Four groups, with four different reasons for needing the same answer.
Forensic Engineering & Failure Analysis in Florida
Most structural failures in Florida start in the soil.
Independent investigations into foundation failures, sinkhole damage, structural distress, and embankment failures for attorneys, insurance carriers, and property owners who need a defensible answer.
Start Your Project
Most "structural" failures in Florida start in the soil
Cracked block, sloping floors, and separating additions are symptoms. The cause is usually underneath: organic layers, undocumented fill, a lowered water table, or a solution cavity in the limestone. That's why our investigations include borings rather than stopping at a visual assessment.
What you receive
A forensic report is written knowing an opposing Engineer may read it line by line. Ours are structured so every conclusion traces back to something documented.
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Observed conditions
Photographs with scale and date, crack mapping, elevation measurements. -
Subsurface data
Boring logs, groundwater levels, and laboratory results. -
Analysis
The failure mechanism, and the alternatives considered and ruled out. -
Conclusion on cause
Stated plainly, with the evidence each conclusion rests on. -
Signature & seal
Signed by a licensed Florida professional Engineer.
Forensic engineering FAQ
What is forensic engineering?
The investigation of why a structure or earthwork failed. A licensed Engineer documents the distress, investigates the subsurface, analyzes the mechanism, and issues a sealed report stating cause, used wherever the answer carries financial or legal weight.
Who hires a forensic Engineer?
Attorneys in construction and property disputes, insurance carriers and adjusters evaluating claims, owners contesting a denial, and contractors or developers needing an independent determination.
How is this different from an inspection?
An inspection documents current condition. A forensic investigation determines cause, which normally requires borings, laboratory testing, and engineering analysis because the conclusion has to survive an opposing Engineer's review.
My sinkhole claim was denied. Can you help?
An independent investigation can establish whether the distress is consistent with sinkhole activity or something else. We advance borings, evaluate the subsurface, and report what the evidence supports, following the data rather than whoever is paying.
What does a forensic report contain?
Observed distress with photographs and measurements, subsurface investigation results, failure mechanism analysis, a stated conclusion on cause, and a repair recommendation where requested. Signed and sealed by a Florida PE.
