expert summary

Mr. Mark Paquette specializes in collision reconstruction and vehicle failure investigation. Prior to becoming a Forensic Engineer in 2008, Mark spent eight years in automotive product engineering, including new model development and testing in Canada and in the United States. He has undertaken vehicle testing of automobiles, snowmobiles, streetcars and other heavy vehicles to better understand and quantify their capabilities. In addition to collision reconstruction, Mark has utilized his automotive background to investigate allegations of vehicle mechanical defects and their potential role in the cause of collisions. Mark has been qualified as an Expert Witness in Ontario Superior Court, Ontario Court of Justice and Provincial Offences Court, and is a member of the Professional Engineers of Ontario (PEO), the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec (OIQ) and the Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia (EGBC).

SPECIALIZED PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCIES

• Vehicle Collision Reconstruction involving Automobiles, Motorcycles, Snowmobiles, Commercial Vehicles, Cyclists and Pedestrians
• Vehicle Mechanical Assessments & Alleged Failure Investigations
• Airbag Module Data Retrieval and Analysis
• Vehicle Testing, including Automobiles, Streetcars and Snowmobiles
• Vehicle & Equipment Fire Investigations – Point of Origin and Fire Cause
• Investigations of Failures Involving Mechanical Engineering Systems

academic background

Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Laval University, Quebec City, Quebec, 1998

additional courses

• World Reconstruction Exposition, Orlando, FL, May 2016 & April 2023
• Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) World Congress, Detroit, MI, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020 & 2021
• LEVA Level 1: Forensic Video Analysis and the Law, Law Enforcement & Emergency Services Video Association (LEVA), Toronto Police College, January 2022
• Small Engines Course MVM5504, Algonquin College, Ottawa, ON, March 2020
• Racelogic Webinar Training Session, VBOX Automotive Data Logging, June 2019
• 24-hour Crash Data Retrival (CDR) Analysis and Applications Course for Engineers, Crash Data Specialists LLC, Toronto, ON, February 2019
• PC-Crash 11.1 Workshop, MEA, Toronto, ON, June 2018
• Passenger and Commercial Vehicle Tires Seminar, Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, Toronto, ON,
  June 2017
• European Association for Accident Research and Analysis (EVU) 25^th Annual Congress, Bratislava, Slovakia, October 2016
• Reconstruction and Analysis of Motorcycle Crashes, SAE, Detroit, MI, April 2015
• Canadian Association of Technical Accident Investigators and Reconstructionists Conference, Aylmer, ON, August 2014
• Crash Data Retrieval (“Black Box”) Analyst Course, Crash Data Specialists LLC, Toronto, ON, October 2013
• Vehicle Fire, Arson and Explosion Science & Technology Seminar, NAFI, Kentucky, September 2011 and September 2019
• Human Factors and Explicit Road Safety, Human Factors North and Navigats, Toronto, ON, February 2011
• Snow School, Ontario Good Roads Association, Alliston, ON, October 2010
• Advanced Fire, Arson and Explosion Training Program, NAFI, Markham, ON, October 2009
• Heavy Vehicle Crash Reconstruction, NAPARS, Ocean City, MD, October 2009
• Bendix Air Brake Class, Ocean City, MD, October 2009
• Vehicle Accident Reconstruction Methods, SAE, Detroit, MI, April 2009
• PC – Crash 3-day Workshop, MEA, Toronto, ON, March 2009
• Crash Data Retrieval System – Technician and Analyst Courses, Collision Safety Institute, Toronto, ON, February 2009
• Basic Hybrid and Electrical Vehicle Safety Web Seminar, SAE, January 2009
• Forensic Analysis of Medical Records in Injury Biomechanics and Accident Reconstruction, SAE, Detroit, MI, December 2008
• “B” Class Vehicle Dynamics Driver Training, Transportation Research Center Inc., East Liberty, OH, December 2007
• “C” Class Vehicle Dynamics Driver Training, Transportation Research Center Inc., East Liberty, OH, November 2005
• Introduction to Brake Control Systems, SAE, Detroit, MI, March 2004
• Threaded Fasteners and the Bolted Joint, SAE, Alliston, ON, September 2004
• One Day Advanced Driver Training, Transportation Research Center Inc., East Liberty, OH, June 2004
• Six Sigma Black Belt Training, Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, MI, 2003

professional experience

30 Forensic Engineering
Regional Director, National Capital Region
May 2019 – Present, Ottawa, ON

Technical Director—Collision Reconstruction
March 2023 – Present, Ottawa, ON

• Motor vehicle collision reconstruction
• Event Data Recorder (EDR) data retrieval and analysis
• Failure investigations involving mechanical considerations
• Vehicle mechanical assessments
• Vehicle & equipment fire investigations – point of origin and cause

Senior Associate—Collision Reconstruction
March 2014 – March 2023, Toronto/Ottawa, ON

Associate—Collision Reconstruction
April 2012 – March 2014, Toronto, ON