MEC&F Expert Engineers : 11/04/15

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Pedro Abad, the drunk New Jersey cop who killed his two friends at wrong-way crash, claims he may have been drugged at strip club before deadly crash.


Pedro Abad, the loser New Jersey cop in drunken wrong-way crash that killed two friends claims he 'may have been drugged at strip club before deadly crash' .  Of course this is just horse-excrement, but this is what lawyers do: create smoke screens to deflect the guilt from the numerous-times drunk and killer cop who killed his two friends and injured another.


How was this drunk cop allowed to stay on the force with his priors? This is the exact type of guy that gives cops a bad name.Of course this is New Jersey, the most corrupt state when comes to police officers.  They do whatever they want, they drink and drive, they kill people, they steal, they lie, they do not work, they abuse the overtime, they always claim they are injured, etc.  Total mess.



Pedro Abad, 28, a Linden, New Jersey, police officer, was charged with driving drunk after being involved in a wrong-way crash in New York City.


His friends, Linden officer Frank Viggiano and friend Joe Rodriguez, were killed in the March crash
Tests show Abad's blood alcohol content was three times the legal limit when the crash occurred
Police said Abad crashed into a tractor-trailer on the West Shore Expressway after the group left a Staten Island strip club at about 5am
Abad's lawyer told a judge that his client may have been drugged at the strip club and requested for his blood sample to be tested

By Regina F. Graham For Dailymail.com and Associated Press

Published: 12:47 EST, 29 October 2015 | Updated: 17:20 EST, 29 October 2015




A lawyer for an off-duty New Jersey police officer charged with driving drunk says his client may have been drugged at a strip club before a wrong-way crash in New York City that killed his two friends.

Attorney Mario Gallucci told a judge that an expert he hired 'found some medical evidence that could be interpreted to mean' suspended Linden police Officer Pedro Abad was given the date-rape drug known as GHB before the March crash on Staten Island.

He asked Judge Stephen Rooney if he could get Abad's blood sample to be tested.

Assistant District Attorney Mark Palladino said he would find out if a sample is available.

A phone message left with the strip club by The Associated Press wasn't immediately returned.




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Linden Police Officer Pedro Abad, who had a hearing at the Staten Island Courthouse Thursday, is pictured above exiting court with his aunt




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Police said Abad crashed into a tractor-trailer on the West Shore Expressway after the group left a strip club at about 5am on March 20




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Abad had been driving the wrong way on the highway, and his blood alcohol content was 0.24. The legal limit in New York is 0.08

Gallucci told Rooney that it is becoming common for strip clubs to offer GHB, which is short for gamma hydroxybutyrate, to men to try to get them to spend more money.

He said he is representing another client who said he was drugged and involved in a crash on the same highway.

Prosecutors say Abad, who pleaded not guilty last month, crashed head-on into a tractor-trailer after leaving the Curves strip club.

Tests later showed the officer's blood alcohol content was 0.24; the legal limit in New York is 0.08.

Hours before the crash, Abad had posted a photo on Instagram of three shot glasses filled with what he identified as 'Jack Daniels Fire on the house.'

Abad arrived in court Thursday in a wheelchair, his right foot and lower leg in a soft cast.



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Abad (left) was allegedly drunk driving when he caused a wrong-way crash that killed another officer and a friend. Patrik Kudlac (right), 23, was critically injured in the crash



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Linden officer Frank Viggiano (left) and Abad's friend Joe Rodriguez (right) were killed in the horrific crash on March 20

His attorney said he is scheduled for another surgery on December 1. His mother pushed him into the courthouse, but Abad was able to wheel himself to the defendant's table.

Frank Viggiano, a second off-duty Linden police officer, and Joseph Rodriguez — both 28 — died in the crash. A third officer, Patrik Kudlac, was critically injured.

Abad, 28, had two drunken-driving arrests in the last four years, including one for an accident in which he plowed through the wall of a convenience store, records show.

 

He was suspended from his job in September.  But of course the corrupt Linden Police Dept. will pay his full salary anyway.  Welcome to the corrupt State of New Jersey.  Crooks and thieves throughout the state, county and local governments.  That is why the State is almost bankrupt.

Abad was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence in Roselle, New Jersey, in January 2011 after his car 'put a hole completely through the building' housing a supermarket, a police report said.

He was issued a summons for driving under the influence and reckless driving, but apparently the case didn't conclude in any citations or violations, the state Motor Vehicle Commission said.



