Expert Witness
As an outgrowth of our many years of service as design architects, RGA Design launched an expert witness testimony service based upon in depth knowledge of building codes and industry standards. Architectural and engineering expert testimony protocols are similar to the rigorous standards required to defend a PhD dissertation as attained by the founder Dr. William Henry. Those require that all testimony be validated by governing codes, contract documents, as well as established industry standards.
In the last 10 years, RGA has been retained in over 100 legal matters by both Plaintiff and Defense counselors. In the last three years, we have seen a rapid expansion and are currently involved in 30 matters. These cases are located in over 14 states throughout the South and Midwest.
RGA focuses on 6 major areas of expertise:
- Error and Omissions Claims
- Property Insurance Litigation
- Milestone Inspection & Damage Assessments
- Premises Liability
- ADA Compliance
- Construction Litigation
Our typical cases involve premises liability; including slip, trip and loss of balance accidents, architect’s and engineer’s design errors and omissions, construction defects and insurance coverage claims. Insurance claim testimony involves building damages caused by wind, rain, fire, flood and other natural disasters events as well as mold infestation, deferred maintenance, flooding and other unexpected events requiring rapid response. We partner with attorneys to provide the best possible outcome in the trial by using special technology to recreate the accident through drones, videography, Revit drawings, and other visuals. Contact us today to discuss your case and how we can help!
Our Technology
3D Modeling
We use AutoDesk Revit, a building information modeling software package, to recreate an accident scene that has been altered or destroyed to the conditions as close as possible to the way they were on the day of the incident. The program uses data collected from sources such as the original site plans and photos from the scene to create a 3 dimensional rendering that reconstructs the scene with a level of detail that would not otherwise be feasible.
Aerial Site Mapping
We use a DJI Phantom 4 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to map sites for accident scene reconstruction. Once the drone has collected images from its flight, the data can be used to create maps and models from the scene with a high level of detail. The models give our experts a perspective of the accident scene that would not be achievable through a normal site inspection. We've found that this perspective which the drone images provide leads to the discovery of vital information.
Accident Scene Animation
Through the use of several different programs, our in-house animation team can recreate the circumstances of an accident as close as possible to the way it occurred at the time of the event. The animation gives a visual retelling of events that a rereading of testimony cannot duplicate. The video to the right is a recreation of events at an indoors sport facility where a person fell through a window.
