As you start to consider pursuing a personal injury lawsuit, you might think that the process is straightforward and easy to navigate. While that may be true to a certain extent and from a high-level view, the intricacies of your case can raise issues. For example, even if you think you have strong witness testimony to support your account of the facts, the credibility of those witnesses can come under attack. This, in turn, can threaten the reliability of their statements, driving jurors to find their accounts untrustworthy. This can blow a hole in your personal injury case and threaten to rob you of the outcome needed to stabilize your future.
The good news is that there are several ways to mitigate the risk of this happening. While you can vet your witnesses before they take the stand and avoid calling problematic witnesses to testify on your behalf, another strong option is to lean on expert testimony.
Which expert witnesses could be beneficial in your personal injury case?
Many jurors like to hear from experts who can explain the scientific nuances of the facts at hand and who can render an opinion on facts that are key to their legal determinations. So, as you build your car accident personal injury case, you may want to consider calling one or more of the following experts at trial:
- A medical expert: The injuries you’ve suffered in your accident can have long-lasting consequences. But it can hard to explain them if you’re not a doctor. By calling a medical expert, you can not only present testimony as to the likely cause of your injuries, but also your need for ongoing treatment, your prognosis and how your injuries will impact your ability to work and live a normal life. Also, don’t forget to address how the accident has affected your mental health and will continue to impact your mental well-being moving forward. All this testimony can go a long way toward proving your damages.
- An accident reconstruction expert: If the cause of your accident is being contested, then you might want one of these experts to come in and testify to what the science says. This individual will apply the laws of physics to the evidence, such as tire marks, impact points and vehicle resting positions, to come to a conclusion as to how the accident occurred. This can be very persuasive evidence for the jury, and it could make or break your case.
- A vocational expert: Your accident injuries might impact your ability to work and the trajectory of your career for a long time to come. But you can’t expect the jury to take your word for it. In fact, if you tried to testify on that point, the defense would eat you up on cross-examination. So, it’s better to turn to a vocational expert who can help you speak to the limitations that’ll be put on you moving forward.
Be sure to prove every element of your personal injury case
There’s a lot of evidence to contend with when you’re pursuing a personal injury case. And on top of getting your evidence in order, you also have to anticipate the defense’s so that you can try to effectively counter it. All of that can be stressful to handle, but don’t worry. You don’t have to walk this path alone. Instead, you can work closely with your personal injury attorney so that you develop the proper legal arguments to protect your interests. Hopefully then you can rest assured that you’ve done everything possible to find accountability and recover the compensation you deserve.