Lisa Beck

From South Africa, Lisa obtained a diploma in mechanical engineering and worked for a large wine co-operative in the Stellenbosch wine region. Thereafter, she studied further at the University of Cape Town and obtained a science degree in mechanical engineering. In southern and central Africa, Lisa worked in the steel recycling and water tube boiler industries, gaining experience of heavy engineering plant and equipment. Lisa immigrated to the UK and joined Hawkins in 2007 as an Associate fire and engineering investigator in the Reigate office. She investigates fires ranging from domestic to large industrial incidents, and engineering losses ranging from personal injuries to large engineering equipment failures. She has also investigated various bicycle related incidents, drawing on a personal passion for the sport. LANGUAGES Lisa is also proficient in Afrikaans.

Patrick Barbour

Having obtained a Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering, Patrick spent two years designing sub-sea wellhead equipment for the North Sea oil industry. He then returned to Leeds University to carry out research into the wear of polymers used in artificial hip joints. Having gained a PhD, he continued his research and lectured Mechanical Engineering at Leeds University. Patrick joined Dr J H Burgoyne and Partners LLP in 2000 to investigate incidents involving personal injury and mechanical failure for insurers and solicitors. During this time the findings of his investigations were used in numerous court cases, both civil and criminal, and he attended arbitrations and mediations to present expert evidence. In 2008 Patrick joined Hawkins in our Bristol office where he continues to use his expertise to investigate incidents of personal injury and mechanical failure. Patrick’s cases have involved the safety of systems of work and the failure of engineering components in commercial and domestic installations. These cases can require the analysis of stress and failure modes of a variety of materials, loads generated by static and moving bodies, thermodynamics and fluid flow as well as the safety of systems of work and the safety of interlocking systems intended to prevent […]

Richard Baker

Richard joined Hawkins in 2017 as a Chartered Mechanical Engineer. He graduated from the University of Nottingham in 2009 with a First Class Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering. Richard has previously occupied the roles of Engineer, Senior Engineer and Principal Engineer. He now specialises in the forensic investigation of road traffic accidents/collisions, vehicle and mechanical failures, and image analysis typically of video recordings from CCTV systems and ‘dash-cams’. Richard has extensive experience in engineering design and analysis. As well as taking on more traditional mechanical engineering cases, such as those involving failures of mechanical joints and fasteners, Richard uses his experience in engineering data analysis and interrogation in cases involving video analysis. Richard applies scientific analysis methods to video recordings to facilitate interpretation of events in the context of space (position), time, speed, and the fundamental scientific and engineering principles that bound the problem. This work includes video clarification and enhancement, relating to single and multiple vehicle accidents, and collisions involving pedestrians and cyclists. This area of Richard’s work often strongly overlaps with his expertise in collision investigation and Richard is regularly instructed to deal with both Video Analysis Expert and Collision Reconstruction Expert aspects of a case. Richard has […]

Nick Ashby

Nick Ashby is a Principal Associate at Hawkins with extensive expertise in power generation, operations, and energy projects across the UK and international markets.

Ben Adams

Ben is a power plant electrical engineer and internationally recognised generator expert.  Since joining Hawkins in 2018, Ben has specialised in major and complex electrical plant insurance losses with assignments in over 40 countries. As well as working on failures for the insurance industry, Ben has acted as an expert witness in an international arbitration and regularly provides consultancy on generator issues to power plants. Key areas of specialism: Generators (turbo, hydro and wind), and their auxiliary systems; Synchronous compensators / Rotating stabilisers / Large motors; Transformers (including bushings and on line tap changers); Wind turbine electrical systems; Solar PV plants; Switchgear and busbar systems; Power plant operation and maintenance (thermal and renewable); Power plant risk engineering; Quantum support on generator claims; Electrical equipment assessment following escapes of water; Generator fire investigation Prior to joining Hawkins, Ben gained more than 15 years’ experience working in the power industry at Drax power station, followed by RWE and International Power (latterly GDF Suez and ENGIE).  As part of these roles, he provided technical support to large fleets of power plants in the areas of high voltage equipment and general power plant risk engineering, both internally and in the case of RWE, also […]

Safety Considerations Under Acceleration in Fairground Rides: A G-Force To Be Reckoned With

In fairground rides, safety is crucial. Hawkins investigates forces for rider safety, highlighting safety considerations in fairground rides.

Hawkins Welcomes Mechanical Engineer Gavin Dunn

This month Hawkins welcomes mechanical engineer Gavin Dunn to our Glasgow Office, we are sure he will be a great asset to our road traffic collision investigation team.

Hawkins Welcomes Fire Engineer Tom Dale

Since graduating in 2013 with a first-class bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Warwick, Tom has pursued a career in fire safety and risk management.

Gareth Dobinson

Gareth started his career in engineering with an industrial placement during his third year at Loughborough University. The twelve months were spent working for Xerox as a Systems Engineer where he undertook a wide range of engineering work as well as developing a system to monitor paper control timings for a paper transport module. As part of his placement he spent five months working in Venray, Netherlands, integrating new products into the manufacturing line. On completion of his placement he received a bursary from Xerox for the final two years of his degree. His final year project was sponsored by Xerox and investigated “The environmental effects on glass reinforced plastic”. After completing his degree Gareth joined Xerox on their Graduate Engineering programme based in Welwyn Garden City. During his five years at Xerox, Gareth obtained a wealth of experiences in both the mechanical and software aspects of engineering. He started working in the Mechanical group where he was the lead engineer on a paper handling module. This was followed up by two long term assignments to Senai, Malaysia and Wilsonville, USA. During his third year at Xerox Gareth undertook a conversion course in Software Engineering. The skills learnt on this […]

Luke Collins

Following his Masters in Aerospace Engineering, Luke worked as a Dynamic Test Technician for Ipeco Holdings Ltd, a leading manufacturer of civil and military aircraft seating. In 2009, Luke joined Hannaford Forensic Services Ltd (Hannafords), specialising in the forensic investigation of vehicle fires. During his time at Hannafords, he undertook over 150 investigations, which included road vehicles from all classifications, as well as a large number of off-road plant equipment. To assist with the investigations, Luke successfully completed a VOSA Public Service Vehicle Inspection Procedures and Standards course. On several occasions, he prepared expert witness reports for use in civil litigation and has presented in court in Southampton. In 2011, Hannafords extended into Asia opening a Hong Kong office (HFS-Asia). Luke undertook marine fire investigations, including engine room fires and cargo hold fires. During this time, Luke obtained a Diploma in Marine Investigation from Lloyds Maritime Academy. In 2014, Luke joined Hawkins’ office in Reigate, Surrey. He has expanded his expertise into the field of fire and explosion investigation of domestic and commercial properties, factories and process plants, whilst continuing vehicle and marine fire investigation work. In 2014, Luke completed John DeHaan Theoretical and Practical Fire Investigation courses at Gardiner […]