Consulting & Expert Testimony

This multi-million dollar residence was nearing completion when extensive leaks and deterioration of all metal fasteners and plumbing were discovered inside every exterior wall of house.  We inspected the residence, documented all of its damage, worked with a nationally known chemist and wood expert to determine the cause of the extraordinary levels of damage, identified the design & construction defects that lead to the extensive leaking and structural weakness, designed a repair, solicited bids for the repair, and prevailed in litigation for the full replacement cost of the residence.

During construction of the last of four multi-million-dollar residences in an exclusive neighborhood in the Oakland Hills, two landslides occurred downhill from this last residence.  Closer inspection showed that the house had settled differentially 3 inches; its walls were cracked throughout; and, the entire soil mass on which it was built appeared to be moving.

We investigated this loss and determined that numerous construction defects had lead to the present situation: the subsurface drainage functioned improperly; the storm drain beneath the street sloped uphill and filled with silt thus rendering it ineffective; the soil mass was an old landslide that had not been repaired correctly; and the piers beneath the residence did not extend into bedrock.

This is a hillside apartment fire investigation. Findings included construction and products defect. 

An industrial accident reconstruction. This involved the investigation of a man falling off a ladder while trying to access a roof top room. The conclusion was that the ladder was too short to be used properly for this purpose - it could not be secured properly to the building. A video was constructed for analysis of the defect.

An industrial accident reconstruction. This involved the investigation of a man falling off a ladder while trying to access a roof top room. The conclusion was that the ladder was too short to be used properly for this purpose - it could not be secured properly to the building. A video was constructed for analysis of the defect.

An accident investigation. Boys playing in an open gas-pipe trench excavation - sides of trench collapsed, and the boys fell in.  WCP&A investigated the cause and responsibility of this accident.

A construction site accident investigation and reconstruction.

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WCP&A investigated & reconstructed this accident which involved a crane/boom between two freeway overpasses. The project included a detailed lighting and visualization study.

A detailed investigation and reporting project involving building panel deterioration.

Accident reconstruction case - man fallen into open elevator shaft due to equipment failure

Ms. Dillard broke her ankle while exiting a Bank of America lobby in San Jose.  She claimed that she tripped on obstructions on the floor.  WCP created a 3-D computer model of the lobby, matched it to the security video tape, and demonstrated that Ms. Dillard could not have tripped over any obstructions because none were present.  

The Chicken! Chicken! Restaurant in Burlingame - a fire and accident reconstruction project.

A group of friends decided to climb the fire escape ladder to the roof of their apartment building to watch the sun set.  While ascending the latter, the first young man to climb it grabbed one of the rungs near the top of the ladder.  As he applied his body weight to the rung, the rung broke from the ladder’s side rail and the young man fell 44 feet to his death.  WCP reconstructed the accident and analyzed the cause of the failure.  

At 1:00 AM on September 15, 2005, Ms. Estrada was severely injured in a 3 alarm fire that killed three other people. WCP investigated and reconstructed this fire incident and provided a full analysis report.

Highway accident reconstruction.

WCP provided investigation and analysis to this arson and murder case.