Plaintiff Tabria Montgomery’s father, Michael Montgomery sustained fatal injuries while operating a Bobst Mastercut 145 PER 2.0 Die-Cutter machine. She asserted claims individually on behalf of herself and her father’s estate against Defendant Bobst Group North America, Inc. (“Bobst NA”) for strict products liability, negligence, wrongful death, and survival.
Plaintiff sought to exclude the opinions of Bobst NA’s expert Alfred P. Bowles II, M.D.
Biomechanics Expert Witness
Alfred Palmer Bowles II, M.D. has a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering and is a Doctor of Medicine who was a licensed physician for over twenty-five years in the fields of general medicine and general surgery. He served in the United States Air Force Reserve for twenty-one years as a credentialed general surgeon and flight surgeon. He is also an accredited traffic accident reconstructionist. Bowles received post-graduate education in trauma medicine, accident reconstruction, and biomechanics applied to the investigation of impact trauma.
Discussion by the Court
Plaintiff contended that Bowles is not sufficiently qualified to offer his opinions regarding cause and manner of death and the duration of conscious pain and suffering because he is primarily a biomechanics expert and not a forensic pathologist.
As Bobst NA explained, Bowles has over twenty-four years of experience in the fields of general surgery, general medicine, and emergency medicine. Bowles also testified that he has previously provided professional expert opinions in litigation matters regarding the duration of conscious pain and suffering.
He testified that “the duration of conscious activity . . . is where my work starts and ends, with the understanding that once your conscious activity has ended, then you’re no longer able to perceive or process . . . the thoughts or the feelings of . . . pain.” He explained that in the cases that he has worked on, “usually there is some allegation that relates to something or a concept that is like pain or suffering.”
Given his experience and training, the Court found that Bowles satisfied the liberal standards for expert qualification even if he is not the most qualified expert to opine on the subjects at issue.
Held
The Court denied the Plaintiff’s motion to exclude the opinions of Defendant Bobst North America, Inc.’s expert Alfred Bowles.
Key Takeaway
A medical degree is not a prerequisite for qualification as an expert capable of testifying regarding the cause of a person’s injuries. In other words, an expert need not possess a particular medical specialty to testify regarding the cause of Montgomery’s death or the duration of any conscious pain and suffering he may have experienced.
Case Details:
| Case Caption: | Montgomery V. Bobst Mex SA |
| Docket Number: | 2:24cv367 |
| Court Name: | United States District Court, Pennsylvania Eastern |
| Order Date: | May 01, 2026 |
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