Expert witness – slip and fall
-
📰 National Press Feature Featured in The Washington Independent Safety Direct America President John C. Sotter was recently interviewed and profiled by The Washington Independent. The piece evaluates the cascading public health and financial consequences of slippery commercial floors across the United States. Read the Full Feature Article → What America’s Floors Reveal About Its…
-
John C Sotter Featured in The National Law Review: The Expert Witness Problem in Slip-and-Fall Cases
John Sotter Featured in The National Law Review Safety Direct America President John C. Sotter was recently featured in The National Law Review with a new article examining an important problem in American slip-and-fall litigation: the reliability of expert witness testimony and the methods used to measure floor slip resistance. The Expert Witness Problem Hiding…
-
An expert in everything may actually be an expert in only one thing: being hired as an expert. When a résumé says its owner can analyze nearly every kind of accident, product, walking surface, machine, human behavior and legal theory, the question is no longer simply how much experience that person has. The more important…
-
Safety Direct America is proud to share a new national feature published by USA Weekly: “John Sotter’s Mission to Make America’s Floors Safer Through Science and Engineering.” Published on July 23, 2026, the article examines John Sotter’s decades-long effort to improve pedestrian safety through scientific floor testing, engineering, public education, and the development of more…
-
We are proud to share that John Sotter, president of Safety Direct America and Sotter Engineering Corporation, was recently featured in USA Today. The article, “John Sotter’s Relentless Pursuit for a Safer America,” examines John’s decades-long effort to improve floor safety and prevent life-changing slip-and-fall injuries before they happen. A Career Dedicated to Floor Safety…
-
A wet floor can cost a business far more than most property owners realize. When people consider the financial consequences of a slip-and-fall injury, they usually think about the resulting insurance claim or settlement. But those are only the most visible expenses. A serious incident can also produce years of legal distraction, employee absences, operational…
-
With the iconic Griffith Observatory visible above the skyline of Los Angeles, this latest field demonstration showcases an AFSA FS101-26 pendulum slip resistance test being performed on a rooftop pedestrian surface under wet conditions. This video is more than just a visual demonstration. It represents a broader effort to promote scientifically reliable, real-world floor safety…
-
For decades, I have worked in the field of slip resistance testing and floor safety. During that time, I’ve seen something deeply troubling develop in the United States: unreliable testing methods and questionable expert testimony increasingly influencing slip-and-fall litigation, building decisions, and public safety. That is why I recently wrote an opinion piece published by…
-
For decades, building owners, architects, attorneys, and safety professionals in the United States have been told that certain floor slip resistance testing methods are “accepted,” “validated,” or scientifically reliable. But what happens when some of those methods fail precision testing, are withdrawn from standards organizations, or cannot reliably identify slippery walking surfaces in the real…
-
We recently conducted on-site slip resistance testing in Sarasota, Florida using the ASTM E303 pendulum tester—one of the most widely recognized and scientifically supported methods for evaluating slip risk. Real Science Helps Stop Slip Injuries! Unlike many commonly used devices in the United States, the pendulum test simulates a dynamic heel strike—the same motion that…
