Mr. Switalski is a Registered Professional Engineer in the State of Illinois. He holds a Bachelor and Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Illinois Inst. of Technology. He has provided consulting services since 1980 to the legal and insurance industries as well as product manufacturers and private individuals.
Some of the areas in which Expert Witness services have been provided include industrial and comsumer products, industrial work practices, OSHA and safety standard compliance, and evaluation of product manuals, safety signs and physical evidence.
He has consulted in several hundred personal injury and property loss incidents that have led to deposition testimony as an Expert Witness on approx. 125 occasions and trial testimony approx. 25 to 30 times.
Mr. Switalski has extensive background in industrial machinery maintenance in the sports/bowling industry. As a result, he has consulted with major bowling equipment manufacturers on multiple occasions. Mr. Switalski is especially qualified to evaluate industrial maintenance and work practices and maintenance qualifications.
Mr. Switalski has also been a member of various ANSI A14 Ladder Safety Standard committees since 1995.
Background
Q: Please list your professional accreditations, degrees, licenses, and certificates granted:A: Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, 1980; Master of Mechanical Engineering, 1989;Professional Engineer, State of Illinois; Switalski Engineering Inc. is a Registered Professional Design firm in the State of Illinois
Q: Please list your affiliations or memberships in any professional and/or industry organizations:
A: Sub-committee member, ANSI A14.7, Ladder Stands and Ladder Stand Platforms
Sub-committee member, ANSI A14.8, Ladder Accessories
Assistant to the Technical Co-Secretariat of ANSI A14 Ladder Safety Committee
Q: Please list any teaching or speaking experience you have had, including subject matter:
A: Guest speaker on Construction Crane Safety; Machine Guarding seminar focusing on Lockout/Tagout; Guest speaker at Notre Dame University regarding the History and Developement of Automated Pinspotting; various paper presentations at Amer. Society of Mechanical Engineers meetings
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: Several hundred occasions since 1980.
Q: For what area(s) of expertise have you been retained as an expert?
A: Mechanical Engineering, Safety, Mechanical Design Analysis, Safety Analysis, Warnings and Instructions, Machinery Maintenance, Products Liability, Failure Analysis, Power and Hand Tools, Conveyors, Agricultural Machinery, Bowling Equipment especially the Automatic Pinsetter
Q: In what percentage of your cases were you retained by the plaintiff?
A: Approx. 15%
Q: In what percentage of your cases were you retained by the defendant?
A: Approx. 75%
Q: On how many occasions have you had your deposition taken?
A: Approx. 125 times
Q: When was the last time you had your deposition taken?
A: July, 2008
Q: On how many occasions have you been qualified by a court to give expert testimony?
A: Approx. 25 to 30 times.
Q: On how many occasions have you testified as an expert in court or before an arbitrator?
A: Approx. 25 to 30 times
Q: For how many years have you worked with the legal industry as an expert?
A: 28 years.
Q: What services do you offer? (E.g.: consulting, testing, reports, site inspections etc.)
A: Incident Scene and/or Product Inspection, Safety Standard & Code Compliance, Witness Statement & Testimony Evaluation, Safety Sign & Placard Evaluation, Installation Assembly & User Manual Evaluation, Product Use & Misuse Evaluation, Operating Maintenance & Industrial Work Practices, Personal Protective Equipment adequacy, Assessment of Training & Safety Responsibility, Product Recall & Retrofit
Q: What is your hourly rate to consult with an attorney?
A: $195.00/hr
Q: What is your hourly rate to review documents?
A: $195.00/hr
Q: What is your hourly rate to provide deposition testimony?
A: $195.00/hr
Q: What is your hourly rate to provide testimony at trial?
A: $195.00/hr
Q: Please list any fees other than those stated above (E.g.: travel expenses, copy fees, etc.)
A: Out-of-pocket expenses are billed at cost, i.e. air fare, lodging, meals, rental car, taxi, outside services. Mileage based on current fuel prices $0.35 to $0.50/mile.
Travel delay time is billed at $95.00/hr.
Photos (4x6) $1.35 each; (5x7) $4.75 each; (8x10) $9.00 each
Photocopying $0.23/page; Printing (b&w) $0.25/page
Color printing $0.38/page
References
Mr. Scott McKennaBest, Vanderlaan & Harrington
25 East Washington St., Suite 210
Chicago, IL 60602
(312)819-1100
Mr. Richard T. Petrillo
Pino & Associates
Westchester Financial Center
50 Main St.
White Plains, NY 10606
(914)946-0600