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Just before the crash, Abad, pictured left, posted a photo on his Instagram page of three shot glasses filled with what he identified as 'Jack Daniels Fire on the house', pictured right




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The crash occurred after the three off-duty New Jersey cops and their friend left this Staten Island strip club

Thirteen months later, Abad was charged with DUI in Rahway, New Jersey.

A police dashboard camera video showed him weaving, wobbling and slurring his words as he attempted to complete a field sobriety test.

Abad broke his silence about the horrific ordeal last month when he uploaded a post on Instagram and Facebook.

Sporting a batman shirt, Abad posted a selfie and wrote a message about his injuries in the caption. He also wrote a tribute to Viggiano and Rodriguez. The post has since been deleted.

In June, four strippers and a club manager at two other New York strip club were charged with giving four men the stimulant methylone, commonly known as 'molly,' or the tranquilizer ketamine, and then taking the dazed and confused victims to the clubs, where their credit cards were swiped for a combined $200,000 in unauthorized charges.




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Abad wrote a message about his injuries and wrote a tribute to Linden officer Frank Viggiano and friend Joe Rodriguez, who were killed in the March 20 crash. The post has since been deleted

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3295429/Lawyer-Cop-drugged-strip-club-crash.html#ixzz3qa6Omnzm
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Drunk Woodbridge, New Jersey cop critical from burns in fiery crash



Suzanne Russell, @SRussellMyCJ 2:32 p.m. EST 


November 4, 2015


WOODBRIDGE, NEW JERSEY


A six-year veteran of the Woodbridge Police Department is slowly recovering from burns suffered over half of his body following a fire after an early morning car crash last month, police said.  The blodd tests show that the cop was drunk at the time of the accident.

Michael Csanyi, 39, remains hospitalized, according to Police Capt. Roy Hoppock.

On Wednesday, Csanyi was listed in critical condition, according to a spokeswoman at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, where he is a patient in the burn unit.

Around 1:07 a.m. Oct. 13, police received a call about an auto accident on Ella Avenue off Avenel Street in the Avenel section of the township.

Police said Csanyi's personal vehicle caught fire after colliding with a parked vehicle. He was off-duty at the time of the accident and he had just come from a bar.

Csanyi suffered second- and third-degree burns to more than half of his body. He was flown by helicopter from Avenel Middle School, initially to University Hospital in Newark, then to Saint Barnabas, police said.

Police said no other vehicles were involved in the crash, and no other people were injured.

Hoppock said Csanyi, a graduate of Colonia High School, was one of eight new officers in December 2008.

The crash is under investigation. Police would not comment on any part of the investigation at this time.  We do know for sure that this cop was drunk at the time of the accident.  Typically in New Jersey all these cops are getting paid full salary even after the results show that they were drunk and driving.

M&A Excavating LLC, a Berks County, PA excavation contractor, exposed workers to trenching hazards; OSHA levies more than $57K in fines



Nov. 2, 2015
M&A Excavating LLC, a Berks County, PA excavation contractor, exposed workers to trenching hazards;
OSHA levies more than $57K in fines

Employer name: M&A Excavating LLC, at 120 Lyons Road in Mertztown, Pennsylvania.

The inspected worksite was located on the 500 block of Main Street in Blandon, Pennsylvania. M&A was contracted by Maidencreek Township to install a new water line from the supply line to a residence.

Citations issued: On Oct. 28, 2015, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued M&A Excavating LLC one willful, one repeat and one serious citation.

Investigation findings: On Sept. 15, 2015, an OSHA compliance officer observed M&A employees working in an unprotected trench that was 5 feet 8 inches deep, prompting the investigation.

OSHA issued the willful citation for lack of cave-in protection*. There was no means of exit from the trench, resulting in the repeat citation. Additionally, the serious citation was for excavated soil, or spoils, that was not kept at least two feet back from the excavation.

Proposed penalties: $57,400

Quote: "M&A Excavating was cited for similar violations in 2011, and is fully aware of hazards involving unprotected trenches. However, this company continues jeopardizing employee safety by not implementing proper safety measures," said Kevin Kilp, OSHA's area director in Harrisburg. "An unprotected trench can collapse at any moment, and if an employee is in that trench, it may quickly become a grave. Proper cave-in protection is critical to saving lives. "

View the citation: http://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/m_a_excavating_1091889.pdf*

To ask questions; obtain compliance assistance; file a complaint; or report amputations, eye loss, workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA's toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the agency's Harrisburg Area Office at 717-782-3902.

