Curriculum Vitae

David M. Hallman, M.S., P.E.

Vehicle Fire Investigations, CFEI, CVFI

Crash Investigation / Reconstruction / Data Collection, Analysis

ASE Certified Master Automotive Technician

Forensic Engineering Consultant

Employment History

• Consulting Engineer, Hallman Engineering, LLC, Maple Grove, MN, 2012 – Present

• Adjunct Faculty, Minnesota State University, Mankato, MN, Normandale Campus, 2019 – Present

• Mechanical Engineer, MTS Systems, Eden Prairie, MN., 2012 - 2013

• Materials/Mechanical Engineer, Crane Engineering, Plymouth, MN., 2009-2012.

• Senior Mechanical Structural Design Engineer, BAE Systems, Mpls, MN., 2008-2009.

• Mechanical Engineer, MTS Systems, Eden Prairie, MN., 2006-2008.

• Technical Aide, 3M, St. Paul, MN., 2003-2004.

• Automotive Technician, Various independent shops and dealerships, Minnesota, 1991-2001.

Professional Licenses / Certifications

• Licensed Professional Engineer – Minnesota License 48027.

• Licensed Professional Engineer – Illinois License 062.068403.

• Licensed Professional Engineer – Iowa License 23448.

• Licensed Professional Engineer – North Dakota License PE-10574.

• Licensed Professional Engineer – Wisconsin License 44866-6.

• Licensed Professional Engineer – Kansas License 26254.

• Licensed Professional Engineer – Oklahoma License 30494.

• Licensed Professional Engineer – Nevada License 026582.

• Licensed Professional Engineer – Florida License 93872.

• Automotive Service Excellence, Certified Master Auto Technician, 2000-2005, 2010-2025.

• Crash Data Retrieval (CDR) Technician Level 2 Certification

• Crash Data Retrieval (CDR) System Operator Certification – Analyst Course, 40 hours

• Crash Data Retrieval (CDR) Certified Trainer Mentor Certification

• National Association of Fire Investigators Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator

• National Association of Fire Investigators Certified Vehicle Fire Investigator

• Berla CVST - Certified Vehicle System Forensic Technician – 24 hours instruction plus test

• Berla CVSE - Certified Vehicle System Forensic Examiner – 40 hours instruction plus test

• Heavy Vehicle Data Analyst Training – 32 hours of instruction

• Motorcycle Collision Reconstruction - 24 hours of instruction

Professional Affiliations

• National Association of Fire Investigators (NAFI) – CFEI, CVFI

• Society of Automotive Engineers International (SAE)

• Accident Reconstruction Network

  • Member of ARC-CSI crash crew 2011 - 2017

• Midwest Association of Technical Accident Investigators (MATAI)

  • MATAI crash crew lead 2018 – Present

  • MATAI Board of Directors Member 6/2021 – Present

• Southwestern Association of Technical Accident Investigators, Inc. (SATAI)

  • Member of SATAI crash crew 2013 – Present

• National Association of Professional Accident Reconstructionists (NAPARS)

• ASTM International

  • E58 Committee Member

• International Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI) – MN Chapter

• American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS)

  • Associate Member

• American Society for Engineering Education

  •  Member

Patents

• U.S. Patent: M93-485 Flat Belt Roadway Simulator with Steer and/or Camber Adjustment and Method for Ascertaining Rolling Loss, 2008

Education

• Master of Science in Materials Science and Engineering, University of MN, Minneapolis, MN, 2006.

• Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Minor in Mathematics, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN, 2004.

• Diploma in Automotive Repair (2 year program), Anoka Hennepin Technical College, Anoka, MN, 1993.

Publications 

• “Nissan Automobile EDR Recording Characteristics”, Collision Magazine, The International Compendium for Crash Research, Volume 16, Issue 2, 2022.

• “Toyota Vehicle Control History Case Studies”, Collision Magazine, The International Compendium for Crash Research, July 2020, Volume 14, Issue 2, 2020.

• “Nissan SUV EDR Recording Characteristics”, Collision Magazine, The International Compendium for Crash Research, Volume 14, Issue 2, 2020.

