Christopher Puckett

Director, Special Investigations Unit, Avalon

During his 21 year Law Enforcement career as an Investigator with the State Police, Christopher Puckett investigated crime scenes and motor vehicle collisions. Christopher was assigned to the Forensic Identification Unit for the New York State Police, where he processed major crime scenes for physical evidence. Christopher was also assigned to the Bureau of Criminal Investigation, where he investigated major crimes reported to the Division of State Police. Christopher provided investigation and reconstruction of hundreds of motor vehicle collisions involving property damage, physical injury, and death for numerous clients and agencies in the private sector. These investigations included the use of applicable theories in collision reconstruction and the fulfillment of reporting requirements as stipulated by the Division of State Police.

Christopher is an expert at forensic mapping and diagramming of any incident to include: motor vehicle collisions, crime scenes, and various non-collision related incidents. He has conducted and participated in testing to include: acceleration/deceleration, pedestrian speeds, time/distance analysis, and nighttime sight distance and perception reaction time to substantiate applied theories in collision reconstruction.

Christopher had been assigned as an instructor in basic accident investigation, collision reconstruction, fingerprint evidence, forensic photography/imagery, bloodstain pattern analysis, report writing, and Electronic Total Work Station, an electronic/optical instrument used in modern surveying. Christopher has provided investigative assistance to federal, state and local police agencies, District Attorney’s Offices, and numerous clients within New York State and throughout the Northeast region.

Christopher is an active member of several professional affiliations including: of New York State Traffic Accident Reconstruction Society, Inc. (NYSTARS), Accident Reconstruction Communication Network (ARC), New York State Special Investigation Units (NYSSIU), and Buffalo Claims Association (BCA). He has worked as an Adjunct Instructor at Hilbert College, teaching forensic photography/imagery, fingerprint evidence, collision reconstruction, bloodstain pattern analysis and report writing.

Publications:

• Co-Author: Epstein, S. B., Puckett, C. A. – Atticus, Spring 2017, Volume 29, Number 2, New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NYSACDL) publication on criminal defense issues – “It Takes a Team,” May 2017 – an article focusing on the team approach to defending criminal cases

• Contributor: Siegel, J. A., Mirakovits, K. (2016). Forensic Science, the basics, Third Edition. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL – Chapter 9, Accident Reconstruction, pages 198-211 and Lab Manual, and Chapter 16, Bloodstain Pattern Analysis, pages 379-392 and Lab Manual

Presentations:

• Presenter: “Technology Updates” Western New York Regional Affiliate of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association (NYSTLA) – A Presentation Focused on Technological Advancements in the Field of Motor Vehicle Accident Reconstruction – October 23, 2019, Buffalo, New York

• Presenter: “Technology Updates” Defense Trial Lawyers Association of Western New York (DTLA-WNY) – A Presentation Focused on Technological Advancements in the Field of Motor Vehicle Accident Reconstruction – October 2, 2019, Buffalo, New York

• Presenter/Panelist: “Collision Reconstruction,” New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NYSACDL) Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Seminar, Weapons for the Firefight 2017: Fighting Science with Science – A Seminar Focused on Expert Witness Testimony in Criminal Cases with an Emphasis on DWI and DNA – December 1, 2017, New York Law School, New York, New York

• Presenter/Panelist: “Collision Reconstruction and Reenactments” Suffolk County Bar Association – A Presentation Focused on Reenactments as a Component of a Reconstruction Investigation – February 25, 2016, Suffolk County, New York