Cell: (312) 513-3988
tom@focusforensics.com
7635 W. 148th Street, Suite 250
Apple Valley, MN 55124
—Managing Engineer
Mr. Rush is a Professional Engineer and consultant with experience, education, and training in the fields of civil engineering, transportation engineering, and forensic engineering. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University and a master’s degree from North Carolina State University in civil engineering, with emphases on transportation safety engineering. He is an Accredited Traffic Accident Reconstructionist with the Accreditation Commission for Traffic Accident Reconstruction (ACTAR), a certified Crash Data Retrieval (CDR) Technician and Analyst, and a certified work zone Traffic Control Supervisor.
Mr. Rush is active in ongoing engineering research at Focus Forensics, and manages projects in the Midwest Region for the consulting engineering firm. He has completed the engineering investigation and evaluation of vehicle, driver, and roadway issues in hundreds of cases across the entire United States. His areas of expertise include transportation safety issues related to pedestrians, bicycles, motorcycles, commercial vehicles, highway-rail grade crossings, traffic signals, signs and markings, roadside barriers, and temporary traffic control. Mr. Rush has lectured in university engineering programs and has published peer-reviewed research papers and journal articles related to his fields of engineering expertise. He has testified as an expert witness in depositions and trials related to Accident Reconstruction, Work Zone Maintenance of Traffic, and Transportation Engineering.
Professional Engineer, State of Alabama, #36045-E
Professional Engineer, State of Arizona, #68678
Professional Engineer, State of Illinois, #62-064674
Professional Engineer, State of Indiana, #PE11300573
Professional Engineer, State of Iowa, #PE22745
Professional Engineer, State of Minnesota, #54115
Professional Engineer, State of Nebraska, #E-15528
Professional Engineer, State of Texas, #PE121232
Professional Engineer, State of Wisconsin, #45492-6
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, North Carolina
Master of Civil Engineering, 2013
Iowa State University
Ames, Iowa
Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, 2008
Focus Forensics, LLC
Managing Engineer: 2021-Present
Senior Engineer: 2014-2021
Armstrong Forensic Engineers, Inc.
Engineer: 2009-2014
Kimley-Horn and Associates
Roadway Design Analyst: 2008-2009
Roadway Design Intern: 2007
Iowa State University
Roadway Design Teacher Assistant: 2008
Concrete Design Lab Assistant: 2007
E&A Consulting Group, Inc.
Survey Crew: 2006
Accreditation as a Traffic Accident Reconstructionist, ACTAR # 2302
Certified Accident Reconstructionist
Society of Automotive Engineers
Certified Crash Data Retrieval (CDR) Technician and Analyst
Certified Traffic Control Supervisor
American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA)
Work Zone Traffic Control Supervisor
Minnesota Department of Transportation
Remote Pilot – Small Unmanned Aircraft System
Federal Aviation Administration
A12-3D Forensics
American Road and Transportation Builders Association
American Traffic Safety Services Association
ASTM International
Axiom Forensic
Claims & Litigation Management Alliance (CLM)
Collison Safety Institute / ARC
Crash Safety Solutions
Drone Launch Academy
Engineering Dynamics Corporation
Eos Systems, Inc.
FARO Technologies, Inc.
