Transportation Engineering Expert’s Testimony on Accident Reconstruction Admitted
Posted on November 17, 2025 by Expert Witness Profiler
This case arises out of injuries sustained by Brandon Jensen on his bicycle when he collided with a semi-truck who made a left turn through his lane of travel. The semi-truck was driven by Defendant Michael Beale. Beale was working for Crete Carrier at the time of the accident.
To begin with, Defendants Michael Beale and Crete Carrier Corporation (Crete Carrier) filed three motions in limine concerning the testimony of the Plaintiffs’ accident reconstruction expert, Dr. Jay Przybyla.
First, Defendants Michael Beale and Crete Carrier Corporation (Crete Carrier) filed a motion to exclude seven videos relied on by Przybyla in his rebuttal report that show semi-truck trailers turning into the Crete Carrier terminal. Second, the Defendants filed a motion to exclude Przybyla’s opinions about the time required for Plaintiff Jensen to stop his bicycle. Finally, the Defendants filed a motion exclude Przybyla’s reconstruction simulations on the ground that he made improper assumptions about truck weight.
Transportation Engineering Expert Witness
Jay J. Przybyla, Ph.D., P.E. is a licensed professional engineer and managing engineer at Focus Forensics with experience, education, and training in the fields of civil engineering, forensic engineering, and transportation safety. He also holds a Master’s and Ph.D. in transportation engineering from the University of Utah and a Bachelor’s in civil engineering from Brigham Young University.
Discussion by the Court
The Court questioned Przybyla outside the presence of the jury on the morning of November 12, 2025. The Court cautioned the witness to avoid opining on the credibility of Beale’s testimony or the propriety of Beale’s choices, but the Court found that the methodology for his accident reconstruction analysis was otherwise reliable. To be clear, uncertainties about bicycle stopping time or the assumptions about truck weight that Przybyla used to model his simulations went to the weight of the evidence rather than its admissibility.
Moreover, the Court found that the seven videos showing Crete Carrier trucks turning into the terminal were used in rebuttal to opinions from the Defendants’ accident reconstruction expert and were admissible for illustrative purposes. The Defendants’ concerns that the trucks were different makes and models and had different loads could be addressed during cross examination.
Held
- The Court denied the Defendants’ motion in limine to exclude seven videos relied on by Jay Przybyla.
- The Court denied the Defendants’ motion in limine to exclude Jay Przybyla’s opinions on the time required for Plaintiff Brandon Jensen to stop.
- The Court denied the Defendants’ motion in limine to exclude Jay Przybyla’s reconstruction simulations.
Key Takeaway:
Uncertainties about bicycle stopping time or the assumptions about truck weight that Przybyla used to model his simulations could be adequately examined during cross examination.
Case Details:
| Case Caption: | Jensen V. Crete Carrier Corporation |
| Docket Number: | 1:23cv105 |
| Court Name: | United States District Court for the District of Utah, Northern Division |
| Order Date: | November 14, 2025 |
