Expert Witnesses in Charlotte Car Accident Cases
When filing a compensation claim following an auto accident, you may find it difficult to prove or explain some of the more technical aspects of your case. These topics can include the engineering/design of a vehicle, the extent of your injuries, and how the scene of the accident may have played a factor. If this is the case, you may benefit from learning more about expert witnesses in Charlotte car accident cases. Get in touch with a knowledgeable attorney today for more insight.
What is an Expert Witness?
An expert witness is someone who could explain concepts or give opinions that another witness could not give. Some examples of expert witnesses are doctors or medical professionals that have reviewed the case and have opinions to offer about whether certain things are related as far as the injuries are concerned.
What are the Qualifications for an Expert Witness?
There is a minimum requirement that must be met in order to be acknowledged by the court as an expert witness. They have to be qualified by the court. A lot of times the judges have discretions on that. It has to be based on their experience, their education, and several factors that would most likely either qualify or disqualify someone, but it is up to the trial judge to decide.
What Types of Expert Witnesses are Often Used in Car Accident Cases?
The most common type of expert witness often hired for car accident cases are accident reconstructionists. These types of experts will visit the scene of an accident in order to gain a better understanding of the moments leading up to the accident.
Engineers are also hired to give their opinion regarding how the mechanics of the vehicle may have contributed to the accident. Lastly, medical experts will often be called in to speak more on the injuries suffered by the victim and how they correlate with the details of the accident.
Validity of an Expert Witness’ Testimony
The testimony of an expert witness will most likely have significant weight in a courtroom. However, this is ultimately up to the jury to decide. Therefore, an attorney is responsible for organizing a person’s case in a way that would be easily absorbed by the jury.
An expert witness’ testimony could also depend on the type of opinion they are giving. For example, people may tend to agree with what a medical professional would have to say regarding a person’s injuries since they most likely have the most knowledge when it comes to medicine.
Pros and Cons of Hiring an Expert Witness
The benefits of having an expert witness testify on someone’s behalf during a trial depends on whether the case would need an expert witness. Sometimes, if there is a question about how the accident happened and the only way to answer that for the jury is to present expert testimony, then it is critical.
Someone might not want to have an expert witness in their case if it is a smaller value case. The cost involved with bringing an expert on may not be justified with what potentially could be won and the client could potentially be stuck with the bill.
Schedule a Consultation Today
If you believe that your case requires the testimony of an expert witness, reach out to an experienced attorney who could leverage their connections in order to get you a witness who could add value and validity to your claim.
To learn more about the usage of expert witnesses in Charlotte car accident claims, be sure to schedule a consultation today.
