MK & Associates, LLC

04/27/2026

Due to expected severe weather in the area, our St. Louis, MO home office will close at 1:00 p.m. cdt today.

11/11/2025

Attorneys - a client approaches you with a motorcycle accident whereby he or she claims “something went wrong with the motorcycle." Do you know how to determine if you have a case?! For the next few weeks, we are going to post various things you need to know about motorcycles to help you ask the right questions. When you aren't sure, don't forget we can help assess the physical evidence and advise whether or not your client has a case.

10/27/2025

One area to explore with potential clients who have been in an accident involving a motorcycle is whether or not the motorcycle is configured with the proper tires. You would be surprised how many are not! Fitment is specific per the OEM including aspect ratio, load and speed ratings.

We are able to determine that for you should you wish to determine that for your potential motorcycle cases. Call Stephen Markley at 314-744-4033 today!

08/10/2025

The Problem: Vehicle Veil Effect
When a large vehicle (e.g., SUV, pickup, box truck) stops close to the crosswalk:
It blocks the sightline between pedestrians and other drivers.
Pedestrians in the crosswalk become invisible to:
Drivers turning left or right
Drivers in adjacent lanes
This is known as the “veil” effect or sightline screening.

MoDOT Does Not Currently Require Extra Setback for Large Vehicles

MoDOT policy (per EPG 902.5.4.1) only calls for a 4 ft setback, and does not distinguish between:

Small cars vs. tall vehicles
High-speed roads vs. urban school zones

This is not consistent with national best practices where visibility and Safe System design principles are applied.

FHWA and NTSB Best Practices

The FHWA and NTSB recommend greater setbacks and additional treatments to address this visibility hazard:

Improves sight distance for turning drivers and gives pedestrians more visibility

According to NHTSA, SUVs and trucks are 2–3 times more likely than cars to kill a pedestrian in a crossing scenario—primarily due to visibility and delay in reaction.

Children under 12 are especially at risk due to low eye height.

08/10/2025

If this case lands at your firm, remember to call us for a free evaluation of your case to see if we may be able to help you. We will evaluate your case and let you know free of charge if we believe we can help with your case.

One man died after a cement truck rolled over Saturday morning on Interstate 55 in Jefferson County, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

08/05/2025

Former CEO of Topgolf and Pizza Hut Artie Starrs has been appointed the new CEO of Harley-Davidson to replace outgoing Jochen Zeitz.

08/05/2025

California Fully Enforces No-Touch Phone Law

California is now strictly enforcing a revised interpretation of its hands-free law, making it illegal for drivers to hold a phone for any reason while operating a vehicle. This includes checking maps, changing music, or glancing at a screen—even at a stoplight. A recent court ruling clarified that simply holding a phone is considered a distraction and violates California Vehicle Code § 23123.5. Only mounted devices operated hands-free with minimal interaction are permitted.

Violations are actively enforced across Los Angeles, with fines starting at $20 for a first offense and increasing to $50 for repeat offenses, not including additional court fees. The law aims to reduce distraction-related crashes, which remain a serious safety issue on California roads.

If you’ve been injured in an accident involving a distracted driver, contact The Accident Guys for a free consultation—we’re available 24/7 to help.

🌐calltheaccidentguys.com
📞877.888.GUYS (4897)
📧 [email protected]

08/05/2025

https://www.asce.org/publications-and-news/civil-engineering-source/article/2025/07/22/what-is-teleoperation-how-can-it-improve-construction-safety-and-expand-opportunity?utm_campaign=PUB-20250729-ASCE%20Library%20Users%20July&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua

Teleoperation technology has great potential for the construction industry on several levels, including opening up jobs to people once excluded. Consider these actionable applications.

07/31/2025

MK & Associates, LLC, is pleased to welcome the addition of two experienced mechanical engineers, Daniel B. Gant and Stephen G. Markley, to our technical team and the increase in breadth
of knowledge, both will add to MKA’s analysis capabilities.

Their combined expertise strengthens our ability to support analysis into complex engineering failures and injury-producing accidents, as well as the analysis of machine failures where required. We are pleased that the new insights these two engineers bring to our engineering team will broaden our support to clients with detailed, defensible forensic engineering analysis across a range of mechanical failure and accident scenarios.

Mr. Markley specializes in vehicular accident reconstruction, with a particular focus on motorcycle collisions. His areas of expertise include failure analysis of motorcycles, ATVs, and braking systems; stability analysis of motorcycles and mopeds; evaluation of fuel system integrity on ATVs; and evaluation and analysis of ATV suspension system integrity and roll-over issues. As both an expert and instructor in motorcycle operation and braking, Mr. Markley provides valuable insight into rider behavior and vehicle performance, as well as critical factors in motorcycle collision analysis and control assessment.

Mr. Gant brings with him extensive experience in tooling design, prototype modeling, and mechanical failure analysis, as well as extensive experience in CAD drawing. His background includes the development of tooling for light aircraft and robotic systems. Mr. Gant’s background in the principles of statics and dynamics allows scientific engineering assessment of injury-producing vehicular failures. Mr. Gant’s skills and background enhance our capabilities in evaluating alternative machine designs, hazard mitigation, and constructing demonstrative testing and test models to
support expert engineering analysis and investigation findings.

Working under the supervision of Mr. Mark A.M. Ezra, PE, supervising engineer at Mk & Associates, LLC, both Mr. Markley and Mr. Gant will contribute to our continued commitment to
delivering precise, objective, forensic engineering services to our clients. We look forward to applying our MK & Associates expanded engineering team's expertise to support your investigative and litigation needs. Please don't hesitate to contact us for assistance with your current or upcoming cases.

07/28/2025

Cristian M. Stevens, former Missouri appeals court judge, is sworn in to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri by Chief Judge Clark.

12/09/2024

Happy Holidays to all of our clients! Our office will be closed December 23rd through January 3rd. We will be back in the office on Monday, January 6th. If you need to get in touch with our Engineers while we are out, you can call our regular office number 314-744-4033. Mark Ezra is ext 700, Richard Unger is ext. 702, if you are unsure who to speak with or need to speak to our administrative team, please leave a message on ext. 0 and someone will reach out to you at our earliest ability.