Rowley & Reynolds Forensic Engineering

What Rowley & Reynolds Forensic Engineering does

Rowley & Reynolds Forensic Engineering Inc. is a private, US-domiciled professional services firm specializing in forensic engineering and expert witness testimony for aquatic-related accidents and technical failures. The firm investigates drowning and near-drowning incidents, diving injuries (including spinal injuries), suction entrapment and hair entanglement, pool filter separations/explosions, construction and mechanical defects, and related matters such as waterborne illness, underwater electrocution, slips and falls, and aquatic amusement ride incidents. Investigation work feeds directly into expert testimony in courts and other judicial forums for both plaintiff and defense matters.

The firm's technical differentiator is proprietary engineering capability built on decades of aquatic design experience. Dr. William N. Rowley, Ph.D., P.E. developed computerized parametric force, velocity, and trajectory analysis software used to reconstruct diving and other accidents from first principles; the practice is supported by more than 50 years of combined design experience across approximately 675+ commercial swimming pools, 200+ commercial pools and spas, 90+ 50-meter competition pools worldwide, and 50+ suction entrapment case retentions. The co-founder, Matthew A. Reynolds, P.E., is licensed in 16 states, giving the firm multi-jurisdiction credibility.

Revenue is generated on a professional-services, case-by-case basis: attorneys (plaintiff and defendant), insurance professionals, facility operators, and aquatic industry professionals (architects, engineers, contractors, pool service companies) retain the firm directly via phone or email. Engagement is distributed across a horizontal segmentation rather than anchored to any single large contract, with awareness generated through the firm's website, industry content, and earned media (notably Aqua Magazine, January 2020). The firm is headquartered in Los Angeles, California with a Denver, Colorado mailing address, and operates a small, expert-led team of two named P.E.s plus project-management staff.

Name

Rowley & Reynolds Forensic Engineering

Legal name

Rowley & Reynolds Forensic Engineering Inc.

Website

https://rowleyreynolds.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Rowley & Reynolds Forensic Engineering is a private US firm providing forensic engineering investigation and expert witness testimony for aquatic-related accidents and incidents, serving attorneys, insurance professionals, facility operators, and aquatic industry professionals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Forensic Engineering Services

NAICS

Engineering Services (541330), Testing Laboratories and Services (541380)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Forensic Engineering & Failure Analysis Consulting (BPAHAIAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Litigation Support & Expert Witness Services (BPAHALAG)

Keywords

• Forensic engineering services
• Aquatic accident investigation
• Expert witness testimony
• Pool safety forensics
• Swimming pool reconstruction

Headquarters

HQ city

Palos Verdes Estates

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Expert Witness and Forensic Investigation Services: Professional consulting services provided to attorneys, insurance professionals, facility operators, and aquatic industry professionals. Services include accident investigation, reconstruction, code compliance analysis, and expert testimony in legal proceedings. Both plaintiffs and defendants retain the firm.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Rowley & Reynolds Forensic Engineering provides specialized forensic engineering investigations and expert witness testimony for water-related accidents and aquatic facility failures. Licensed Professional Engineers (P.E.) investigate drowning, diving injuries, suction entrapment, filter explosions, and construction defects, applying physics-based reconstruction and code compliance analysis to support plaintiff and defense litigation matters.