Lorz Construction, Fargo, North Dakota made roofers to work above 3 stories without guard rails, fall protection.



Nov. 2, 2015
Lorz Construction, Fargo, North Dakota made roofers to work above 3 stories without guard rails, fall protection.

Falls remain the leading cause of death on construction sites.

Employer name: Lorz Construction, Fargo, North Dakota

Citations issued: Oct. 22, 2015

Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Bismarck Area Office cited the Fargo roofing contractor for three willful safety violations. OSHA initiated its investigation after a worker suffered serious injuries in a May 1, 2015 incident. The forklift platform he was working from at a West Fargo construction site tipped over, injuring his back and legs.

OSHA inspectors found employees were working from scaffolds and exposed to falls of up to three stories. Lorz Construction failed to provide guard rails or fall protection equipment. The company also failed to ensure that forklifts supporting scaffold platforms were not moved while the platform was occupied, or that scaffolds were constructed scaffolds correctly. Lorz Construction was cited for similar hazards in 2014.

Quote: "Falls remain the leading cause of death and injury on construction sites. It is inexcusable for employers to not provide fall protection," said Eric Brooks, OSHA's area director in Bismarck. "Despite being previously cited for exposing workers to these hazards, Lorz Construction has yet to commit to its legal responsibility to protect workers on the job."

Proposed Penalties: $105,000

View Citations: http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/osha/OSHA20152127fs.pdf*

To ask questions, obtain compliance assistance, file a complaint, or report amputations, eye loss, workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers the public should call OSHA's toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the agency's Bismarck Office at 701-250-4521.

Workers at IPMF LLC in Beloit, Wisconsin exposed to dangerous machine parts



Nov. 2, 2015

Workers at IPMF LLC exposed to dangerous machine parts

Employer name: IPMF LLC operating as IPM Foods, Beloit, Wisconsin

Citations received: Oct. 30, 2015

Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Madison Area Office cited the food product manufacturer for one willful, 12 serious and one other-than-serious safety violations.

The citations follow a May 2015 OSHA complaint investigation. Inspectors found the company did not use locking devices to prevent unintentional operation during service and maintenance, which exposed workers to moving machine parts, and it allowed employees to work on live electrical circuits.

OSHA also found the company failed to:
Evaluate workplaces for confined space hazards, inform employees of the location of confined spaces, and to implement a permit-required confined space program.
Train employees in machine safety procedures.
Train and evaluate powered industrial truck operators.
Provide electrical protective equipment.
Train workers about chemicals used in the workplace.
Record injury and illness data.

Quote: "Workers risked injury each time they serviced this equipment," said Ann Grevenkamp, OSHA's area director in Madison. "Each year hundreds of workers are injured on the job because employers like IPMF fail to train them about hazards in the workplace. The company must evaluate its health and safety program to ensure workers are protected on the job."

Proposed Penalties: $103,600

Citations: http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/osha/OSHA20152078fs.pdf*

To ask questions, obtain compliance assistance, file a complaint, or report amputations, eye loss, workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA's toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the agency's Madison Area Office at 608-441-5388.

Worker injured when 1K-pound load falls from crane. OSHA fines TimkenSteel nearly $400K for safety hazards at Canton, Ohio, plants



November 3, 2015

Worker injured when 1K-pound load falls from crane.


OSHA fines TimkenSteel nearly $400K for safety hazards at Canton, Ohio, plants

CANTON, Ohio - A crane's safety latch failed and 1,000 pounds of equipment fell on a man below and injured him as he worked on the factory floor of TimkenSteel Corp. For the second time in a year, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration found struck-by, fall and amputation* hazards at the company's two Canton plants following inspections.

OSHA issued TimkenSteel's Gambrinus plant one willful, one repeated and two serious safety citations on Oct. 30 as a result of its investigation into the May 4, 2015, injury. The seven-year employee could not work for several months after the incident in which he fractured his left foot and broke several bones.

The injury occurred days after OSHA initiated an inspection at the company's Harrison steel plant under the Primary Metals Emphasis Program*. The agency issued eight repeated, eight serious and one other-than serious violation at the site. TimkenSteel faces proposed fines of $393,500 for violations at the facilities and has been placed in the agency's Severe Violator Enforcement Program.