• “Summary of School Bus Crash Testing Conducted to Evaluate the Use of Seat Belts”, Collision Magazine, The International Compendium for Crash Research, Volume 13, Issue 2, 2019

• “3D Laser Scanners in Crash Testing,” Collision Magazine, The International Compendium for Crash Research, Volume 12, Issue 1, 2017, [PEER REVIEWED].

• “Evaluation of the MIDÉ Slam Stick as a Low-Cost Accelerometer and Data Acquisition System for Vehicle Skid Testing”, Collision Magazine, The International Compendium for Crash Research,Volume 12, Issue 1, 2017

• “Three Different Methodologies for Determining the Drag Factor for Motorcycles Sliding on Their Sides,”, Collision Magazine, Volume 12, Issue 1, 2017

• "Evaluation of the MIDE Slam Stick as a Low-Cost Accelerometer...", Collision Magazine, Volume 12, Issue 1, 2017

• "3D Laser Scanners in Crash Testing", Collision Magazine, Volume 12, Issue 1, 2017

• “Evaluation of the MIDE Slam Stick X as a Low-Cost Accelerometer...”, Collision Magazine, Volume 11, Issue 2, 2016

• “Vehicle Battery Cable Arcing v. Melting Analysis”, 2016 ISFI Proceedings, September 2016

• “Wheel Slip and Its Effect on Reported Vehicle Speed”, Collision Magazine, Volume 9, Issue 2, December 2014

• "What Your Expert Needs for Successful Case Resolution", NASP Subrogator Magazine, Spring / Summer 2014

• “Differentiating Potentially Causal Pre-Crash Component Damage from Crash Damage”, Collision Magazine, Volume 8, Issue 2, December 2013

• “Crash Team Boot Camp & Data Review”, Collision Magazine, Volume 6, Issue 2, January 2012

• “Thickness Effects on the Plasticity of Gold Films”, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Department, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN., January 2007

• “Plasticity Responses in Ultra-Small Confined Cubes and Films”, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Department, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN., May 2006

Presentations

• “2022 CrashCon22 Crash Data Review” with Billy S. Cox, Jr. Presented crash data from crashes performed during the CrashCon22 Conference in New Orleans, LA. May 22, 2022

• “2021 MATAI Crash Data Review” Presented crash data from MATAI farm equipment vs. light vehicle crashes performed at 2021 MATAI Annual Training, Des Moines, IA. June 23, 2021

• “Nissan SUV EDR Recording Characteristics and Interpretation of Pre-Crash Steering Data”, with Billy S. Cox, Jr. “2020 EDR Summit”, ARC-CSI, Houston, TX, March 9 – 11, 2019.

• “Crash Reconstruction and EDR” Invited Presentation for the 2019 Fall AVCAW/WIASIU Seminar, Milwaukee WI, October 15, 2019.

• “I Have a Product Failure, Do I Need an Engineer?”, Invited presentation for the North Dakota Defense Lawyers Association Annual Meeting / Fall Seminar, Bismarck ND, September 19, 2019.

• “Introduction to Vehicle Fire Investigation”, Provided Three Hour Training Course to Local Public Sector Fire Investigators from Hennepin County and Monticello, Minnesota, Maple Grove Fire Station #2, Maple Grove, MN. July 24, 2019. Vehicle burn testing (detailed under research) and further instruction (three hours additional training) was conducted on September 7, 2019, in Monticello Minnesota.

• “2019 IPTA Crash Data Review” with Billy Cox, 2019 IPTA Annual Conference, Des Moines IA. July 17, 2019.

• “Mechanical Forensic Engineering”, 2019 Materials Camp, University of Minnesota, Amundson Hall, July 9, 2019

• “2019 MATAI Crash Data Review”. Presented crash data from MATAI school bus crashes performed at 2019 MATAI Annual Training, Cedar Rapids IA. June 5, 2019.

• “Steering Failure in a Triple Fatality Crash”, 2018 AAFS Annual Scientific Meeting, February 19 – 24, 2018.

• “Wheel Slip and Its Effect on Reported Vehicle Speed”, “Vehicle Mechanical Inspections”, 2017 MATAI Annual Conference, June 7, 2017.

