It can be powerful when you testify about the pain that you experienced after getting injured in an accident. It can be convincing when you tell a jury that another driver was responsible for a car crash. Your word alone may not be enough for some people though. That is why our Harrison personal injury attorneys sometimes deploy expert witnesses who can help deliver convincing testimony that helps you build your case.
What Kinds of Expert Witnesses Are There?
Expert witnesses can weigh in on all sorts of topics relevant to a personal injury case. Your lawsuit could benefit from the testimony of people with experience in:
- The medical field
- Accident reconstruction
- Psychology and mental health
- The insurance industry
- Vocational rehabilitation
- Economics
- Manufacturing
How Can Expert Witnesses Help?
These expert witnesses can offer useful testimony that helps strengthen your arguments and convince a jury that you deserve the compensation that you are asking for. Some common scenarios include:
- Medical professionals speak about a claimant’s injuries and what kinds of challenges they will face on the road to recovery
- An accident reconstruction expert shows, based on all available evidence, how they think a car accident occurred and who should be blamed for a crash
- Someone working in the vocational rehab field tells the jury how the claimant’s injuries will prevent them from returning to their job and how they will have to struggle to learn new skills that they can use in a new field
Expert witnesses can be more convincing because they obviously know their field and they can be seen as neutral parties. They can give you more credibility by backing up your testimony and your arguments. They can help you establish liability and show how the defendant’s negligence caused you harm. You cannot rely on these witnesses to single-handedly make your case for you, but having them on your side can be extremely beneficial.
Are There Any Potential Downsides?
That being said, there are potential downsides to relying too heavily on these types of expert witnesses. The first issue is that they do cost money. This means that you don’t want to just build your case by employing a lineup of witnesses who can testify on your behalf. You’ll want to have some other compelling evidence as well or litigating your case will get more expensive quickly.
There is also the possibility that the defense will attack the credibility of your witness. If they can convince the jury that this expert witness simply tailors their testimony to help anyone who pays them their fees, that can render their statements less helpful.
Contact Our Law Firm
Whether you were hurt in a slip-and-fall accident or injured by a defective product, we want to help you claim the compensation that you deserve. Contact Hausman & Pendzick to schedule a free case consultation and learn more about what our experienced attorneys can do to be of assistance.