"This worker is lucky to be alive," said Howard Eberts, OSHA's area director in Cleveland. "We also observed conditions where workers could have fallen or lost limbs. It is unacceptable that the company has repeatedly been cited for these same hazards. TimkenSteel's safety and health program has major deficiencies that need to be addressed immediately."

Investigators found workers were exposed to the following:
Falls due to lack of guardrails, slippery surfaces and protective equipment.
Live machinery operating parts during service and maintenance because locking devices, guards and other safety procedures were not used.
Damaged equipment.
Electrical hazards.

OSHA also found the company did not report injuries and illness, as required.

View citations issued here.

TimkenSteel was established in 2014 as an independent subsidiary of the Timken Co. The parent company has been inspected 27 times since 2005, resulting in the issuance of 76 violations. The manufacturer of large steel bars and seamless mechanical tubing was mostly recently cited by OSHA in November 2014. Its Harrison steel plant melts, rolls, produces and finishes steel, and its Gambrinus plant performs cold steel finishing.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director in Cleveland, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

To ask questions, obtain compliance assistance, file a complaint, or report amputations, eye loss, workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA's toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the agency's Cleveland Area Office at 216-447-4194.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to ensure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.

Construction worker with Coco Paving, Inc. crushed to death by massive steel pipe inside a ditch



By Terry Davidson, Toronto Sun

First posted: Monday, November 02, 2015 02:45 PM EST | Updated: Monday, November 02, 2015 08:20 PM EST An industrial accident on Highway 7, near Unionville, claimed the life of a man in his late 50s when he was crushed by a pipe Monday, Nov. 2, 2015. (Stan Behal/Toronto Sun)




A construction worker was killed on the side of a highway in Unionville Monday after a massive piece of steel pipe rolled into a ditch, crushing him.

York Regional Police confirmed the Ajax man was killed around 8:20 a.m. on the north side of Hwy. 7, just west of Main St., as he and his colleagues worked at the side of the busy roadway.

Const. Laura Nicolle confirmed the pipe came loose and rolled into the ditch. She said the 50-year-old victim was dragged down and trapped under the pipe at the bottom of the muddy ditch. Police said his name won’t be released.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Labour, which is now investigating, said the victim — an employee of Coco Paving Inc. — and one other worker were doing a welding job on the pipe at the time.

Coco Paving spokesman Anthony Rossi said the victim was a “long-standing” employee but gave no further details, citing the ongoing investigation.

“This is hard, and our condolences to the family,” Rossi said.

According to provincial documents, a Coco Paving Inc. was fined $170,000 in 2013 for an incident from two years before where a worker was killed by a reversing front-end loader at a construction site in Windsor. The fine amounted to $212,500 once a victim fund surcharge was taken into account. Police on scene Monday said there were three workers present when the mishap occurred. One man was so traumatized he needing to be taken to the hospital. After the pipe came to rest, one worker attempted to lift it off of the victim with a tractor equipped with a forklift, police said

Metropolitan Engineering, Consulting, Forensics, and Environmental Remediation Services. Construction, Investigation, Remediation and Forensic Expert Engineers


Construction Defects, Construction Claims, Engineering, Property & Casualty Investigations, Assessment, Site Investigation, Remediation, Litigation and Indoor-Air Expert Engineers




Bill Stephan, PhD, PE, CIH, CHMM, JD, MBA

Principal Engineer



P.O. Box 520

Tenafly, New Jersey 07670-0520

Phone: (973) 897-8162

Fax: (973) 810-0440




__________________________________________________



Firm Overview


The engineering and forensic firm of Metropolitan Forensics and Consulting Engineering and Environmental Services was established for the purpose of providing a high value service to the insurance industry and to the insured companies or individuals. Our founding principal (Bill Stephan) is a licensed professional engineer in several states, including, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Delaware.