• “Toyota GEN3 Pre-crash Brake Data – Details and Application. (Co-presented with William “Rusty” Haight)”, 2017 EDR Summit, Houston, TX, March 7, 2017

• “Force and Motion”, Spring 2017 at Osseo Middle School for 6th Grade science students, one day, three sections of students, February 14, 2017.

• “Mechanical Forensic Engineering”, Half Moon Education Seminar, Minneapolis MN, September 22, 2016

• “Vehicle Battery Cable Arcing v. Melting Analysis”, 2016 ISFI Conference, Scottsdale AZ, September 12-14, 2016

• “Crash Data and Vehicle Mechanical Failures: What are you missing?”, 2015 MAJ Seminar, Minneapolis, MN, February 5, 2015.

• “Crashes and Vehicle Mechanical Failure, Are You Missing Subro Opportunities?”,2014 NASP Fall Conference, November 11, 2014.

• “Wheel Slip and Its Effect on Reported Vehicle Speed”, 2014 ARC-CSI Crash Conference, June 4, 2014.

• “Unique Features of Toyota Gen3 Data”, 2014 ARC-CSI CDR Summit, January 28, 2014

• “Differentiating Potentially Causal Pre-Crash Component Damage from Crash Damage”, 2013 ARC-CSI Crash Conference, May 15, 2013

• “What’s New in Vehicles and Crash Investigation”, Crane Engineering Seminar, Minneapolis, Minn., October 19, 2011

• “Vehicles and Crash Investigation”, MDLA Lunch and Learn Presentation, Minneapolis, Minn. October 5, 2011

• “ARC-CSI Crash Team Boot Camp” Data Collection and Team Presentation, ARC-CSI Crash Conference, Las Vegas NV, May 22-26, 2011

Research

• May 22-23 2011 - Planned and executed an instrumented vehicle crash between a Crown Victoria and a simulated left turning Hyundai Excel with a team. Crown Victoria was driven by an instrumented human volunteer. Results were presented at the 2011 ARC-CSI conference.

• June 28-29, 2011 – Planned and executed a vehicle fire in a garage. A Chevrolet Astro van and a Pontiac Grand Prix were placed in a garage and a fire was started under the hood of the Grand Prix. The fire was video recorded and pre-fire condition was documented. A post fire investigation was then carried out.

• March 16, 2012 – Assisted IAAI MN with a house burn in Coon Rapids, MN set up to train fire investigators. Set fire to one room using a flare at the base of a foam couch. The flare residue was not detected by the investigators.

• June 2-3, 2012 - Participated in crash tests with instrumented human volunteers. These crashes included frontal and rear-end impacts between a Jeep Grand Cherokee and a Chrysler Town & Country, and a broadside between a Ford Contour and a Ford Crown Victoria with instrumented anthropomorphic dummies. The data from these crashes was presented at the 2012 ARC-CSI crash conference.

• June 4, 2012 – Performed and participated in crash tests with instrumented human volunteers and anthropomorphic dummies including:

  • Remote driven Gran Prix striking a E350 ambulance in an angled broadside

  • Chrysler Town & Country with a remote air out striking a Ford Aspire in an offset rear-end and a Toyota Corolla in a broadside

  • Ford Crown Victoria and a Saturn SL2 in a glancing high speed high angle broadside

  • Remote driven Rio and a Yaris in an angled head-on

  • Remote driven Jeep Grand Cherokee and a Fiat Bertonne in an offset head-on, over-ride and rollover

  • Ford Crown Victoria and a Kia Sophia in a side-swipe and an Escort in a broadside

  • Remote driven Volkswagen Jetta and a Chrysler Town & Country

  • The data from these crashes was presented at the 2012 ARC-CSI crash conference.

• June 19, 2012 – Performed multiple box burns and three vehicle burns for flare research presented at 2012 ISFI Conference.

• May 12, 2013 – Performed and participated in low speed crash testing and bus-car collision test with instrumented human volunteers prior to 2013 ARC-CSI crash conference. The data from these collisions was presented at the 2013 ARC-CSI Crash Conference.

