When I walked up to the property, everything looked perfect. Fresh paint. Tidy landscaping. A “For Sale” sign still in the yard. Then I opened the front door. Inside, it looked like a bomb had gone off. Ceiling on the living-room floor. Paint hanging in sheets like wallpaper. Humidity had permeated...
When a building fails or damage occurs, who do you call? Most people think any structural engineer can assess the situation, but there's a crucial difference between designing new structures and investigating why existing ones have failed. The best forensic engineers bring something textbooks can’t...
When most people think of dryer fires, the advice that follows is often simple: clean the lint filter. While this is important, it is far from the complete picture. In my forensic investigations, I have encountered many fires where the lint screen was properly maintained, yet hidden hazards within...
Windsor, Conn. (October 15, 2025) - Engineering Design & Testing Corp. (EDT) was retained by U. S. Steel to conduct an independent investigation into the cause of the explosion that took place on August 11, 2025, at the U. S. Steel Clairton Coke Works in Clairton, Pennsylvania. Thomas D. Traubert, P...
When a tree hits a building, causation is usually obvious: the wind blew, the tree fell, the structure was struck. The harder part is everything that follows: separating superficial damage from structural damage, defining a defensible scope of repair, and distinguishing new impacts from pre-existing...
Every summer, lawns get mowed, gas cans get filled, and—occasionally—fires break out. Most are small and quickly extinguished, but some cause significant damage or injury. When they do, the question quickly arises: was this a freak accident, or is someone responsible? A Case in Point In one case, a...
In my 30 years of experience working in marine and industrial environments, I’ve seen how small vibration issues can quietly grow into major equipment failures. A slightly unbalanced shaft or a bearing beginning to wear may not seem urgent at first—but left unchecked, these small issues can cause...
When a fire, explosion, or combustion upset shuts down a facility, the clock starts ticking. Claims decisions, liability questions, and repair plans all depend on a clear, defensible answer to a simple question: what really happened. That answer lives in the evidence, the equipment, and the...
When COVID-19 changed the way facilities managed airflow, one commercial building quickly modified its HVAC system to bring in more outside air. The intent was good: improve circulation and reduce viral spread. Unfortunately, those changes had unintended—and costly—consequences. To meet evolving...
Product liability litigation has undergone a significant transformation over the past century. Originally grounded in caveat emptor—“let the buyer beware”—early cases offered little recourse to injured consumers unless a direct contractual relationship existed between buyer and seller. Landmark...
Understanding Corrosion Risks in Aging Infrastructure As buildings and infrastructure from the mid-20th century reach or exceed their expected lifespans, corrosion-related failures are becoming more frequent, and costly. In an article originally published by Civil Engineering Source, I explain how...
Every material failure leaves behind physical evidence, much like a fingerprint at a crime scene. Whether it's a broken valve, a ruptured pipeline, or a medical implant malfunction, the clues we find can definitively reveal what went wrong and allow us to confirm why it happened. At EDT, our...
Not all sprinkler claims are due to fire, and that changes the investigation. Fire protection systems are designed to save lives and property. But what happens when those same systems cause damage in the absence of a fire? While relatively rare, unintended activations of sprinkler systems can lead...
In my last blog post, I introduced some of the issues with stormwater management systems that can cause or exacerbate rain-driven flooding of homes and businesses (known as pluvial flooding). In this post, we’ll dive deeper into some of the most destructive phenomena that can occur when rain hits...
When I walk into a joint vehicle inspection, everyone has a story. “I slammed on the brakes, but the car would not stop” “The steering locked up.” “My car was hit in the rear causing it to go forward and hit the car in front.” Sometimes it’s honest confusion. Other times, not so much. Working in Los...