We specialize in the in-situ remediation of petroleum and chlorinated spills, the defense of liability claims, the investigation and defense of first or third party insurance claims and the handling of subrogation claims.  We are also experts on oil and gas energy sector issues (design, investigations, construction oversight), renewable energy sector (wind turbines, solar panels, biofuels, etc), vapor intrusion evaluation, vapor phase and transport and in design on vapor mitigation systems.  Additionally, we offer forensic engineering services, including age-dating of contaminant releases, construction defects, oversight, evaluation of remedial alternatives, sub-slab ventilation system design and installation.  The list of our core services is:



  • Cause and Origin Investigations
  • Construction Failure Analysis (Residential, Industrial and Commercial)
  • Structural Integrity Evaluation
  • Site Investigation
  • Tank removals and tank installations; licensed and insured to perform entire UST work
  • In-Situ Remediation of Soil and Groundwater
  • Vapor intrusion, indoor air evaluation and mitigation
  • Causation
  • Forensic Investigations (age-dating)
  • Oversight
  • Review of Remedial Action Work Plans
  • Reserve Estimation
  • Cost Allocation
  • RAWP Preparation
  • Site Remediation
  • Cleanup Level Development and Negotiation
  • Subrogation
  • Expert Witness/Litigation Support
  • Licensed Site Remediation Professional (LSRP) Services
  • Construction Claims (Delay, Differing Site Conditions, Loss of Productivity, Acceleration, and others)

 





































Additional Specialty Service Areas

Age Dating
Boilers & Burners
Bridges
Building Codes
Building Inspections


Construction Accident
   Reconstruction
Construction Defects
Construction Delay Claims

Construction Surety Claims
Construction Disputes
Construction Differing Condition Claims
Construction Oversight
Construction Management
Construction Acceleration Claims

Construction Failures
Construction Injuries
Contractor Performance Issues
Corrosion


Defective Designs
Defective Roadway Design
   Evaluations


Earthquake
Electrical Accidents/Injuries
Electrical Equipment Failures
Electrical Fires
Elevators, Escalators
   & Conveyors
Embedded Software Hazards
   & Analysis
Equipment Failures
Errors and Omissions
Explosions

Failure Analysis
Fire
Fire Codes
Fire Protection Systems
Fire Suppression Systems

Flood Damage Assessment

Foundation Systems

Gas Systems

Hailstorm damage

Heating & Ventilation Systems
Heavy Construction
Highway/Roadway Design
Human Factors


Indoor Air Quality
Laboratory Services
Ladders, Scaffolding Falls
   & Failures
Lightning

Mechanical Defect Evaluations
Metallurgical Age Dating
Mold Causation
Natural Disasters/Weather
   Related Issues
Nuclear Energy
Occupational Hazards
   & Illness

Piping
Playground Equipment Injuries
Plumbing
Product Failures
Roofing Problems & Failures
Safety Codes
Safety & Human Factors
   Engineering
Scalding
Scene Mapping and Photographs
Sick Building Syndrome
Sports Equipment Injuries
Standardized Codes
Steam Systems
Subrogation Issues


Transportation Issues
Trips, Slips & Falls
Underground Storage Tanks
Utilities Expertise
Vibration
Water Damage
Windstorm



Mission Statement


Our mission is to work as an extension of our clients to expeditiously achieve the most economically favorable resolution of claims on their behalf and on behalf of their insured. We have developed and will continue to create new solutions to the technical problems and issues which are facing the insurance industry and the insureds today.  

Metropolitan provides forensic engineering work (age-dating or fingerprinting), site remediation, auditing, cost control and litigation support services to insurance carriers, their insureds and to private or public companies.  In its risk management role, examines, manages and audits environmental claims to ensure that assessment and remediation services provided to both carriers and policy holders are reasonable and necessary, properly rendered and appropriately charged. 



In its litigation support role, Metropolitan assists carriers and their counsel to ensure that litigious disputes are resolved fairly and reimbursement benefits are provided when appropriate.  The corporations service area includes the entire United States, with our corporate office located in Northern New Jersey.  The Firm's professional staff also travels regularly throughout the United States on assignment.


Forensics at Metropolitan


There are many issues associated with disputes over responsibility for cleanup. Who, what, when, where, and how chemicals were released can be investigated. The tools of forensic investigation include mathematical models, statistical models, fate and transport calculations, chromatography, lead isotope analyses, time of travel assessments, library search site characterization, tracer additives, and recently developed software applications.



Effective forensic project management should include an evaluation of multiple forensic tools based on site specific circumstances. The process of evaluation and the ultimate selection of the forensic tool are critical to a successful outcome. When project budgets allow, combining forensic methods for corroborative evidence can substantially strengthen your client’s position in an effort to prevent or support litigation. The effective forensic consultant must be well acquainted with an ever expanding list of analytical methods, environmental regulations, assessment procedures and remedial technologies.



