Q: Are there specific types of car accidents that require expert testimony? What would be one of those situations where I'd

A: Yes. It’s not common, but there are occasional scenarios where the cause of the accident is in dispute, and an accident reconstruction expert is used to examine the location and extent of damage to each vehicle, skid marks on the roadway, calculate speed of vehicles based on impact damage, sight lines on direction of travel to determine when it was first possible for one driver to see the other car in order the gauge available reaction time, etc. There are many other scenarios other than these.

A: If it’s a simple case of one vehicle running the red light, or a stop sign, or something where there’s no real dispute who was at fault, you generally won’t need an expert to show liability. If there is a dispute about liability, either side make hal an expert, generally an accident reconstructionist. Also, if there is a dispute about whether the car accident caused the injuries, or the severity of the injuries the collision could have caused, either side may cause an expert known as a bioMechanical Engineer, who will testify about the forces involved in the collision and how they can impact the human body. Also, the plaintiff will definitely wants to call one of his treating physician’s to testify about the extent of his injuries and that the collision caused them. The physician is also an expert. The defendant might call it’s own medical expert who examined the plaintiff or at least reviewed his medical file to testify to the contrary that the injuries are not so bad or we’re not caused by the collision.

A: Generally, experts can enter the picture if the damages are large and/or the liability is contentiously disputed. Because the cost of retaining an expert to prepare an accident reconstruction report, animations, presentation slides, medical evaluations can be very expensive, they tend to be used in high-stakes trials.

Tim Akpinar