Highway Tech Show

John Kolter is the Sergeant of the California Highway Patrol’s Central Division Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team (MAIT). He has served with the CHP for over 25 years, starting as an officer in West Los Angeles. He has earned certifications from the Accreditation Commission for Traffic Accident Reconstructionists (ACTAR) and the National Institute of Automotive Service Excellence. Before his time with the California Highway Patrol, he worked as an automotive technician for 10 years, bringing his expertise as a heavy truck technician and master automobile technician to his current position.

For the California Highway Patrol, crash prevention is the number one priority. However, if a crash cannot be prevented, then it needs to be explained. The MAIT program, which stands for Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team, is designed to reconstruct and provide answers for major crashes. Since their inception in 1978, the program has seen incredible growth in both technology and procedure. Now more than ever, they are able to give closure to the victims, insurance agencies, and the government. So how have they improved and what does that look like in practice?

John Kolter has been with the California Highway Patrol, and later MAIT, since 1996. Coming from a background as an automobile technician, he has been able to apply his expertise to a comprehensive view of crash reconstruction. He is now the Sergeant and team leader of Central Division MAIT, leading a diverse team to better understand the procedures for analysis and prevention of crashes. 

John Grindey and John Steiner host John Kolter, the Sergeant of the California Highway Patrol Central Division MAIT, to talk about crash reconstruction and the latest developments in the field. The three discuss a host of topics, from drone technology to speed calculation to Berla data and more. They also dive into how MAIT has changed and grown over the past 40 years. Tune in for all of this and more on this episode of the Highway Tech Show.

John Steiner and John Grindey are the Co-founders of MecanicaCorp. After meeting at multiple different crashes and finding a shared passion for highway safety, they started the business together. They have provided quality accident reconstruction, along with the members of their team, since 2014.

John Steiner is the Chief Executive Officer and serves as the Principal Scientist at MecanicaCorp, specializing in accident reconstruction and event data recorder (EDR) analysis. He manages the company’s government contracts and has served as Chief Researcher on government-funded highway safety research projects. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from California State University, Long Beach, and has worked as a course instructor at SAE International for over 10 years. 

John Grindey is the Chief Operating Officer and Crash Reconstruction Expert at MecanicaCorp. He has 24 years of experience in the California Highway Patrol, where he spent 10 years working as a member of the Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team (MAIT). He has assisted in thousands of investigations and has worked on over 2,500 traffic accidents. His expertise involves analyzing, documenting, and reconstructing everything from pedestrian accidents to heavy motor vehicle collisions.

Highway accident reconstruction is a field that is constantly progressing and updating its technology. The old-school methods of tape, paper, and overlays have been replaced with cutting-edge computers and cameras. And while the office work is as laborious as ever, these advancements have allowed quicker responses on site. 

Even technology that is only a few years old can make a difference when analyzing accidents. This is why staying current is essential for these companies — and is a point of pride for MecanicaCorp.

On this episode of the Highway Tech Show, Dr. Jeremy Weisz continues his interview of John Steiner and John Grindey, Co-founders of MecanicaCorp, to find out how they keep up to date with their technology. They talk about the tools and methods used at the beginning of their careers versus the powerful equipment they utilize today. From the courtroom to the office to the crash site, they break down how tech has changed their careers for the better.

John Steiner and John Grindey are the Co-founders of MecanicaCorp. After meeting at multiple different crashes and finding a shared passion for highway safety, they started the business together. They have provided quality accident reconstruction, along with the members of their team, since 2014.

John Steiner is the Chief Executive Officer and serves as the Principal Scientist at MecanicaCorp, specializing in accident reconstruction and event data recorder (EDR) analysis. He manages the company’s government contracts and has served as Chief Researcher on government-funded highway safety research projects. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from California State University, Long Beach, and has worked as a course instructor at SAE International for over 10 years. 

John Grindey is the Chief Operating Officer and Crash Reconstruction Expert at MecanicaCorp. He has 24 years of experience in the California Highway Patrol, where he spent 10 years working as a member of the Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team (MAIT). He has assisted in thousands of investigations and has worked on over 2,500 traffic accidents. His expertise involves analyzing, documenting, and reconstructing everything from pedestrian accidents to heavy motor vehicle collisions.

Vehicle accidents are messy by nature. While insurance companies and courts may need the details of a crash, it can be difficult to know the specifics. Evidence might be damaged, data can be hard to retrieve, and documentation is often difficult to understand. Local authorities are frequently tasked with reconstructing an incident, but this is not their specialty. However, it is the specialty of MecanicaCorp.

Created by John Steiner and John Grindey, MecanicaCorp combines the expertise of an accident reconstructionist and an accident investigator into one business. Although they started small, their team now includes 25 members, each with their own areas of specialization. They are now leaders in the accident reconstruction industry, with multiple locations in the United States and Mexico.

In this episode of the Highway Tech Show, Dr. Jeremy Weisz interviews co-hosts, John Steiner and John Grindey of MecanicaCorp, to see how their business began. The two recall how they met, what inspired them to start their business, and how the company has grown since then. From workplace culture to the misunderstood “black boxes” in vehicles, they break down common misconceptions and share what sets them apart from the competition. This is an episode — and a podcast — you won’t want to miss.