When a lawsuit involves a drowning incident in or near a public waterway, dam or reservoir having a seasoned hydrology expert witness can be the key to a comprehensive and unbiased understanding of the case. At WRCS (Water Resources Consulting Services), we bring over 35 years of unparalleled expertise in hydrology, offering top-tier professional witness services tailored to meet the unique demands of your case.
Drowning Hydraulics Expertise
Drownings can occur in a variety of different ways, but drownings that occur in regulated open water, storm drain systems or in dam and reservoir surroundings are often caused by the hydraulic conditions created by the flood control or water resources project infrastructure involved.
WRCS has worked on over a dozen drowning cases, providing trial and deposition testimony in several of them. We have analyzed and testified on the hydraulics of siphons, spillways, low-head dams, culverts, irrigation canals and water delivery intakes, all of which have been contributing factors in drownings.
Why Choose WRCS?
Decades of Specialized Experience:
We exclusively work in litigation support (Expert Witness Hydrologist) and have done so for 35 years. We have municipal, commercial and professional clients across the U.S., Canada and Australia.
Unbiased and Thorough Analysis:
We pride ourselves on our company history of providing unbiased, non-conflicted testimony to both plaintiff and defendant clients.
We are dedicated to helping lawyers, law firms and insurance companies navigate the complex technical world of surface water engineering, and make it understandable to our clients, the judge and the “layman” jury.
No hired guns here.
If there’s problems or weaknesses with your case theory the best thing we can do for you as an expert consultant is to tell you so.
If the technical data backs your case, we will find it, analyze it, model it, report it, and present it with graphics that a judge and jury will understand.
Comprehensive Coverage:
WRCS covers an extensive range of hydrology-related issues, including but not limited to flooding and flood forensics, flood hydraulics, watershed hydrology, drowning hydraulics, storm drain systems, dam and reservoir operations, floodplain analysis and roadway drainage. Our experts bring a multifaceted understanding of hydrological phenomena to the table, ensuring that no nuance is overlooked in the pursuit of truth.
Meet Rick Van Bruggen
President WRCS
Mr. Van Bruggen, President of WRCS, has over 40 years of engineering experience specializing in the use of systems engineering and modeling techniques to define and evaluate surface water resource systems and alternative flood control measures.
He has performed hundreds of studies of surface water hydrologic and hydraulic systems, meteorology, sedimentation, debris production, and the management and statistical analysis of hydrographic data. For over 35 years now, Mr. Van Bruggen has made use of his extensive experience in water resources engineering by serving as an Expert Witness in the field.
Drowning Expert Witness Services Consultant
Or call us: (760) 895-4411
Drowning Expert Witness - Featured Cases
Case #1: Child Drowning at Water Delivery Gate
Twelve-Year-Old Boy Drowns When He is Sucked into a Water Delivery Gate in a Water District’s Ditch, Butte County, California. The hydraulics of the water in the district’s earthen channel, and of the zone of accelerated inflow to the delivery gate and culvert, were explained and illustrated for the jury to demonstrate the hidden, and potentially lethal, danger posed by the water supply system turnout and gate structure.
Case #2: Tidal Analysis of Federal Waterway Where Death Occurred
Federal Report Submitted Regarding the Degree of Exposure of an Obstruction in the Tidally Influenced Waterway, Lathrop, California. A fatal accident occurred when a motorboat hit an exposed section of cofferdam around the pier of a railroad bridge over the San Joaquin River. The historical determination of the river’s tidal cycle phase and flow rate at the time and location of the accident was required to establish the river’s water level and the degree of exposure of the obstacle. Client: Murphy Campbell, et al, Sacramento, California.
Case #3: HydraulicAnalysis and Safety Evaluation of Irrigation Canal:
Evaluation of Drowning Hydraulics and Irrigation/Diversion Canal Public Safety Issues, Mesquite, Nevada. An accidental drowning at a diversion dam and its irrigation/diversion canal works prompted a safety evaluation of public access points, and a hydraulic evaluation of the design and concurrent flow conditions at an irrigation water supply diversion dam and canal system. Provided an Expert’s Rebuttal Report to client, allowing for the granting of a Motion for Summary Judgment by the defendant. Client: Wolfe & Wyman LLP, Las Vegas, Nevada.