• May 13, 2013 – Performed and participated in instrumented crash tests with human volunteers and anthropomorphic dummies.

  • Human driven Toyota Yaris into a barrier

  • Remote driven Toyota Yaris into barrier at high speed

  • Remote driven Saturn SL2 offset into rear of a city bus

  • Human driven Crown Victoria offset head-on into stationary Chevrolet Cavalier

  • Remote driven Chevrolet Cavalier centered into the rear of a city bus

  • Remote driven Chevrolet Impala into side of city bus

  • Human driven Crown Victoria offset head-on into pushed Chevrolet Cavalier

  • Remote driven high speed head on between two Pontiac Grand Ams

  • The data from these crashes was presented at the 2013 ARC-CSI Crash Conference

  • September 27, 2013 – Performed and participated in an instrumented vault crash utilizing a remote driven vehicle at the 2013 SATAI Fall Conference.

• June 1 – 2, 2014 – Performed and participated in:

  • Remote driven Explorer and Cobalt (with remote controlled ignition switch position) frontal barrier impacts

  • Contour to New Flyer city bus containing an instrumented anthropomorphic dummy driver and human passengers

  • Head-on collision between Crown Victorias

  • Human driven Prius and Cobalt to barrier impacts, rear-end and frontal impacts between a Prius and a Cobalt

  • Multiple vehicle crash with Crown Victoria, Malibu and Saturn

  • Broadside crashes between Crown Victorias and an Impreza and a Prius.

  • Results presented at ARC-CSI conference, June 2-5, 2014, Las Vegas, NV.

• June 10 - 11, 2014 - Performed and participated in two fully instrumented crash tests including:

  • A 90 degree intersection crash

  • A head on crash

  • Results were presented at the 2014 MATAI Annual Meeting and Training Seminar

  • September 25, 2014 – Performed and participated in instrumented Camry to pedestrian dummy impacts, a remote driven BMW 740 iL to Camry to Volvo 850 chain reaction rear-end impact, and Volvo 850 to motorcycle with a pedestrian dummy rider impacts at the 2014 SATAI Fall Conference.  Results were presented at the end of the conference.

  • January 27 – 28, 2015 - Performed and participated in instrumented Cobalt to Camry rear-end, broadside and head-on collisions in Houston, TX.  Results presented at CDR User’s Summit, January 26-28, 2015, Houston, TX

  • May 31, 2015 - Performed and participated in rear-end bumper-to-bumper and bumper-to-hitch impacts with instrumented human occupants with a Mazda 3 into a Yaris and a Land Rover.  Results presented at 2015 ARC-CSI conference.

  • June 1, 2015 - Performed and participated in instrumented broadside impacts between remote ridden Taizhou scooter, Honda cruiser and Kawasaki ZX600 motorcycles, and Grand Caravan and Crown Victorias, a remote driven head-on between a Grand Prix and Crown Victorias, human driven Land Rover into Lincoln MKZ, Malibu into Mazda 3, Grand Caravan into Elantra broadside impacts including pre-impact ramp jumps, instrumented drivers, passengers and an anthropomorphic dummy.  Results presented at 2015 ARC-CSI conference.

  • September 10, 2015 - Performed and participated in instrumented Ford Focus and Ram 1500 to pedestrian dummy, Ford Crown Victoria to Ford Focus side-swipe, and Ram 1500 head-on to a Honda Prelude impacts with an instrumented human and Hybrid III dummy, in Glendale, AZ.  Results were presented at the 2015 SATAI Fall Conference.

  • May 22, 2016 – Performed and participated in low speed impact testing with human occupants between a Volkswagen Passat and a Toyota Prius.  Performed and participated in instrumented motorcycle barrier impacts and instrumented motorcycle crashes into an instrumented vehicle.  These results were presented at the 2016 ARC-CSI crash conference.

  • May 23, 2016 -  Performed and participated in and instrumented head-on impact between a Ford Crown Victoria, an instrumented 90 degree impact between  a Crown Victoria and a Toyota Prius, an instrumented head-on barrier impact of a Volkswagen Passat, a three car inline impact including a Crown Victoria, a Passat and a Chevy Cavalier, an instrumented oblique barrier impact with a Passat, multiple instrumented motorcycle barrier impacts and multiple instrumented motorcycle impacts with both stationary and moving instrumented vehicles including a Passat, A crown Victoria and a Lexus Sedan.  These results were presented at the 2016 ARC-CSI crash conference.

