Some car accident cases require a straightforward determination of who was at fault for the collision. On the other hand, certain collisions are more complicated and demand the validation of witnesses. When you picture expert witnesses, you often imagine dramatic courtrooms that make the evening news. The fact is expert witnesses are a part of almost everyday auto accident claims – even those that do not go to trial.
Difference Between On-Scene Witnesses and Experienced Witnesses
On-scene witnesses are people who may not have relevant experience but who were present during the time of the accident. Experienced witnesses are people who are not present at the scene of the collision but who can offer credentialed analysis and help you understand a technical issue.
Types of Experienced Witnesses in a Car Collision Case
There are many relevant fields of expertise. Some of the common types of expert witnesses include:
Medical experts:
Medical professionals/experts prove about the medical conditions and injuries sustained in a car accident. These experts make a detailed analysis of the case and testify the expected recovery period and types of treatment that need to be performed in the future. They can also validate the degree of pain and suffering as a result of the injury.
Economists and accountants:
Analyzing and calculating your monetary damages is not as easy as it may appear. For instance, if you have a claim for future loss of income, it will require an account of inflation, a promotion that you may miss, increasing costs of medical care, and pension benefits. These figures carry more weightage when rendered by an economist or an accountant.
Accident reconstruction specialists:
A law enforcement officer can only tell us how an accident happened and why. In most cases, officers are not there during the crash. Thus, a cursory examination does not reveal much about the causes and factors at play. On the other hand, accident reconstruction specialists are adept at recreating the accident scene and considering a wide range of environmental and forensic evidence to get a detailed account of causation, fault, and damage.
Vocational specialists:
Vocational specialists can validate how the collision has impacted your ability to earn and how you may get deprived of jobs due to injuries.
Mental health experts:
Psychiatrists, psychologists, and neuropsychologists can provide a detailed account of how the accident victim has impacted you emotionally and how it has obstructed the quality of your life. In most cases, emotional distress and anxiety account for the maximum compensation.
Reach Out to Our Injury Attorneys in Lake Charles, LA
An expert witness can either make or break a case. The primary purpose of a professional witness is to explain an issue that may not be known to an average fact finder. While choosing an expert may appear overwhelming, our injury attorneys in Lake Charles, LA at the Law Offices of L. Clayton Burgess, can help you find the right expert witness. If you’ve become a victim of an auto accident and you are planning to file a claim against the accused, do not hesitate to get in touch with us. We work with a core team of clerks and paralegals, and they leave no stone unturned to obtain the reimbursement you are entitled to. We also work on a contingency fee structure, which means that our clients need to pay us only when we obtain monetary compensation for them.