The forensic field is one that utilizes a wide range of scientific tools to identify and characterize complex adverse environmental events. Some of the scientific disciplines involved in forensics include engineering principles (biological, physical and chemical), hydrology, lithology, geology, site history, site practices, mathematics, and statistics. These areas may be combined with technologies such as respiratory analyses, chromatography/mass spectrometry and chemical fingerprinting methods to answer complex questions with the ultimate goal of establishing responsibility for a particular event. Accurate, defensible forensic analyses are an essential component of any strategy that attempts to resolve the extent of the insurer or insured client responsibilities in the cleanup of contaminants.


Contact us online or call 973-897-8162 to learn more about our forensic services.



Property Damage Services at Metropolitan

Metropolitan assists property owners, claims professionals, businesses, and attorneys in   the assessment of the cause & origin (C&O), extent of damage and required restoration after pipe bursts, settlements, manufacturing and construction failures, fire, flood, earthquake, or storm damage.  Our teams of engineers have extensive experience in the many systems that make up a building including structural, mechanical and electrical systems.   We also have the necessary background to evaluate property damage to items such as communications towers or solar panels. We can help determine alternative, appropriate, and cost effective solutions for repair or restoration of any damaged property, both commercial and residential. 

Providing Competent, Expert and Objective Investigative Engineering and Consulting Services.

Our experts are multi-skilled, competent, and objective professionals who apply their analytical and common sense skills to reconstruct, determine the root cause, and document the events that give rise to property, casualty, and liability claims.  Thorough investigations and detailed measurements/research help us distinguish between pre-existing conditions and sudden and accidental losses.


 



























Our investigations are:

·         Comprehensive & Accurate

·         Legible & Easy to Understand

·         Timely Performed

·         Delivered Quickly

·         Cost Effective

·         Clear & Concise

·         Developed by Professionals

·         Dependable

·         Our own uniform reporting system saves time and money.


Our Fast Track Investigation and Uniform Format Reporting systems allow us to conduct and deliver a comprehensive response to the assigned claim.  In most cases, we will obtain findings based on a site visit, visual observations, photographs, interviews, and field measurements.  Further investigations and testing will be provided upon request and approval by the client.



Forensic Investigation of Property Damage Claims

Metropolitan Consulting, Engineering & Forensics understands your need to complete a claim investigation accurately and efficiently as possible.  Whether it is accident reconstruction, damage due to environmental forces such as wind, water, hail, snow, tornado, etc.; fire origin & cause investigation or any other claim, the engineers at Metropolitan understand both you and your client want to resolve the claim.  The analysis you receive from Metropolitan will be accurate and complete, giving you the information needed in the claim adjustment and analysis.

Our services have extended beyond the forensic analysis phase into the remediation and repair phase of many large loss claims.  Upon the completion of the cause and origin (C&O) investigation, Metropolitan can provide our clients with complete working drawings and specifications needed to repair or rebuilt damaged buildings or other structures.  Metropolitan Consulting & Engineering’ staff possesses many-many years of experience in rehabilitation design, construction management, and project oversight to ensure the loss is restored in a timely and cost-effective manner without sacrificing quality.  Building code knowledge allows us to identify possible code upgrades as needed.  Metropolitan understands constructability and realizes making an insured whole goes beyond forensic investigation and design. We pride ourselves in providing practical solutions contractors can understand and follow.

At the forefront of available technology, we provide professionals and staff capable of handling a variety of engineering evaluations.  Our reports are clear, concise, complete and efficiently produced.  Our engineering objectives are achieved in an ethical manner consistent with the traditions and character of engineering professionals.

Contact us online or call 973-897-8162 to learn more about our property damage services.


Extensive Experience helping Sureties

Metropolitan also has extensive experience helping sureties fulfill their bond obligations resolve disputes after a contractor has defaulted.  This work includes the evaluation of contractor bid pricing, evaluation of the contractor’s ability to perform work, risk assessment, evaluation of termination, construction completion services, claim and litigation support services, loss recovery services, evaluation of payment bond claims, negotiation and settlement of payment bond claims, and construction defects investigation services.  Metropolitan has provided these services for commercial, development, educational, and assisted living projects.

