When pursuing a personal injury claim after an accident, witnesses can help you prove your case and corroborate your claims, supporting elements of causation, liability, and damages. As the injured party bringing a claim, it is your responsibility, along with your legal team, to prove that the accident caused your injuries and that you deserve to be compensated. One key element that can support your claim is witness testimony.
There are different types of witnesses your legal team may want to talk with and call to testify if needed. The first type is known as Lay and Incident Witnesses. These witnesses have no specific expertise related to your claim. They include:
This witness testimony can help prove and corroborate your claim.
Another type of witness is the “expert.” This is exactly what it sounds like – they are experts in a specific field such as engineering, medicine, manufacturing, and more.
Consulting experts: These experts help explain and clarify key issues to you and your legal team. They provide valuable information but do not testify in open court.
Testifying experts: These experts testify in open court. They must have expertise in their area and be skilled and effective communicators.
Depending on your situation, your lawyer will determine which types of experts may be needed, including:
Medical Experts may be used to testify about your specific injuries; your progress, recovery options and treatment; impact on your quality of life, and whether your condition is temporary or permanent.
Mental Health Experts may be used to help explain how the accident and/or your injuries have affected you mentally or emotionally, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or the emotional trauma of handling a disability.
Accident Reconstruction Experts may be used to assist law enforcement and your attorneys in reconstructing the accident using drawings, models, and special computer programs to help determine how the accident occurred, the speed of vehicles, the force of the impact, and more.
Economics Experts may be used when your injuries have affected your ability to earn a living. These experts can testify to how your injuries have affected your ability to earn a living, including current and future wages you might have earned.
Engineering Experts may be used to talk about how something was built; for instance, finding that a roadway’s engineering may have led to the accident.
Manufacturing Experts may be used to show how a product’s manufacturing was defective and led to the accident/injury, such as a vehicle part failing and causing the accident.
Maintenance Experts may be used to prove a trucking company did not perform required maintenance, leading to or contributing to your accident.
A professional may be the only one who can prove an injury was caused by negligence, its impact on your life, and its severity. While it is good to understand the types of witnesses often involved in personal injury cases; your personal injury attorney will determine what is needed based on the specifics of your situation.
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Past results afford no guarantee of future results and each case is different and is judged on its own merits. The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on January 3, 2018. It was reviewed on February 21, 2025, for content and accuracy, and re-published.
Personal injury law enables a person to go to civil court and receive compensation (or be “made whole”) after suffering injuries due to someone else’s negligence. Personal injury lawsuits are legal claims that can recover financial compensation for your injury-related expenses. This post covers some of the basics of personal injury lawsuits.
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This week from May 15th to the 21st is National Dog Bite Prevention Week. And, now that the warmer weather is here, many dogs are out and about in our neighborhoods and communities. Here in Lee’s Summit, we have two dog parks as well.
Social media is part of our everyday lives. We use Facebook to stay up-to-date with family and friends we don’t see often. It’s easy to post an update or a photo once so that everyone you are connected with hears what is up with you.
But what do you post when you are involved in a personal injury lawsuit?
When you need a personal injury lawyer in the Kansas City area, contact us for a free, no-obligation evaluation of your case.
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