  • June 15, 2016 – Performed stranded battery cable testing including melting, burning and arcing battery cables to observe the effects.  The samples were then analyzed by Neal Hanke at Materials Engineering and Evaluation and the results of the burn testing and the analysis were presented at the 2016 ISFI Conference in Scottsdale AZ.

  • October 5, 2016 – Performed and participated in instrumented steering wheel and brake force, vehicle pitch, and bumper height change tests during hard braking using a Celica in Mesa, AZ. 

  • October 5, 2016 – Performed and participated in instrumented license plate-to-bumper car-to-car rear-end impacts with a human subject using Civics and a Celica in Mesa, AZ.

  • October 6, 2016 – Performed and participated in instrumented remote driven Celica into an angled head-on with a Ranger, and Massive Moving Barrier to Oldsmobile 98 and Expedition with child safety seat restrained 3 year old dummies in Glendale, AZ.  These results presented at the 2016 SATAI conference, September 6-8, 2016, Glendale, AZ.

• February – March 2017 – Performed research and testing with Toyota vehicles collecting and analyzing collected record data. Examined and evaluated more than 50 Toyota crash data reports to compare to the collected data. The results of this analysis were presented with William “Rusty” Haight at the 2017 EDR Summit in Houston Texas on March 7, 2017.

• September 17, 2017 - Performed and participated in multiple instrumented vehicle-to-pedestrian dummy crashes. The results of these crashes will be combined with the results from the September 18, 2017 crashes and will be published at a later date

• September 18, 2017 - Performed and participated in instrumented vehicle-to-pedestrian dummy crashes, remote driven Dart angled head-on with an SRX, a Deville offset broadside with a Solstice, a multiple vehicle rear-end with an Escape into a Corolla into a 500, and an offset head-on with two Escapes. Results presented at ARC-CSI conference, September 18-21, 2017, Las Vegas, NV.

• January 24, 2018 - Performed and participated in instrumented car-to-car impact testing involving front bumper mounted license plates and human volunteers, in Mesa, AZ.

• January 25, 2018 - Performed and participated in side-swipe, angled broadside, offset rear-end impacts between a Malibu and Mustang, child pedestrian and pedestrian-cyclist dummy impacts with a Malibu and Tahoe, and Mustang and Malibu to Tahoe hitch impacts with instrumented volunteers in Glendale, AZ. Results presented at SATAI conference, January 2018, Glendale, AZ.

• June 1-2, 2018 - Performed and participated in multiple instrumented vehicle-to-pedestrian dummy impacts with a Ford E250 van. Research to be published at a later date. IATAI Pedestrian Crash Testing, Lockport IL.

• June 18-19, 2018 – Planned, performed and participated in instrumented motorcycle-to-automobile, motorcycle-to-barrier, motorcycle ramp, and automobile-to-motorcycle-to-automobile, and remote driven head-on multiple vehicle crashes, in Newton, IA. Results presented at MATAI conference, June 2018, Altoona, IA.

• January 16, 2019 – Performed and participated in rear-end impacts between a Impala and Grand Marquis with instrumented volunteers in Glendale, AZ.

• January 17 – 18, 2019 – Performed and participated in instrumented remote driven broad-side rollover collision between a Tahoe and Grand Marquis, a multiple vehicle rear-end impact with a Towncar, motorcycle and Prius, and yaw testing with a Suburban in Glendale, AZ. Results presented at SATAI conference, January 2019, Glendale, AZ.

• June 3 – 4, 2019 – Planned, performed, and participated in instrumented Blue Bird school bus idle into Camry rear-end impacts and F150 to bus side-swipe impacts with live humans, as well as remote driven GMC to bus rear-end, Deville and Malibu to bus broad-side collisions, and Thomas school bus yaw testing, in Cedar Rapids, IA. Results presented at MATAI conference, June 2019, Cedar Rapids, IA.