Construction is a business fraught with risk.  Disputes over even the smallest of issues can quickly escalate, with crippling consequences to the project and the parties.  Over the years, the construction industry has developed various methods of contractually allocating the risk of project delay and disruption.  Some of these methods include liquidated damages provisions, "no damages for delay" clauses, mutual waivers of consequential damages, provisions that limit liability, claims notice provisions, and provisions addressing responsibility for the adequacy of the construction plans and specifications.  Parties frequently litigate the sufficiency of these risk-shifting efforts in conjunction with the underlying merits of delay and disruption disputes.
Construction Claims & Disputes
The most frequently encountered claims include:
1.            Construction Delay Claims
2.            Disruption and Loss of Labor Productivity Claims
3.            Design and Construction Defect Claims
4.            Force Majeure Claims
5.            Acceleration or Compression of the Schedule Claims
6.            Suspension, Termination and Default Claims
7.            Differing Site Conditions Claims
8.            Change Order and Extra Work Claims
9.            Cost Overrun Claims
10.         Unacceptable Workmanship or Substituted Material Claims
11.         Non-payment Claims (stop notice (or Notice to Withhold) claims, mechanics’ lien (only for private construction projects) and payment bond claims)



Forensic Engineering Experience Case Studies


Metropolitan staff has developed and utilized scientific methods to assist clients in a variety of ways related to their claim issues. The following is a partial list of such projects:

  • Provided expert witness services for plaintiff seeking remediation of contaminated groundwater that caused indoor air inhalation problems;
  • Testified that engineering and scientific evidence was improperly collected and analyzed and was inadequate to show the age of the release;
  • Origin and cause of retaining wall failures.  
  • Lightning damage to structures or electrical systems and equipment
  • Roof failure or collapse as a result of accumulated load, additional weight and snow drift at hundreds of commercial and residential properties.
  • Demonstrated that solvents in groundwater at client's property originated from off-site dry-cleaner and that client's site actually provided remediation for the off-site release of dry cleaning solvent;
  • Expert witness for property owner impacted by industrial waste disposal from industrial manufacturer;
  • Demonstrated that environmental analysis by a previous consultant for a manufacturing site was inadequate; as a result, the lender's concerns were alleviated and financing proceeded;
  • Chemical "age-dating" and contaminant transport analyses of petroleum in groundwater at a gas station showed that contaminants originated from other parties;
  • Age-dated petroleum release at a former gas station to show that the previous owner of the gas station caused groundwater contamination;
  • Age-dated petroleum releases at an industrial facility to show that the on-site plume was the result of an off-site source;
  • Prepared age-dating reports for over one-hundred residential fuel oil spills;
  • Assisted insurance companies attorneys in defending subrogation claims; was able to demonstrate that the forensic data collected by the first party consultant were collected and analyzed using invalid methods;
  • Demonstrated that structural damage to a residence was from a source other than the alleged high lake level
  • Collected evidence (for the primary responsible party) that identified other responsible parties to share in the cost of a Superfund cleanup;
  • Review of the site data at a bulk petroleum facility indicated that the site releases were not the result of regular oil transfer operations and that they were caused by the negligent actions of the insured’s agents; the case was settled in favor of the insurance company;
  • Was able to demonstrate that the majority of the removal actions at petroleum release sites were neither reasonable nor necessary; as a result of our opinion, the insurance client settled the claim in favorable terms;
  • At several drycleaner sites we were able to demonstrate that the age of the release was much earlier than the parties originally believed; as a result, the insurance client settled the claim at a fraction of the alleged liability;
  • We performed numerous flood and wind damage assessments at commercial and residential properties.
Contact us online or call 973-897-8162 to learn more about our forensic engineering services.




Site Remediation Services


 Characterizing and remediating contaminated sites involve some of the most complex and difficult issues for environmental lawyers and their clients. Problem areas include responding to regulators; negotiating enforcement settlements; negotiating or litigating cost allocation and recovery claims; working with the insured or insurer client, lawyers and regulators to develop efficient, cost-effective remediation approaches; and selling, buying, or developing contaminated properties.



Metropolitan staff has developed and applied an innovative approach to the use of sodium persulfate for the sequential in-situ treatment of subsurface contaminants through chemical oxidation followed by enhanced biological degradation through sulfate reduction. This approach has broad applicability to a wide range of contaminants, and shows strong cost-saving benefits through reducing the initial volume of chemical oxidant necessary and enhancing the in-situ biological degradation of contaminants.



Through proper subsurface geochemical characterization and chemical dosing design, the approach focuses on utilizing the oxidant for immediate mass reduction at the source area, followed by degradation or polishing of the residual contamination using sulfate reducing bacteria.  Depending upon the oxidant activation method, this approach is applicable to petroleum hydrocarbons including both volatiles and PAHs, chlorinated volatile organic compounds (CVOCs) including chlorinated ethene, ethane and methane groups, as well as PCBs.


