You’ve probably heard of expert witnesses before, but never thought you’d need one. But if you’ve been in a motor vehicle accident, you slipped and fell in a store, or you’ve suffered the tragic loss of a family member, an expert witness could help you win your personal injury case.
Sand Law personal injury attorneys will often call on these experts to testify on behalf of our clients who have been hurt due to the negligence of others. An expert witness could help in your case as well. If you would like to learn more about how we may be of assistance, please use our online form or call 651-291-7263 for a free consultation.
The following is a look at a few of the many kinds of expert witnesses. And how they could play a role in determining the outcome of your case.
Types of Expert Witnesses
If you’re going to have a chance to recover the monetary losses, also known as damages, that you’ve incurred due to being hurt, you’re going to need proof someone else was to blame for your accident. An expert witness could help provide that proof, making a compelling argument that will sway a judge or jury to your side if your case goes to trial.
These are just a few of the many types of expert witnesses, and how they help clients.
Accident Reconstruction Professionals
When a trucking accident or a car accident occurs, it can sometimes be difficult to find people who saw it, or find nearby security cameras that captured the wreck. But an accident reconstruction expert can recreate a collision based on the evidence they do have, such as pictures of the accident scene, the police report, and others. Their testimony can often be powerful, and convince a judge or jury that the defendant was at fault.
Medical Professionals
Say you’ve suffered a spinal cord injury due to another’s negligence. A medical expert witness can look at your medical expenses and other records. Using these records, they then testify that those expenses are legitimate. This type of witness can explain to a jury how severe your injury really is. As a result, the jury will have the best possible idea of just how badly you’ve been hurt, even if the defendant’s insurance company tries to argue otherwise.
Medical experts often include not only doctors, but physician’s assistants, medical technicians, surgeons and other healthcare professionals.
Mental Health Experts
Damages in a personal injury case can often include psychological trauma suffered by an accident victim. However, it’s usually difficult to prove someone’s mental issues are a direct result of that accident. This is where a mental health expert can make a huge difference. They can show how accidents not only affect a victim’s physical health, but also their emotional well-being.
Economics Experts
Your attorney will have a good idea of what your case is worth, but an economic expert can show just what type of impact your accident has had on your finances. Not only will that expert know, for example, your lost wages because you’ve had to miss work, they’ll also know the potential future income you’ll miss due to your injury.
Engineering Experts
In many instances, road conditions, such as icy highways in winter, will contribute to a car accident. An engineering expert witness can provide a clear explanation of what kind of role those conditions played in your wreck.
Manufacturing Experts
A product defect can often result in an accident. For example, when a vehicle’s brakes fail or a tire blows out. Many of these defects are due to negligence on the part of the manufacturer. When this contributes to an injury, that manufacturer could be held liable. A manufacturing expert witness will have a deep knowledge of the processes and procedures that went into making that product. They will be able to make an understandable, persuasive argument that the product was unreasonably dangerous.
Specialized Experts
There are several types of expert witnesses that specialize in certain areas. For example, a securities expert will often be called upon to testify in complex white collar crime cases.
Consulting Experts vs. Testifying Experts
In some instances, an expert won’t be called upon to testify in a case at all. A consulting expert, for example, will often help a plaintiff by providing information that could help the plaintiff’s attorney prepare a case should it go to trial. A testifying expert, on the other hand, will present evidence in a courtroom.
The Role of an Expert Witness and Their Importance to Your Case
If you’ve been severely injured in a car accident or any other type of accident caused by the negligence of another person or entity, an expert witness could be vital to your case. That witness could very well make the difference between you obtaining fair compensation for your suffering, or not getting any money to cover your expenses.
As you already know, your only chance of winning your case will be to present hard evidence that proves you weren’t at fault for the accident. While your attorney will work to gather that proof, a expert witness testimony can help prove key elements of your case.
Experts are believable, and they add an extra layer of credibility. They provide convincing explanations as to why accidents occur. And they do so in a way that’s easy for people to understand. This could have a powerful, positive impact on your case.
Contact a Sand Law Attorney ASAP After Your Accident
Sand Law attorneys have years of experience helping clients obtain the money they deserve. We also have relationships with several highly respected expert witnesses, who we will often enlist to deliver convincing testimony.
If you would like to learn more about how we may be able to help you win your case, please don’t hesitate to get in touch as soon as you can. Give us a call at 651-291-7263 or contact us online for a free case review.