Automotive crashes are inevitable, but when does a defective repair or product contribute to the loss? When causation has been determined, when and how should the responsible party be subrogated? Attendees at the upcoming NASP session titled “Auto Liability – From Manufacturer to Mechanic” will learn the answers to these pressing questions and much more. Session speakers Brad Stolz, forensic specialist at Professional Investigative Engineers (PIE), and Alan Moore, accident reconstruction manager at U.S. Forensic, LLC will guide attendees through discerning between coincidental and causative issues.

Stolz, who specializes in engineering-based investigations regarding automotive accidents, has an extensive background in automotive and diesel mechanics and will therefore discuss scenarios that indicate that fault may lie within sub-par work being done — at a service station, a mechanic shop, and so forth. Moore, drawing from his firsthand experience in the design and analysis of production automobiles, SUVs, and race cars in areas of tire performance, vehicle dynamics and rollover resistance, will explain the incidence of manufacturer defects.

Among the many topics examined will be sudden brake failures. “For instance, faulty brake repairs can be to blame in many accidents,” Stolz said. “They can often be traced to a mechanic who perhaps selected and then erroneously used the wrong brake fluid.”