, pressure vessel and other metallic and non-metallic structures. He is a qualified Welding Engineer with over thirty years of experience in the utility, construction and manufacturing industries and has been instrumental in the design of welding procedures and processes in accordance with ASME Section VIII and IX Standards used in the construction of pressure vessels and piping, as well as AWS D1.1 requirements used in the construction of offshore drilling rigs, large industrial gearboxes, cement kilns and associated fleet components related to cranes, material handlers, trucks and other equipment.
Mr. ONeil has been instrumental in leading successful root cause failure analyses of many construction and utility equipment failures during his career, to include: Material handler boom bearing bolt failure; Boom cracking analysis and subsequent repair procedure; Auger failures at kelly bar attachment; Rear axle housing cracking issues and subsequent negotiations and repair procedure; Three reel trailer failures and subsequent redesign of undercarriage; Mobile Auto-transformer bearing failure (white paper presented to SFES); Mobile Truck Crane Cracking failures and subsequent redesign, and other fleet related projects.
Mr. ONeil's mission is to provide an accurate assessment of the reasons/root causes for failures of cranes and/or other large industrial equipment and his education and experience in this field has provided him with the necessary tools to determine successful solutions to reported failures for client companies and personnel.
Mr. ONeil can be reached by email at: mojowrkn17@yahoo.com
Background
Q: Please list your professional accreditations, degrees, licenses, and certificates granted:A: BS Metallurgical Engineering, Minor Welding Engineering, Cal Poly SLO, 1975
CA Metallurgical Engineering P.E. #1815
CAL OSHA Crane Surveyor
Q: Please list your affiliations or memberships in any professional and/or industry organizations:
A: Society of Forensic Engineers, currently applying for membership
AWS, past Chapter Vice President
Participation at IEEE Seminars and Meetings
Q: Please list any teaching or speaking experience you have had, including subject matter:
A: White Paper on AutoTransformer Trailer Failure presented to SFES in September 2007 (Included with my JurisPro application).
Numerous presentations regarding QC and/or material failure analyses during 28 year career at PG&E as a Supervising Quality Engineer.
White Paper presented to SF Chapter of IEEE regarding "Quality Criteria for Supplier Selection"
Q: Have any of your accreditations ever been investigated, suspended or removed? (if yes, explain)
A: NO
Q: On how many occasions have you been retained as an expert?
A: On many occasions during my career with PG&E, I was asked to provide necessary arguments with supplier personnel, to include company presidents, managers and other personnel, regarding issues related to equipment failures and or QC breakdowns which caused product malfunctions.
Q: For what area(s) of expertise have you been retained as an expert?
A: My experience has been mostly in the areas of Metallurgical and/or Welding/Mechanical "root cause" failure analysis and also in the areas of Quality Control practices and procedures.
Q: In what percentage of your cases were you retained by the plaintiff?
A: None, at this time
Q: In what percentage of your cases were you retained by the defendant?
A: None, at this time
Q: On how many occasions have you had your deposition taken?
A: None, at this time, but I have provided expert commentary to Company Lawyers prior to and during court cases that they were involved in as representatives for PG&E.
Q: When was the last time you had your deposition taken?
A: N/A
Q: On how many occasions have you been qualified by a court to give expert testimony?
A: N/A
Q: On how many occasions have you testified as an expert in court or before an arbitrator?
A: Only with Company lawyers
Q: For how many years have you worked with the legal industry as an expert?
A: I'm just beginning my career in this industry. I feel that my previous experience as a company expert regarding the resolution of issues with other companies pertaining to equipment failures and root cause analyses lend themselves to this field. I have been very successful in seeking and obtaining resolutions to equipment related failures that have affected the performance of company equipment.
Q: What services do you offer? (E.g.: consulting, testing, reports, site inspections etc.)
A: I can provide expertise in Consulting (pertaining to Mechanical, Welding and Equipment Failures), Testing (both physical and NDE), Reports, Site Inspections (Factory and Manufacturing Reviews).
Q: What is your hourly rate to consult with an attorney?
A: I am currently willing to work for $200/hour. I am currently employed by three other companies as a consultant at a rate of $125/hour in non-legal support, but am involved in Crane Certifications, Crane Failures and Root Cause Analyses (along with negotiations with supplier Sales and Engineering personnel), Welding and Metallurgical Engineering Analyses (improvement of drill bit technology and planing knives, as well as issues related to cracked rear axle housings [supplier has corrected approximately 125 vehicles with this problem]) and numerous other issues which you can review in my CV that I provided to Juris Pro. I'm currently working with a supplier on a recently discovered issue pertaining to the cracking of the attachment point for a jib crane on a 60 foot main boom due to high residual stresses caused by an improperly sized doubler plate used to attach the jib to the main boom. We are now negotiating necessary design changes.
Q: What is your hourly rate to review documents?
A: I would be willing, at this time, to review documents in my fields of expertise, for $150/hour.
Q: What is your hourly rate to provide deposition testimony?
A: I would be willing to provide deposition testimony for $300/hour. Preparation for deposition testimony would also be charged at $300/hour.
Q: What is your hourly rate to provide testimony at trial?
A: $300/hour
Q: Please list any fees other than those stated above (E.g.: travel expenses, copy fees, etc.)
A: All travel, meals and lodging expenses would be as incurred, with no mark up, as would be associated copy fees and any other costs, to include long distance telephone, faxes, etc. related to conducting the assigned task, and transportation to include taxies and/or limos ,etc. Travel time would be performed at $150/hour, currently.
