Opinion ID: 894743
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Crate

Text: Jon Crate testified that based on his review of several published articles, the wax on the skim stock identified in the RAPRA report was the result of contamination rather than migration before or after the accident from other parts of the tire where wax was intentionally applied. He so testified although RAPRA itself had concluded that it was unable to determine whether migration was the source of the wax. Crate also opined that the wax would adversely affect adhesion, though he could not identify any testing that has been performed by anyone that addresses the effects that wax has on the bonding between the tread and the belt of a tire, and offered no testimony as to the amount of wax needed to cause a belt or tread to separate. He had not personally conducted any tests on the tire at issue or any other tires, but knows how to conduct spectroscopy of the sort utilized in the preparation of the RAPRA report. [11] Crate works for the Georgia Tech Research Institute, which conducts testing for industrial and litigation clients, and works privately for a company called Failure Analysts, Inc. He has an undergraduate degree in chemistry and a master's degree in polymer science and engineering. He describes polymers as including all plastics, rubbers, coatings, paints, and composites made [of] different materials. He has done work in molecular biology and biochemistry, but has no specialized expertise in tire chemistry. He has never worked for a tire company or published any articles on tire chemistry. He conceded at trial that he does not consider himself an expert in tire design, does not consider himself a forensic tire examiner, and does not hold himself out as having any expertise in the field of tire manufacturing. He has done no testing on the migration of wax in tires or the effect of wax on tire ply bonding. The San Antonio Court of Appeals has held that he was not qualified to testify in the field of tire failure analysis. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. v. Rios, 143 S.W.3d 107, 115-16 (Tex. App.San Antonio 2004, pet. denied). While Crate has a degree in chemistry, chemistry is an exceedingly vast science divided into several branches and is far beyond the capacity of one person to master. Tire chemistry and design and the adhesion properties of tire components is a highly specialized field. As we noted in Bridgestone/Firestone, Inc., 106 S.W.3d at 731, skim stock formulas are closely guarded secrets in the tire industry. The recipes used in tires cannot be reverse engineered because the vulcanization process chemically alters the ingredients, nor can the physical properties be determined from an examination of the ingredients. Id. at 731-32. Instead, testing is required. Id. at 732. A Cooper Tire videotape about tire manufacturing, offered by plaintiffs and played at trial, explains that a tire is one of the most complex components of an automobile, and that a radial tire is a composite of 200 different chemicals and raw materials combined by physics, chemistry, and craftsmanship. We conclude that without more specialized education, training, or experience in tire chemistry, Crate was not qualified to testify on the subject of wax migration and contamination in tires and their effect on tire adhesion. The trial court should have excluded his testimony.