Product overview

Rowley & Reynolds Forensic Engineering is a specialized forensic engineering firm providing expert witness services and accident investigation focused exclusively on aquatic environments. The company operates as a unified professional services practice offering six interconnected investigative service areas: drowning/near-drowning incidents, diving accidents, suction outlet injuries, filter explosions, and construction/mechanical defects. These services are delivered by a team of licensed professional engineers (P.E.) and are centered on providing expert witness testimony in legal proceedings related to water-related injuries and technical failures.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Drowning & Near Drowning Investigation Services Forensic investigation services analyzing contributing factors of drowning and near-drowning incidents, including swimming pool design and construction, safety code compliance, water clarity, warning signage, supervision lapses, operational issues, and alcohol or drug involvement. Delivered for plaintiff and defense attorneys, insurance carriers, and facility operators involved in water-related personal injury and wrongful death matters.
• Diving Accidents Investigation Services Forensic investigation of diving accidents that result in spinal cord, head, and neck injuries, applying biomechanical force and trajectory analysis using physics-based computerized parametric modeling for accident-specific reconstruction. Intended for legal proceedings involving pool, water park, and natural body of water diving incidents.
• Aquatic Suction Outlet Injury Investigation Services Investigation of suction entrapment, mechanical (finger) entrapment, and hair entanglement incidents at pool and spa suction outlets. The practice leverages pioneering research and more than 50 suction entrapment case involvements to support plaintiffs, defendants, insurers, and equipment manufacturers.
• Pool Filter Separation & Explosion Investigation Services Investigation of pool and spa filter separations and explosions occurring at equipment locations, including pneumatic separation incidents caused by clamp mechanism failures during maintenance and startup procedures. Supports determinations of causation and liability for incident stakeholders.
• Construction & Mechanical Defects Investigation Services Forensic investigation of structural failures and mechanical system defects in swimming pools, including geotechnical analysis, pool shell engineering review, piping systems, flow rates, pump performance, filtration, heating, and electrical systems assessment. Used by attorneys and insurers to evaluate design and construction defect claims.
• Expert Witness Testimony Services Professional expert witness services providing testimony before courts of law or other judicial forums regarding findings of forensic engineering investigations, accident reconstruction, site investigation, and testing. Both plaintiff and defense matters are accepted.

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• J.S. Held: Specialty consulting firm offering forensic engineering, expert witness, and insurance-loss consulting across multiple verticals. Comparable business model — case-based forensic investigations and expert testimony for attorneys and insurers — but at much broader scale and without RRFE's aquatic focus.
• Exponent: Large publicly traded engineering and scientific consulting firm that provides failure analysis, accident reconstruction, and expert witness services across many industries. Highly comparable to RRFE in litigation-support and forensic engineering, though it operates as a generalist with no aquatic specialization.
• Terracon Consultants: Large national geotechnical and environmental engineering firm where Matthew Reynolds previously served as Department Manager. Comparable engineering and forensic services platform serving commercial and infrastructure clients, with overlap in risk-management and quality-control work.
• Haag Engineering: Forensic engineering firm specializing in failure analysis, damage assessment, and expert testimony, with deep insurance industry relationships. Closely comparable to RRFE's litigation-support and forensic investigation model across a broader set of engineering disciplines.
• Rimkus Consulting Group: Forensic engineering and consulting firm serving insurance, legal, and industrial clients with failure analysis, accident reconstruction, and expert witness services. Directly comparable service offering to RRFE, operating as a generalist multi-disciplinary forensic practice.
• EFI Global: Engineering and forensic consulting firm providing failure analysis, accident reconstruction, and expert services primarily to insurance and legal clients. Comparable professional services model serving attorneys and insurers with technical investigations and testimony.
• Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates (WJE): Engineering firm specializing in failure investigation, structural and materials engineering, and expert testimony, with deep involvement in construction-defect litigation. Comparable to RRFE's construction-defect investigation practice but at much larger scale and broader scope.
• Donan (a Milliman Company): Forensic engineering firm providing fire origin/cause, structural failure, and accident investigation with significant insurance and legal expert witness work. Comparable forensic methodology and customer base (attorneys and insurers) to RRFE, with broader engineering scope.

Direct peers

• Robson Forensic: Forensic engineering and expert witness firm organized by technical discipline (civil, mechanical, electrical, etc.), providing investigation and testimony for attorneys and insurance carriers. Most directly comparable multi-disciplinary forensic-expert peer to RRFE in business model and customer profile.

Emerging players

• Counsilman-Hunsaker & Associates: Aquatic design and engineering consultancy where both Reynolds (as Mountain Region Studio Director) and Hodsdon (as intern) previously worked. Most adjacent peer by virtue of deep aquatic industry focus; comparable in subject-matter expertise but operates on the design side rather than forensic investigation and expert testimony.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rowley-reynolds-forensic-engineering-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rowley & Reynolds Forensic Engineering