• July 14 – 15, 2019 - Planned, performed and participated in low-speed instrumented rear-end impacts between an International school bus and a Kia Spectra with live humans; school bus idle forward, acceleration and skid testing; and remote driven head-on and broadside collisions between school bus, Spectra and Rendezvous with instrumented ATDs and child dummies in Des Moines, IA. Results presented at IPTA conference, July 2019, Des Moines, IA.

• September 7, 2019 – Planned, performed, and participated in four vehicle burn tests utilizing three vehicles. An engine fire in a 2004 Ford Expedition, an interior fire set with a road flare in a 2001 Toyota Camry, an engine fire in a 2001 Toyota Camry and an interior fire in a 1995 GMC Suburban. These tests were conducted in Monticello, Minnesota as part of teaching vehicle fire investigation techniques to public sector fire investigators from Hennepin County and the Monticello Fire Department.

• January 20 – 23, 2020 - Performed and participated in instrumented Pathfinder to Navigator and 528i to Genesis rear-end impacts, Pathfinder front and rear to barrier impacts, and 528i to mattress, ladder, pallet, bicycle and couch impacts with instrumented volunteers and an ATD, and instrumented Navigator to bicycle broadside, Genesis to Cobalt broadside and Pathfinder steering testing, 528i with an instrumented human driver and ATD in broadside and rear-end impacts to a manikin on an electric scooter, and an angled head-on collision between a Navigator and 528i. Data from the Nissan Pathfinder research was presented at the 2020 ARC-CSI EDR Summit.

• May 15 – 18, 2020 – Performed vehicle electrical fire related testing with a custom test rig to evaluate localized heating of mechanically degraded wiring with varying current levels applied. The results of this testing will be published at a later date. The testing was performed in Maple Grove, Minnesota.

• August 7 – 8, 2020 - Performed and participated in rear-end, frontal and broadside crash tests between a Crown Victoria and a Nissan Versa with an instrumented volunteer driver in White Hall, TX.

• January 26 – 28, 2021 - Performed and participated in instrumented Versa-to-barrier and Versa rear-to-Suburban front impacts, Genesis rear-to-barrier and head-on Genesis-to-Astrovan collisions, and multiple vehicle rear-end impacts between a Sonata, Sonic and Thunderbird with instrumented volunteers and ATD’s as well as testing of Ford SYNC Gen 3, Version 2 Infotainment System, Ford AEB System, and Ford Active Cruise Control System, steering wheel angle versus directional change and vehicle pitch/bumper height change during hard braking in Glendale, AZ.

• June 22 – 23, 2021 - Performed and participated in instrumented Suburban to Grand Prix front into open door impacts, as well as remote driven Rendezvous oblique rear-end to the corn head of a New Holland combine, head on between a Malibu classic and the disc of a Massey Ferguson tractor, Suburban rear-end to tractor, Malibu rear-end to combine’s corn trailer, and head-on to the combine’s corn head in Newton, IA. Results were presented at the 2021 MATAI Annual Training Conference.

• February 17 – 18, 2022 - Performed and participated in front-to-barrier, rear-to-barrier, and rear end impacts with instrumented volunteers using a Honda Civic and Subaru Outback, remote driven Honda Civic to e-scooter impacts, and offset rear-end impact with two Honda Civics, a sideswipe between a Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic, and rear-end impacts using Chevrolet Impalas and an angled broadside between a Chevrolet Impala and Toyota Corolla with volunteers and an ATD in Glendale, AZ. Results were presented at the 2022 SATAI Annual Training Conference.

• May 20, 2022 - Performed and participated in bumper-to-bumper and bumper-to-hitch rear-end impacts between two Chevrolet Suburbans, Ford Focus-to-Suburban hitch, and Suburban-to-Focus broad-side collisions with instrumented volunteers and ATD’s, and remote driven offset head-on crash with a Nissan Altima and Mazda 5 Sport, and a chain-reaction rear-end collision with Suburbans and a Ford Focus in New Orleans, LA. Results presented at CrashCon22 Conference, May 19-22, 2022, New Orleans, LA.