Ryan Forensics, PLLC
Hot Springs, AR 71913
Fax: 479-524-3047
Ryan Forensics division of Ryan Engineering, Inc. is a full-service firm that provides quality, value-adding, professional services at competitive rates. We are a team of professional engineers licensed to practice in all 50 states and are qualified to testify in courts across the country.
Our experts specialize in mechanical, electro-mechanical, biomedical and agricultural engineering, as well as ergonomics and human factors. We employ all licensed Professional Engineers with advanced degrees, who have particular expertise in the areas of machine design, guards, material handling, hydraulics, industrial, agricultural, and manufacturing processes, biomedical engineering and failure analysis. Our team combines decades of real-world engineering design, manufacturing, project and plant management experience with a practical, hands-on approach to accident investigation and forensic analysis.
Industrial, Mechanical and Agricultural Expertise
Mr. Ed Beard, P.E., is a licensed Professional Engineer with ten years of industrial experience as a mechanical, agricultural and manufacturing engineer in production processes, manufacturing, research and development, product design, failure analysis and engineering and manufacturing management, prior to his tenure at Ryan Forensics. Mr. Beard is a dual degreed engineer, holding Bachelor of Science degrees in Mechanical and Agricultural Engineering from Arkansas State University. He also holds a Master of Business Administration degree. Mr. Beard has been licensed as a Professional Engineer by examination since 2006. Over half of his manufacturing career was spent as a machine and product designer of mobile and stationary mechanical, electromechanical, hydraulic and pneumatic equipment, as well as DC electrical circuit design. His remaining manufacturing tenure was spent managing engineers/drafters, production managers and production facilities. Machine and product design includes experience with computer-aided design (CAD) and drafting and design failure mode and effect analysis (DFMEA), along with hands-on development through research and development prior to release into production. Mr. Beard’s manufacturing experience includes knowledge of punch presses, press brakes, shears, roll formers and computer numerical control machines. His manufacturing experience also includes training employees and ensuring plant compliance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rules and regulations. Mr. Beard has vast experience in the development and design of school buses to ensure they are compliant with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). This experience also includes accelerated corrosion testing on metals and non-metals. Mr. Beard has also been involved with the design of heat exchangers used in commercial heating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, as well as extensive experience in commercial/passenger vehicle accidents.
Biomedical, Mechanical, Machine Design and Industrial Plant Expertise
Mr. Rob Bullen, P.E., J.D., provides engineering experience and legal knowledge for the Ryan Forensics Division. He possesses a broad spectrum of experience in biomedical engineering, mechanical engineering, machine design, industrial plant design and operation, and project management. He has been a licensed Professional Engineer by examination since 2007. Prior to joining the Ryan Forensics team, Mr. Bullen had 25 years of working in varied career environments, including medical facilities, aerospace design and manufacturing facilities, industrial equipment manufacturing, industrial plant design, and consulting engineering. Mr. Bullen holds both a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from the University of Maryland and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He has served as the Arkansas Society of Professional Engineers president and has worked as a consultant for multiple manufacturing facilities throughout the United States.
Our team's expertise includes concept to production machine design for mobile and stationary machinery, along with electromechanical, hydraulic, and pneumatic equipment and AC and DC electrical circuits. This machine design experience encompassed drawings, warnings, guarding, manuals and product service, as well as production setup, sales and marketing. Our valuable experience includes a wide variety of manufacturing/fabricating processes and machinery, setup and management of production facilities and businesses, along with extensive construction site/equipment experience. The experts at Ryan Forensics are international machine guarding consultants and are experts in OSHA and safety regulations.
For over 35 years, our firm has provided reliable expert services. How can our team of Engineers and Forensics Scientists help you with your next case?
- Accident Reconstruction
- Automotive Engineering
- Chemicals
- Combustion Engineering
- Conveyors
- Design Engineering
- Equipment & Machinery
- Failure Analysis
- Fitness Equipment
- Forensic Engineering
- Forklifts
- Hazardous Materials
- Hazardous Waste
- Hydraulic Engineering
- Labels & Warnings
- Ladders & Scaffolds
- Latches & Fasteners
- Lifts
- Machine Guarding
- Machinery & Equipment Appraisal
- Materials
- Materials Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Metallurgy
- OSHA
- Pipelines
- Plumbing & HVAC
- Products Liability
- Professional Engineering
- Safety
- Safety Engineering
- Tractors
- Traffic/Highway Safety
- Warehouse Operations
- Welding
- Wood Products & Lumber
- Q: Please list your professional accreditations, degrees, licenses, and certificates granted:
- A: The experts at Ryan Forensics hold degrees in the following areas: Bachelor of Science degrees in Agricultural Engineering, Biomedical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, Master of Science degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Business Administration, Juris Doctor. Our team of experts are Professional Engineers licensed by examination. We are national and international experts in design, manufacturing and guarding. Additionally, our experts are certified forklift operators and trainers, aerial lift operators and trainers, heavy equipment/construction machinery operators and NCCCO crane operators.
