Bergman Engineering: An Overview

Who we are

While most people understand what civil engineering and forensics are separately, the concept of forensic engineering is foreign to most people. At Bergman Engineering, this is not a foreign concept to us; it is our career.

Simply stated, we are hired for our expertise to utilize our knowledge and experience to evaluate cases and claims with regard to civil engineering concepts. For each case, we conduct an investigation which is followed by a report analyzing the cause of the incident, accident, injury, etc. providing observations and bringing clarity to the situation.

But what does this really look like? The best way to understand the service Bergman Engineering offers is to look at a former case. A few years ago, we were contacted by an attorney representing a client who had been involved in an automobile accident at an intersection. The attorney’s client, the plaintiff, was suing the driver of the other car, the defendant, on the basis that the accident was the defendant’s fault.

Bergman Engineering was provided with the official statements of the plaintiff, defendant, and witness, a report from the expert hired by the defense counsel, photographs of the scene, and the police incident report.

In addition to a thorough examination of these materials, Keith Bergman, of Bergman Engineering, also conducted a physical examination of the accident site. He took pictures and measurements and made observations such as the width of the road and travel lanes, the placement of lines on the road, the placement of the stop sign, and the site distance from the stop sign.

Keith also consulted the Pennsylvania Vehicle Code and the Pennsylvania Drivers Manual to determine the exact rules that both the plaintiff and defendant were required to abide by.

Taking all of this information into consideration, and incorporating his vast background knowledge and experience in civil engineering, Keith formulated his professional opinion as to the fault of the accident and prepared a report detailing the aspects of his analysis.

Although Bergman Engineering was hired in this case by the plaintiff attorney, the firm provides objective expert opinion and therefore seeks to work with both plaintiff and defense counsel. Bergman Engineering also works with insurance companies to provide expert insight on insurance claims.

If you have a situation in which Bergman Engineering could be of assistance to you, please do not hesitate to reach out. We would love to consult with you on the nature of a case or claim, and if need be, work with you on conducting a thorough investigation and analysis.