Principle:
James D. English
Principal Collision Reconstruction Expert
Mr. English, known to most as Doug, spent over 32 years with the San Diego Police Department and retired as a Sergeant in 2013. During his career he was assigned to patrol, with Field Training Officer and SWAT duties, and the Air Support unit, but the majority of his career was spent in the Accident Investigation Bureau investigating serious and fatal injury collisions. He has qualified as a court expert in traffic collision investigation and reconstruction. He is a primary instructor in both Intermediate and Advanced Collision Investigation courses, as well as many other collision related topics. Some of his presentations include:
- Determining Surface Frictions Values
- Use of the Combined Velocity Equation
- Validating CDR Data through Crash Testing
- Calculating Speed from Digital Video
- Investigating Collisions at Signal Controlled Intersections
- Collisions Involving Heavy Vehicles
- CDR Data Use in Collision Investigations
- High School Seminars - “Job Related Use of Math and Physics”
JDEA is one the leading trainers in the U.S. of Technicians using the Bosch Crash Data Retrieval Tool. Receiving certification from Collision Safety Institute, he regularly presents CDR Technician I & II courses for both law enforcement and private companies.
He has received hundreds of hours of specialized training, from institutions such as Texas A&M Engineering Extension and Collision Safety Institute, in collisions involving passenger vehicles, buses, heavy trucks, motorcycles, bicycles and pedestrians. This training has been enhanced by hundreds of live crash and performance tests, some of which he has published papers and articles such as:
- "Acceleration and Braking Performance of Transit Style Buses"
SAE, 2012-01-0618
- "Sensitivity of Video Analysis to Increasing Vehicle Distance Behind Sightline Objects"
Accident Reconstruction Journal, Vol. 21, No. 6, November/December 2011
- "Testing the Speed Calculation from Video Evidence Method”
Accident Reconstruction Journal, Vol. 20, No. 5, September/October 2010
- “Heavy Fire Apparatus Acceleration and Braking Performance”
SAE, 2010-01-0112
- “Use of the Combined Velocity Equation in Cases Involving Post Collision Movement”
Collision Magazine, Vol. 2, Issue 2, 2007
- “Motorcycle Collinear Collisions involving Motor Vehicles Equipped with Event Data Recorders”
Collision Magazine, Vol. 1, Issue 1, 2006
- “Collisions Involving Commercial Vehicles”
SDCCIA: October 2005, San Diego Ca.
- In-house PD Training Updates & Manuals
He is a member of several professional associations and attends topic related seminars and workshops. Some of those include:
- California Association of Accident Reconstruction Specialists
- Accident Reconstruction Network
- National Association of Accident Reconstruction Specialists
- San Diego County Collision Investigators Association
- Society of Accident Reconstructionists
- Society of Automotive Engineering
- International Network of Collision Reconstructionists
- Southwestern Association of Technical Accident Investigators
