Lou is a licensed mechanical engineer and an ACTAR-accredited accident reconstructionist, and also serves on the Governing Board of Directors for ACTAR. He has testified in multiple state courts, as well as Federal court, and has presented at conferences both nationally and internationally. As a forensic engineer and former Expert level road-racer, he has a unique understanding of motorcycle dynamics and capabilities. In addition, Lou has a strong understanding of rider behavior, having conducted research analyzing the performance of motorcycle riders including: hazard response time, glance behaviors, and deceleration capability. A portion of these results are documented in the paper, “Glancing and Stopping Behavior of Motorcyclists and Car Drivers at Intersections,” which became a TRB Transportation Record in 2011.
He’s authored several other publications in the field of automotive and motorcycle accident reconstruction including, “Motorcycle Sliding Friction for Accident Reconstruction,” which was published in the proceedings of the 10th International Motorcycle Safety Conference held in Cologne, Germany. This research was the first to analyze sliding motorcycle friction using modern GPS data acquisition technology, and the first to document the sliding friction of motorcycles equipped with frame sliders.
In 2016, Lou was invited to direct motorcycle crash testing at the largest accident reconstruction conference held to date, The World Reconstruction Exposition, where his team conducted the first public crash-testing of Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Those efforts resulted in the development of updated motorcycle impact-speed equations, which were published by SAE in 2018.
Lou also developed a unique photogrammetry methodology allowing highly accurate vehicular modeling using only eight photographs. The methodology and results were published in SAE, and presented at the 2016 World Congress. He has also performed an in-depth investigation into the workings of the Ducati’s Data Analyzer (DDA), a system that has the ability to provide collision investigators with data similar to that of a vehicular “black box.” The results of that study are slated for publication in the Accident Reconstruction Journal, and will be presented at the CDR Summit in 2018.
Lou holds a Master of Science in mechanical engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from California State University in Fresno.
Sam has been a member of the Axiom Forensic team since 2020. Sam brings ten years of experience in administration, operations, marketing, policy and procedures, and best practices to our team. Other than her general responsibility to direct firm administrative operations and oversee client communications, Sam also plans for the changing needs of the firm, develops and implements key processes to aid firm operations, contributes to cost-effective management throughout the organization, and works closely with our entire team to help us provide the level of attention and detail that our clients have come to expect.
Prior to joining the Axiom team, Sam worked in the franchising community assisting small business owners in streamlining operations, increasing profitability, and meeting their business goals. She received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from California State University of Channel Islands in Camarillo, California.
