Michael S. Morse, Ph.D.

(619) 847-3336 Office

(619) 374-1947 Fax

DrMMorse@electricalinjury.com

(Updated: September 2022)

 

EXPERTISE

•    Electrical injury

•    Electrical safety

•    Effects of electricity on the human body

•    Electrical accident reconstruction based on burn pattern

•    Human factors as associated with human interaction with electrical systems

•    Failure at the human/machine interface

•    Design of Electrical Systems

•    Designing for Electrical Safety (Design Triad)

•    Biomedical device failure (electro-mechanical)

•    Symptomatology of Disproportionate and Remote Response to Electric Shock (Diffuse Electrical Injury)

 

 

EXPERIENCE

•    Consultation in 500+ electrical contact/injury, electric shock, electrocution, and electrical safety cases.

•    Consultation regarding design and manufacturing defects of electrical products.

 

 

 

COURTROOM TESTIMONY (See RULE 26 filing for specific details of each case in the last 4 years)

 

•    U.S. District Court (Mobile, AL): Qualified as both a Biomedical and Electrical Engineering Expert. Permitted to testify as to the effects (physiology and pain) of electricity on the human body. (D)

•    U.S. District Court (Orlando, FL): Qualified as a Biomedical Engineer and as an expert in "Electrical Technology." Permitted to testify to the effects of electricity on the human body. (D)

•    U.S. District Court (New Orleans, LA): Qualified and permitted to testify to the effects of electricity on the human body. (D)

•    U.S. District Court (Portland, OR): Testified regarding electrical product failure and resultant injury from an electrical connector. (P)

•    California Superior Court: Testified regarding electrical injury incurred while installing traffic lights. (P)

•    U.S. District Court - (Los Angeles, CA): Testified regarding injury from an electric arc. (D)

•    Florida State Court - (Jacksonville, Florida): Testified to the effects of electricity on the human body with particular emphasis on pain and suffering. (4/97 and 7/97) (D)

•    California Superior Court - (Riverside CA) Testified regarding failure of a "man-lift" with emphasis on design, human factors, and electrical circuitry. (6/97) (P)

•    California Superior Court (Alhambra, CA) Testified regarding contact with a high voltage power line. (8/97) (P)

•    New Jersey State Court (New Brunswick, NJ): Testified regarding diffuse injury distal to presumed current pathway resulting from a 110/220v contact. (7/99) (P)

•    California Superior Court (Stockton, CA): Testified regarding an alleged electrical injury at a wall switch controlling a compressor in a dentist’s office (12/99) (D)

•    California Superior Court (San Diego, CA): Testified regarding design and accuracy of Red Light Camera System. Qualified as an expert in Electrical Engineering and computer design. (8/2000) (D)

•    Georgia State Court (Forsyth, GA): Testified regarding effects of electricity on the human body with emphasis on pain and suffering. (3/01) D

•    Georgia State Court (Elbert, GA): Testified regarding effects of electricity on the human body with emphasis on pain and suffering. (4/01) D

•    U.S. District Court – (Chicago, IL): Testified regarding fibrillation death in swimming pool from electrical accident involving submersible sump pump. (1/02) P

•    Canadian Court, British Columbia: Testified regarding 7200V power line contact during line clearing. (2/02) P.

•    California Superior Court (Los Angeles): Reconstruction of high voltage power line contact by child climbing a tree based on burn pattern analysis. (4/02) P

•    California Superior Court (Santa Ana): Diffuse injury from high voltage contact between jack hammer and submerged power line. (7/02) P

•    California Superior Court(Santa Ana): Electrical Injury in bathroom following water leakage – Low voltage Diffuse Electrical Injury (10/03) P

•    Illinois State Court: Death from contact between ladder and power line while preparing a building to be painted – Pain/suffering and human factors (01/04) P

•    California Superior Court (Vista): Electrical Injury from contact with mis-wired electrical pedestal. (8/05) P

•    U.S. District Court (Los Angeles): Testified regarding electrical effects and current distribution during E.C.T. (10/05) P

•    U.S. District Court (Los Angeles): Stun Gun Case (11/2006) (p)

•    Florida State Court (Daytona): Electric shock contact with power line via tree 11/2007 (p)

•    New York State Court (Brooklyn): Power line contact in train substation 12/2007 (p)

•    California Superior Court (Vista): Contact with Power Line while installing greenhouse roof (p) 03/2008

