- Monthly dinner meeting of Georgia Society of Professional Engineers

- 6:00 p.m., Monday, May 14, 2018 at the Piccadilly Cafeteria, Tucker.

- Presentation Topic: Finding Why the Bridges Fell in Florida and Atlanta

- Speaker: Richard A. Rice, PE, President and Forensic Engineer, Mutual Engineering, Inc. – MEI.  Board Certified Forensic Engineer

No word yet on why the Miami pedestrian bridge collapsed seven weeks ago, killing six and injuring nine. There is lots of speculation based on limited information but no announced authoritative conclusions. For some it is disquieting that the cause of a fatal failure is not known right away. Granted the bridge was under construction and it was a new design; but could it happen here? What about the downtown Atlanta hamster tube walkways that people use all the time? Other than the I85 fire collapse last year, nothing like that ever happened in Georgia, right?
 
WRONG.   An elevated pedestrian walkway at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens fell during construction in 2008. Temporary scaffolding towers were used to support the steel framing and the forms for the concrete deck before the cable supports were installed. About 30 minutes after the start of the first concrete pour one of the sections of the 600-foot-long walkway gave way. One worker was killed and eighteen more were injured.  
 
When accidents of this nature happen, officials and engineers want to know why; not merely because of curiosity and to blame someone, but to assure that future tragedies are avoided. Sifting through the evidence; the designs, the physical debris, any videos and eye witness accounts can give an indication of how the events transpired. Drawing conclusions and making recommendations is the work of individuals specializing in the field of forensic engineering.
 
Richard A. Rice, PE, President and Forensic Engineer, Mutual Engineering, Inc. – MEI, will address the 6:00 PM, Monday, May 14th monthly dinner meeting of the Georgia Society of Professional Engineers at Piccadilly Cafeteria, Northlake. He will present on the Finding Why the Bridges Fell in Florida and Atlanta. Mr. Rice was called on to analyze the Botanical Garden structure failure. The presentation will discuss the similarities and differences of the two events and the methodologies of a forensic engineering investigation. Currently registered Professional Engineers, those engineers aspiring to become PEs, and others engaged in engineering would benefit from the presentation. Members of the general public are also welcomed to learn about technology, engineering, and public welfare.

Richard A. Rice, PE is President and Forensic Engineer for Mutual Engineering, Inc. (MEI). For 30+ years, Mr. Rice has provided civil, structural and construction engineering services to both governmental and private entities throughout the United States. Mr. Rice frequently provides engineering and expert witness services to the legal, insurance and construction industries on a variety of civil and structural engineering matters such as roadway design and construction, building construction/inspection and code compliance, building collapse, construction site incidents and other property loss subjects. Mr. Rice is a licensed professional engineer in several states, and a Board Certified Diplomate of the National Academy of Forensic Engineers (NAFE).