Expert Witnesses In Your Motor Vehicle Collision Case - How A Vocational Expert Can Help

If you were involved in a motor vehicle collision, the law states you’re entitled to receive compensation for not only medical expenses but also lost wages and pain and suffering. However, in the real world, these claims usually pan out differently. Even if the case is clear-cut, the at-fault party and their insurance company will most likely dispute your claim.

When the insurance company denies or underpays your claim, you’ll require the assistance of an experienced personal injury to recover what you’re entitled to under the law. Your legal counselor will investigate the entire motor vehicle collision and collect any additional evidence required for a favorable outcome with the help of a variety of expert witnesses.

Today, we’ll talk more about these witnesses and their role in your motor vehicle collision case.

What Is An Expert Witness?

Expert witnesses possess expertise in a particular field. They can use their work experience or education-based knowledge to analyze evidence and draw informed conclusions on a case such as the cause of your motor vehicle collision. 

Once the process of investigation comes to a close, the expert will provide your attorney with a detailed report that outlines their findings. These documents can then be used to convince the insurance company to settle your claim in your favor. If they still refuse to budge, your attorney can use the expert witness report in court and call upon the expert witness to testify on the facts of your motor vehicle collision.

Expert witness testimony is different from first-hand accounts. The expert is legally allowed to testify on a trial on the ground of special expertise in a field relevant to the personal injury case, even if they didn’t witness the events per se.

Types Of Expert Witnesses In A Motor Vehicle Collision Case

Although not all cases require expert witnesses, some disputes need that extra push to support and rectify the claim with success. Personal injury attorneys use some of the following specialists in car accident claims:

• Medical expert

If you were injured in a motor vehicle collision, you might need a physician or medical expert to testify about the cause of your injuries, as well as the treatments you will require in the future. Additionally, a medical expert witness can translate to the jury exactly how injuries impact your life and your future prospects.

• Reconstruction expert

Oftentimes, the cause of the accident will be disputed by the opposing party, which is why your attorney may need professional help to recreate how the collision occurred. Reconstruction experts can leverage different techniques to demonstrate the most likely accident scenario, such as using models, sophisticated computer simulations, and diagrams. This establishes a scientific basis for determining the force of the impact, the speed that the vehicles were traveling, and so on.

• Highway safety expert

In cases where the main cause of the accident was road conditions, your attorney will contact an engineer for advice. This individual is familiar with federal and state regulations on road design and can explain how their violations contributed to the events that transpired.

• Mental health expert 

Along with physical damage, your motor vehicle collision may have left you with psychological damage. A mental health professional is qualified to testify about your emotional condition following the accident and its impact on your life.

How A Vocational Expert Can Strengthen The Case

When you suffer significant injuries in a motor vehicle collision, you may be unable to perform your job for a considerable amount of time or even your entire life in extreme scenarios. Unfortunately, it’s often hard to ascertain the value of the case. 

While the crux of it relies on medical bills and the costs of long-term rehabilitation, your loss of ability to perform your previous job and make a living is also quite important.

This is where a vocational expert enters the picture. These specialists have the credentials and experience to quantify all aspects of your motor vehicle collision injury, including:

• Medical costs
• Vocational capacity
• Earning capacity
• Lost earning capacity
• Cost of replacement service

Vocational experts may also testify on the job history of the plaintiff and certify if any jobs are available to them now that they have an extra set of limitations imposed by their disability/injury.

Along with other types of specialists your attorney hires, vocational experts can prove valuable as they bring a completely different skill set to the table. Their experience with the job market is unprecedented as using current employment trends, they can scientifically support their findings. In the end, this helps present and quantify the full extent of the economic harm resulting from your motor vehicle collision.

In other words, vocational experts provide a valuable missing link between economic loss and medical treatment, which is generally hard to determine. It gives your attorney and the opposing party/jury the complete picture of the damages incurred, which may help tip the odds in your favor, thus helping you win your case and receive a fair settlement. 

Despite the fact that vocational and other experts are not legally required, if any evidence is put into question (including your earning capacity), your attorney should use all the tools at their disposal to help you come out on top. This means the cost of additional experts is worth it as their findings and testimony may well be the thing that pushes your case toward the best outcome.

We Can Help You Fight For Your Rights

Even though your attorney will ultimately be the one who decides whether an expert can benefit your case in any way, shape, or form, you still have a say in this. A vocational expert report and testimony can be the missing ingredient in a winning case and in most scenarios, they can strengthen your claim.

Naturally, the experience of the vocational expert witness matters a great deal, which is why you should only work with the best. Specialists at OAS are nationwide leaders in this profession for a good reason. We have 50 years of experience under our belt and vocational matters are second nature for us at this point. 

Feel free to fill out our contact form to receive a free consultation. We’ll review your case free of charge and explain how we can make a positive contribution that will lead to a maximum settlement.