Contact us online or call 973-897-8162 to learn more about our Site Remediation Services.





Vapor Intrusion and Indoor-Air Studies


Vapor intrusion has received increased attention over the last few years near contaminated sites because some contaminants have the potential to migrate into nearby buildings and negatively affect indoor air quality. The accumulation of these volatile vapors in buildings can result in significant safety and health concerns.
To properly evaluate vapor intrusion a thorough evaluation of the building's ventilation system and subsurface conditions needs to be conducted by a knowledgeable professional in accordance with state and federal established procedures. 
The evaluation process typically includes a thorough building chemical inventory, the advancement of soil gas probes and the collection of soil gas samples. When indoor air quality problems are identified they can normally be resolved through the modification/installation of a properly designed ventilation system.
Metropolitan is well experienced with U.S. EPA and State vapor intrusion investigation techniques. We have completed numerous vapor intrusion and indoor air quality studies at commercial and residential properties. We have the experience to identify and resolve indoor vapor intrusion problems and the practical know-how to resolve indoor quality issues in an efficient and cost effective manner.
Contact us online or call 973-897-8162 to learn more about our Vapor Intrusion and Indoor Air Studies.




Metropolitan Engineering, Consulting, Forensics, and Environmental Remediation Services.


Construction, Investigation, Remediation and Forensic Expert  Engineers

P.O. Box 520

Tenafly, New Jersey 07670-0520

Ph.: (973) 897-8162

Fax: (973) 810-0440



Contact: Dr. Bill N. Stephan, PhD, PE, JD, CIH, MBA, CHMM





Insurance claim examiners, insureds, insurers, insurance adjusters and risk managers use Metropolitan for determining cause, evaluating the extent of damage, determining the age of the release, separating unrelated damage, analyzing loss scopes and managing restoration data, determining costs to repair, restore or replace, and preparing for insurance appraisals.



Attorneys call on Metropolitan for help when preparing for Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution such as arbitration and mediation


Crooked Cop Whose ‘Murder’ Sparked Massive Manhunt Killed Himself. Faked the Means of his Death to Defraud Insurers, After Death

Crooked people try to defraud insurers and the public even after their own death.  This is what happened with a crooked cop who was under investigation for stealing police funds.

In September, massive outrage erupted against the Black Lives Matter movement over the seemingly senseless and random murder of an Illinois cop. It turns out, however, that the officer killed himself, after a long run of embezzling money from his department’s youth program.

On the morning of September 1, Officer Charles Joseph Gliniewicz was found dead in a secluded area in Fox Lake. The officer had radioed in that he was in pursuit of two white males and a black male on foot. When backup arrived, they found Gliniewicz dead.

A massive manhunt ensued for the supposed cop killers, and protesters against police violence were attacked online for spreading hate against police, which allegedly led to the officer’s murder. Fox News and others declared that there was a “War on Cops” and that their lives were under attack.
None of that was true, however.

On Wednesday, it was reported that Gliniewicz’ death was actually the result of an elaborately staged suicide, as he was about to be exposed for embezzling thousands of dollars from the Fox Lake Police Explorer program over the course of seven years.

“We have determined this staged suicide was the end result of extensive criminal acts that Gliniewicz had been committing in fact he was under increasing levels of personal stress from scrutiny of his management of the Fox Lake Police Explorer program,” Lake County Major Crimes Task Force Commander George Filenko told reporters, referring to a community program for children that Gliniewicz led.

The 30-year police veteran and expert crime scene investigator had even threatened another officer when he was questioned about emails as authorities closed in on his thefts.

Similarly, on Tuesday, Sergeant David Houser, 50, of the England Police Department in Arkansas was arrested and fired after it was determined that he had actually shot himself when he reported that he was shot by a suspect during a traffic stop on October 24.
 
 
“Houser told local and state law enforcement officers that while on patrol that he had exchanged gunfire with a suspect who fled from him driving a sport utility vehicle south of England along state Highway 15,” Arkansas State Police said in a statement. “Houser also reported he had been shot by the suspect.”

According to FBI data, assaults on police officers dropped sharply in 2014 and are at their lowest point since 1996. In 2015, shootings targeting police officers are down 20% from last year.

Meanwhile, 1012 people have been killed by police and sheriff deputies in the United States, that we know of, as of November 4.