Most personal injury cases have technical components that are complex and hard to understand, but they are often at the heart of your legal action. Making these highly specialized and confusing topics clear can make or break your case.

That’s what expert witnesses do. They clarify information, including medical, scientific and financial data. They do so, by explaining the highly specialized and confusing topics in terms that non-experts understand. An expert can show the ramifications this information can have on the case as a whole.

Here is an overview of the different types of expert witnesses and what they do in personal injury cases.

The Job of the Expert Witness

An expert witness typically has a specialized education, experience and training in a particular discipline that gives them credibility and authority. Much like a lawyer, who you hire to guide you through the legal maze of a personal injury case, an expert witness helps the judge and jury understand complicated information.

Behind a trial begins, an expert witness can advise a lawyer so they ask the right questions during a deposition or discovery. They also help the lawyer prepare for the trial by explaining complicated information that may come out during testimony.

During the trial, the expert witness must first be recognized by the Court as a specialist.  The judge will base their decision on the expert’s education, experience and training. During a trial, an expert explains the scientific or medical issue in easy to understand language and how the scientific data supports the case of the party they represent. It is common for both the plaintiff and the defendant to use this type of testimony.

Types of Expert Witnesses

Medical professionals are the most common expert witnesses in personal injury cases. But, the causes of injury and the circumstances that lead to a trial vary tremendously, so there could be many different issues requiring an expert.

That means expert witnesses come in many specialties, including:

• Financial experts and billing specialists
• Structural engineers, construction supervisors, maintenance workers
• Specialists in regulations
• Accident reconstruction specialists
• First responders
• Forensic pathologists
• Chemists
• Rehabilitation specialists

Effective Expert Witnesses

When a jury member believes the testimony of your expert witness, your case is greatly strengthened. The best and most effective experts are confident, clear, fully prepared and able to easily communicate complicated subjects. An effective expert witness can bolster your case, give it credibility and help you win.

The five most effective traits of an effective expert witnesses are:

• Advanced degrees and extensive practical experience
• The ability to connect their training to the specifics of the case
• A friendly, respectful demeanor, good verbal and non-verbal abilities, and confident presentation
• Ability to present complex subjects in an easy-to-understand way
• Experience in the past on both sides, plaintiff and defendant

Take a car accident as an example. A medical doctor will serve as an expert witness, explaining how the injury has affected the way your body functions. Another expert with a background in reconstructing the scene of an accident can explain the sequence of events that caused the accident and the injury.

How an Expert Witness Helps Your Case

A good expert witness helps your case by making complex data clear to the jury. They present factual testimony that strengthens your case. In the process, they can also refute testimony made by the expert on the other side of the case.

While expert witnesses explain complicated data, they also provide the jury a clear summary of the information presented in the case. It helps the jury members track what has been covered. In the process, the expert witness is pointing out the implications of the evidence, which might otherwise get lost in the flood of testimony. An effective expert witness offers the jury guidance in interpreting testimony.

Beside the factual data that an expert witness offers the judge and jury, they are also allowed to offer their professional opinion. Opinions from regular witnesses, on the other hand, are highly controlled and very limited. Expert witness opinions and inferences, if they are based on science, can help sway a jury to more readily believe your attorneys assertions.

Work with Experts

A trained, experienced attorney knows how to present your case so jurors understand the complex issues involved and how they support your case. That is why victims of personal injury cases choose Cobb, Boyd, White & Cobb, Attorneys-at-Law, to represent them in complex injury claims.

Whether you are involved in a motor vehicle accident, dealing with a defective product, or another type of personal injury, we can help. Our team of skilled Alabama personal injury lawyers have the skills, experience and practical knowledge to effectively present your case and get you the compensation you deserve. We work closely with you, and we handle your case personally from start to finish.

For the best outcome of your personal injury case, call the experienced Alabama injury attorneys at Cobb, Boyd, White & Cobb today to schedule a consultation.  Our number is (334) 677-1000 or contact us online.