- Q: Please list your affiliations or memberships in any professional and/or industry organizations:
- A: American Society of Mechanical Engineers, American Society of Metals, Arkansas Academy of Mechanical Engineering, Arkansas Bar Association, Arkansas Society of Professional Engineers, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, National Safety Council, and Society of Automotive Engineers.
- Q: Please list any teaching or speaking experience you have had, including subject matter:
- A: • Graduate Teaching Assistant in Mechanical Engineering
• Safety Engineering and Hazard Evaluation, Machine Guarding, Lockout Tagout, and the Interlocked Guard
• Guest Lecturer on Safety in Design for Senior Level Mechanical Engineering Design Classes
• ASME Safety Engineering and Risk Analysis Division Paper Reviewer/Session Chair
• DFMEA Facilitator
• Traffic Accident Reconstruction I & II, Accident Investigation I & II
• Certified Lift Truck Operator Trainers - Class 1 – 7
• NCCCO crane certification
• Charter Member of Engineering Advisory Board for National Park College
• Aerial Lift Anti-Entrapment Devices Testing – Technical Paper Publication/Presentation
• Ladder Tiplock Analysis – Technical Paper Publication/Presentation
• Machine Guarding/Warnings – Technical Paper Publication/Presentation
• Certified Self-Propelled Scissor-Lift Aerial Platform and Aerial Lift Operator
• AutoCAD and Unigraphics Design Software
• Guest Lecturer on Safety in Design for Entry-Level Mechanical Engineering Design Classes
• Facilities Instructor/Trainer Regarding Compliance with OSHA Rules and Regulations - Q: Have any of your accreditations ever been investigated, suspended or removed? (if yes, explain)
- A: No
- Q: On how many occasions have you been retained as an expert?
- A: 500+ times. Combined, our experts have 30+ years of experience.
- Q: For what area(s) of expertise have you been retained as an expert?
- A: All types of mechanical, agricultural and electromechanical engineering cases. Machine design and manufacturing plant management for 80+ years of combined experience years prior to becoming consultants. Specialization in all types of manufacturing machinery and materials handling equipment, including forklifts, aerial devices, cranes, conveyors, etc. Extensive experience with ATVs, automobiles and heavy trucks, heavy equipment, hydraulics, pneumatics and mechanical devices. Electrical circuit design experience as well as mechanical and biomedical engineering. Our engineers have also been retained in cases that rely on their manufacturing and business management backgrounds.
Outside of litigation, we perform machine guarding surveys for manufacturers and equipment both domestic and international.
- Q: In what percentage of your cases were you retained by the plaintiff?
- A: 85-90%
- Q: In what percentage of your cases were you retained by the defendant?
- A: 10-25%
- Q: On how many occasions have you had your deposition taken?
- A: Ongoing - approximately monthly. Combined our experts have 30+ years of experience.
- Q: When was the last time you had your deposition taken?
- A: Typically 1 to 2 trials per year.
- Q: On how many occasions have you been qualified by a court to give expert testimony?
- A: Ongoing - approximately monthly. Combined our experts have 30+ years of experience.
- Q: On how many occasions have you testified as an expert in court or before an arbitrator?
- A: Ongoing - approximately monthly. Combined our experts have 30+ years of experience.
- Q: For how many years have you worked with the legal industry as an expert?
- A: 30+ years combined
- Q: What services do you offer? (E.g.: consulting, testing, reports, site inspections etc.)
- A: Industrial/construction consulting, testing, accident reconstruction, site inspections, expert testimony, machine design, machine guarding.
- Q: What is your hourly rate to consult with an attorney?
- A: No Charge
- Q: What is your hourly rate to review documents?
- A: Typically $275/hour
- Q: What is your hourly rate to provide deposition testimony?
- A: Typically $350/hour
- Q: What is your hourly rate to provide testimony at trial?
- A: Typically $350/hour
- Q: Please list any fees other than those stated above (E.g.: travel expenses, copy fees, etc.)
- A: Typically $210/hour
Provided upon request.