If you’ve filed a lawsuit after getting hurt in an accident, you may be wondering how you can prove what occurred during the accident – and why you’re not responsible for the accident—in court. While your testimony and testimony from other eyewitnesses can help support you in showing that the other driver is liable for your injuries, another form of evidence can be invaluable in court: expert witness testimony. Eyewitnesses are limited to providing testimony regarding what they actually saw, and not an opinion on what happened. However, expert testimony is valuable predominantly because of the expert’s body of technical knowledge as applied to the facts of your case, allowing them to offer informed opinions about who was responsible in an accident and why, or why your requested damages are appropriate. This testimony can be extremely valuable in convincing a judge or jury that those experienced and credentialed in a field agree with your assertions, and they should ultimately rule in your favor in a personal injury lawsuit.
Common forms of expert witness testimony that appear in personal injury lawsuits include:
Medical Experts: In some instances, a defendant may attempt to prove that the injuries you claim to have received from an accident actually existed before the accident, so the defendant should not owe any damages for physical injuries resulting from the crash. A medical expert can examine you and your medical records to provide an assessment of your injuries to the court, offering technical evidence supporting the finding that your injuries stemmed from the accident. Additionally, medical experts can provide testimony on how much more medical care you will need to recover fully, as well as an expert opinion on how painful your injuries likely were.
Engineering Experts: Some accidents occur not due to the recklessness or negligence of another driver, but because an intersection or roadway was dangerous or poorly-designed. An engineering expert can provide testimony based on their knowledge of road engineering best practices to show why the location of your accident was negligently designed or maintained.
Economists: If you’ve been seriously injured, you may have medical expenses that will last a lifetime, and you may even have to stop working or alter your career path due to your injuries. An economist can provide an evaluation of the impact that these events will have on your financial future, and can itemize reasons for the damages you’ve requested in your lawsuit.
If you or a loved one have been hurt in an accident in South Carolina, make sure that you receive full compensation for those injuries by contacting the seasoned and knowledgeable Spartanburg personal injury attorneys at Anderson, Moore, Bailey & Nowell, LLC for a consultation on your case, at 864-641-6431.