•    New York State Court (Brooklyn): Power line contact in train substation 11/2008 (p)

•    Missouri State Court: (Independence): Power line contact with roof of house 6/2010 (p)

•    California Superior Court (Lancaster): Injury from novelty shock pen 10/2010(p)

•    New York State Court (Buffalo): Injury from stray current 4/2012 (p)

•    California Superior Court (San Diego): Window Washer contact with power line 05/2012(p)

•    New York State Court (Brooklyn): Contact with 24-volt door circuit (05/2013) (d)

•    Maryland State Court (Baltimore): Crane Power Line Contact pain and suffering and accident reconstruction (07/2013) (p)

•    California Superior Court (San Bernardino) 74-volt DC contact in a locomotive (07/2014) (p)

•    U.S. District Court (Seattle): Electric shock on a freighter (12/2014) (p)

•    California Superior Court (San Bernardino): 74-volt DC contact in a locomotive (07/2014) (p)

•    US District Court – (Seattle) Injury from miswired light on a vessel (12/2014) (p)

•    California Superior Court (San Bernardino) Retrial in 74-volt DC contact in a locomotive (03/2015) (p)

•    Ohio Court (Meigs County) Death from power line contact while installing gutters (08/2015) (p)

•    NY Supreme Court (Manhattan) Shock claimed from standing on an extension cord (10/2017) (d)

•    Texas State Court  (Dallas) Testified regarding burn pattern from an electrical injury (06/2019) (p)

•    California Superior Court (Chatsworth) Alleged electrical injury in swimming pool (02/2020) (d)

•    Indiana State Court (Marion, County) Arc blast and electric shock while jackhammering concrete (10/2020) (p)

•    Colorado State Court (Denver) Low voltage injury from mobile home pedestal. (10/2021) (p)

•    Arkansas State Court (Harrison) Burn pattern reconstruction after power line contact (07/2022) (p)

 

DEPOSITIONS (See RULE 26 filing for specific details of each case in the last 4 years)

 

Medical Device Failure (electropapillotome) (p)

Electric Shock Injury from an improperly wired vacuum pump (p)

Accuracy of an IVAC infusion pump (p)

Operation and design of infant apnea monitors (p)

Failure of a Cincinatti Sub-Zero heating/cooling blanket. (p)

Failure of membrane switches on a Hill Rom hospital bed. (p)

Failure of an alarm on a respirator (d)

Electrocution on a scissor lift. (p)

Electric shock injury while using a household pump (p)

Electric shock injury in an industrial environment

Electric shock injury from an outlet near a swimming pool (p)

Electric shock injury -- mis-wired 220v outlet (p)

Electric shock injury -- industrial (construction site)

Electric shock injury -- static discharge from treadmill (p). (1996)

Electric shock injury -- contact with overhead power line (p) (1996 and 1997)

Failure of a man-lift hoist for the handicapped. (p) (1997)

Electric shock injury -- child contact with a transformer (p) (12/97)

Electric shock injury -- contact between a loader and a submerged power line (p) (7/98)

Electric shock injury -- sump pump (p) (6/99)

Electric shock injury -- carousel ride (p) (6/99)

Electric shock injury -- feed to a buffet table(d) (9/99)

Electric shock injury -- dental office compressor switch(d) (10/99)

Electric shock injury -- contact with downed power line (2/2000)

Electric shock injury -- 110V contact with frayed power cord in hotel (p) (3/2000)  

Electric shock injury -- injury at power supply pedestal at a mobile home (p) (1/2001)

Electric shock injury -- 110V contact with frayed cord. For adm. Miss. Court (p) (10/2001)

Electric shock injury -- power line contact by child in tree(p) (1/2002)

Electric shock injury -- burn and compressive wave injury from arc (p) (3/2002)

Electric shock injury -- Diffuse injury following jack hammer - power line contact (p) (6/02).

Electric shock injury -- Pain and suffering following v-fib after power line fell on a combine. (p) (8/02)

Electric shock injury -- Symtomatology following 110-volt electrical injury in a bathroom. (p) (2/03)

Electric shock injury -- Symptomatology following electrical injury caused by gas cooktop (p). (2/03) Electric shock injury – Electrical injury in mobile home park from underground wiring (p) (4/03)

Electric shock injury -- Pain and suffering: v-fib from induced current in a 345KV transmission line (p)(8/03)

Electric shock injury -- Contact with power line while picking avocados using an aluminum po