Aquatic Forensic Expert Witness Services

Drowning Expert Witness Services

As an internationally recognized Aquatic Forensic Expert Witness, Gerald M. Dworkin has consulted in over 350 drowning and aquatic litigation cases as both a plaintiff and defense expert.

Expert drowning and aquatic injury consultancy services include accident reconstruction, depositions, written reports, and courtroom testimony.  Gerry evaluates the Standard of Care as it pertains to Incident Prevention, Victim Recognition, and Emergency Management.

Gerry’s expert opinions, reports and testimony are always consistent with the principles developed and advocated through his Lifeguarding, Water Rescue and Ice Rescue training programs.

Gerald M. Dworkin is a member of the Forensic Expert Witness Association which is dedicated to the professional development, ethics, and promotion of forensic consultants in all fields of discipline. As a member of FEWA, Gerry is required to adhere to their Code of Ethics.

Areas of Aquatic Expert Testimony Include:

• Lifeguard Training
• Lifeguard Operations and Management
• Drowning and Aquatic Injury Prevention and Emergency Management
• Escape and Rescue from Submerged Vehicles
• Water Rescue and Swiftwater Rescue
• Cold Water Survival
• Ice Rescue
• Basic Life Support CPR
• Pre-Hospital EMS Operations

Aquatic Responsibility Philosophies

Gerry advocates that the primary responsibility of any aquatic facility manager is to PREVENT incidents; to RECOGNIZE the incident at its onset, as well as its potential; and to safely and effectively RESPOND to and MANAGE the incident, as well as its potential. He analyzes every case in terms of what was or should have been done to PREVENT it; how quickly the incident or its potential was RECOGNIZED; and how effectively it was MANAGED.

Gerry also advocates that it is the responsibility of the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) to conduct a comprehensive THREAT ASSESSMENT of the aquatics facility in order to determine the hazards, risks, and dangers associated with that facility, as well as to determine the level of OPERATIONAL CAPABILITY required of the personnel. Then, the AHJ must PLAN for, TRAIN for, and acquire the RESOURCES required to safely and effectively RESPOND to and MANAGE an incident.