Aquatics Safety Expert Witnesses in Florida

Aquatics Safety, Risk Management - Drowning, Rip Currents, Beach Safety, Lifeguards, Swimming Accidents, Diving Accidents, Aquatic Accident Reconstruction, Swimming Pools.

The Aquatic Accidents group provides expert investigation of accidents involving water bodies. We provide expert consultation in drownings, swimming and diving accidents, beach safety and lifeguards, rip currents, and more. Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman has over 25 years of experience in consulting and expert witness investigations and has provided expert testimony for the U.S Senate and U.S. House of Representatives 11 times. Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman is a tenured, full professor of coastal science in the Department of Earth and Environment at Florida International University. Dr. Leatherman (a.k.a. Dr. Beach) has authored or edited 20 books and National Academy reports including National Geographic Field Guide to the Water’s Edge; Dr. Beach’s Survival Guide: What You Need to Know About Sharks, Rip Currents, & More Before Going in the Water; America’s Best Beaches; Sea Level Rise: Causes and Consequences; Cape Cod: From Glaciers to Beaches. He has authored over 200 journal article...

Aquatics Safety, Accident Reconstruction - SCUBA Diving accidents, Commercial diving accidents, Diving casualties, Mixed Gas diving, Surface Supplied diving, salvage work, rigging, underwater search, recompression chamber, scientific diving, Military diving, Emergency Response diving, ROV operations, dive equipment, under-sea operations

Over 35 years of direct responsibility for complex diving, salvage, and open ocean recovery operations within the U.S. Navy. Expertise encompassing the following areas: • Dive Program Management. Participated in a complete reevaluation of all USN diving policies and publication of a new OPNAV 3150 Navy Diving Policy instruction. Revised USN Diving Manual (Rev. 7) to reflect new policy. Chairman of the Chief Warrant Officer Advisory Team (CWOT) tasked with advising Navy leadership on all aspects of diving, salvage, and special diving operations. • Dive Instruction and training. High Risk Training Officer for USN dive program. Navy Personal Qualification Standard (PQS) manager for entire Navy Dive Program. Updated and published Navy safety program and qualification manual. • Dive Safety enforcement. Dive Safety Officer for three (3) Naval Repair activities, and three (3) Mobile diving and salvage teams; published fleet wide dive safety policy/procedures. • Dive Inspection/A...

Emergency Medicine, Aquatics Safety - Emergency Medicine, Drowning, Submersion, Lifeguarding, EMS, Wilderness Medicine, Water Safety, drowning resuscitation

I am an academic emergency physician in Florida with a focus in pre-hospital medicine. My primary areas of research and teaching are drowning resuscitation, drowning physiology, and water safety. I have an extensive background in open water lifesaving and teach nationally and internationally on drowning prevention, drowning resuscitation, and lifeguarding; additionally I have been involved in numerous national and international guideline publications. I have published numerous papers and book chapters on these topics and collaborate with an international network of drowning researchers. Within the hospital, my interests are critical care and trauma. I have been providing expert witness services specific to drowning physiology, resuscitation, and water safety since 2018.