Stephen Panoff
PE
Regional Manager and Senior Managing Accident Reconstructionist
Biography
Stephen Panoff is a Professional Engineer (PE) with extensive experience in automotive safety, accident reconstruction, and vehicle systems analysis. He is a valued member of the Accident Reconstruction team at YA Group., where he applies his technical expertise to support complex investigations and analyses.
Stephen began his career in 2007 as a Crash Safety Test Engineer at Ford Motor Company, where he oversaw component‑level airbag, seatbelt, and seat‑system testing. After several years, he was promoted to supervise the operation of crash sled simulators and later advanced to the role of full‑vehicle crash safety test engineer. In that position, he managed test modes for vehicle certification within the New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Euro NCAP, and China NCAP.
In 2016, Stephen transitioned to automotive supplier Toyoda Gosei as a Senior Engineer, responsible for developing passive restraint systems (“airbags”) for major automotive manufacturers. He spent 18 months in restraint‑system development before moving into the accident reconstruction field.
Prior to joining YA Engineering Services, Stephen consulted on vehicle accident reconstruction involving automobiles, light trucks, commercial trucks, motorcycles, and pedestrians. His work included vehicle dynamics testing, simulation and modeling, advanced vehicle technologies, and failure analysis of various equipment and systems. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in multiple states and has presented his professional findings in court.
Stephen earned his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Lawrence Technological University and his Master of Science in Engineering in Energy Systems Engineering from the University of Michigan–Dearborn.
Credentials
- PE | Professional Engineer
Representative Consulting Assignments
- Vehicle Electronic Data Download | Multiple Locations | Download vehicle input and response data for analysis of crash sequences
- Collision Analysis | Multiple Locations | Investigation, documentation, analysis, and reconstruction of single and multiple vehicle collisions
- Trucking Analysis | Multiple Locations | Investigation, documentation, analysis, and reconstruction of single and multiple heavy vehicle collisions
Professional Experience
- 2026 - Current | Regional Manager and Senior Managing Accident Reconstructionist | YA Group
- 2023 - 2026 | Senior Managing Accident Reconstructionist | YA Engineering Services
- 2017 - 2023 | Mechanical Engineer | SEA, Ltd.
- 2016 - 2017 | Senior Engineer | Toyoda Gosei
- 2007 - 2016 | Crash Safety Test Engineer | Ford Motor Company
Area of Practice
- Accident Reconstruction
Education
- University of Michigan Dearborn - Master of Engineering - Energy Systems Engineering - Dearborn - Michigan
- Lawrence Technological University - Bachelor of Science - Mechanical Engineering - Southfield - Michigan
- Northwestern University - Traffic Accident Reconstruction I - Chicago - Illinois
- Northwestern University - Traffic Accident Reconstruction II - Chicago - Illinois
- Lightpoint Data - Motorcycle Collision Reconstruction
- Society of Automotive Engineers - Accessing and Interpreting Heavy Vehicle Event Data Recorders
- Society of Automotive Engineers - Applying Automotive EDR Data to Traffic Crash Reconstruction
Affiliations
- Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)
- American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
Licenses
- 67618 - Arizona - PE Mechanical
- 41466 - California - PE Mechanical
- 54678 - Colorado - PE Mechanical
- 94635 - Florida - PE Mechanical
- 49213 - Georgia - PE Mechanical
- 062-071720 - Illinois - PE Mechanical
- 26808 - Kansas - PE Mechanical
- 38007 - Kentucky - PE Mechanical
- 6201067499 - Michigan - PE Mechanical
- 62471 - Montana - PE Mechanical
- 26331 - Nevada - PE Mechanical
- 24GE05905600 - New Jersey - PE Mechanical
- 25397 - New Mexico - PE Mechanical
- 27681 - North Dakota - PE Mechanical
- 88228 - Ohio - PE Mechanical
- 31110 - Oklahoma - PE Mechanical
- 95717 - Oregon - PE Mechanical
- 16555 - South Dakota - PE Mechanical
- 133564 - Texas - PE Mechanical
- 10955323-2202 - Utah - PE Mechanical
- 56773 - Washington - PE Mechanical
- 49470-6 - Wisconsin - PE Mechanical
- 16761 - Wyoming - PE Mechanical