Focus Forensics, LLC
FORCON International
Institute of Transportation Engineering
Kimley-Horn & Associates
Minnesota Trucking Association
Northwestern University Center for Public Safety
Society of Automotive Engineers
U.S. DOT Transportation Safety Institute
Vertical Aspect
Virtual Crash
World Reconstruction Exposition (WREX)
“A New Source of Collision Evidence: Traffic Signal Data Loggers,” American Bar Association, Committee News Commercial Transportation Litigation, 2018
“Big Data Analysis – Combining GPS with Traffic Signal Data Logger Records,” Proceedings of the 27th Annual Congress of the European Association for Accident Research and Analysis (EVU), 2018
“Introduction to Traffic Signal Data Loggers and their Application to Accident Reconstruction.” SAE Technical Paper 2018-01-0527, 2018
“Testing Methodology to Evaluate Reliability of a “Frozen” Speedometer Reading in Motorcycle/ Scooter Impacts with Pre- Impact Braking.” SAE Technical Paper 2016-01-1482, 2016
“Photogrammetric Reconstruction Methodology and Engineering Validation for Video-Captured Pedestrian Collisions”, Proceedings of the 24th Annual Congress of the European Association for Accident Research and Analysis (EVU), 2015
“Glass Debris Field Longevity for Rollover Accident Reconstruction.” SAE Technical Paper 2015–01–1427, 2015
“Video Analysis and Analytical Modeling of Actual Vehicle/ Pedestrian Collisions,” SAE Technical Paper 2014-01-0483, 2014
“Light Bulb Filament Distortion Thresholds by Voltage and Delta-V,” SAE Technical Paper 2013-01-0752, 2013
“Applications of GPS Data in Collision Reconstruction,” Collision Magazine, 2011
“Applications of GPS Data in Collision Reconstruction,” Proceedings of the 10th ITAI International Conference on Collision Investigation, Interpretation and Reconstruction, 2011
“Roadway Maintenance Factors in Collision Reconstruction,” Proceedings of the 1st International Road Safety Conference, Republic of South Africa Road Traffic Management Corporation, 2009
“Accident Reconstruction 201: Advanced Crash Course on Motor Vehicle Accident,” Twin Cities Claims Association, 2023
“Crash Course on Crashes: Forensics Accident Reconstruction & Human Factors in Collision,” Institute of Transportation Engineers, 2022
“Gathering, Preserving, and Using Nontraditional Sources of Electronic Data in Your Trucking Case,” DRI Trucking Law Committee, 2019
“Car Crash Reconstruction 101,” Minnesota Association for Justice Car Crash Seminar, 2019
“Forensic Applications of Survey Technology for Motor Vehicle Collisions,” American Society of Civil Engineers, 2018
“Accident Reconstruction: Investigation and Analysis,” SIGMA Transportation Conference, 2018
“Introduction to Traffic Signal Data Loggers and their Application to Accident Reconstruction,” Society of Automotive Engineers 2018 World Congress Experience, 2018
“Commercial Vehicle Inspections and Improving Your Compliance, Safety, and Accountability Scores,” Claims & Litigation Management Conference, 2016
“Assessment of Intersection Visibility of Various Temporary Traffic Control Device Setups,” Midwestern/ Great Lakes ITE Conference, 2016
“Maintenance of Traffic and Roadway Design Analysis,” World Reconstruction Exposition, 2016
“You’ve Just Been Notified of a Serious Collision, Now What?” Claims & Litigation Management Transportation Conference, 2015
“Video Analysis and Analytical Modeling of Actual Vehicle/ Pedestrian Collisions,” Society of Automotive Engineers 2014 World Congress & Exhibition, 2014
“Evaluating Hit-and-Run or Uninsured Motorist Claims Through an Engineering Accident Damage Analysis,” Advanced Insurance Fraud Seminar, 2013
“Photomodeler for Inverse Project and Scaled Diagramming,” Armstrong Forensic Engineers, 2012
“Collision Reconstruction,” University of Illinois, 2013
“Collision Reconstruction and Forensic Applications of Civil Engineering,” North Carolina State University, 2013
Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE),
Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)
Vehicular Accident Investigation and Reconstruction
Mr. Rush began conducting accident reconstructions in 2009 with Armstrong Forensic Engineers. Since then, he has been professionally consulting on collision causes and countermeasures for insurance, litigation, corporate, and government clients.
Due to his expertise in the fundamentals of transportation and traffic safety, Mr. Rush has provided engineering design and litigation support evaluating the safety characteristics of transportation facilities, including roadways, intersections, parking lots, driveway transit stations, and pedestrian paths.
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