The Role of Witness Statements in Personal Injury Cases

Given the number of motor vehicle accidents, slip and falls, and other personal injuries that occur each year, an eyewitness account can prove invaluable. Following an accident or injury, you should get the contact information of any witnesses who saw the event unfold. A written statement from those witnesses that is signed and dated will hold more weight in negotiations and in a court of law. When this unbiased account matches your testimony, it further serves to strengthen your credibility.

Determining liability is a complicated task given to a fact finder, who must decide what is true given secondhand information. At Wilt Injury Lawyers, our personal injury attorneys in Lexington, KY, have helped hundreds of clients receive maximum damages through providing compelling witness testimony. If you have recently been injured due to the negligence of another, do not hesitate to contact our team of experienced professionals.

Resolving Conflicting Information

It is not uncommon for two people involved in an accident or personal injury to focus on different aspects of an incident, leading to conflicting accounts. An eyewitness who can testify to what they saw and heard can help settle confusion. While one witness is valuable, additional corroboration can be even more powerful. A few of the ways eyewitnesses help resolve conflicts include:

• Clarifying different versions of events by providing an objective account
• Confirming your version of the incident through firsthand testimony
• Adding credibility with multiple witnesses who corroborate the same story
• Strengthening your case before a jury or boosting leverage in settlement negotiations

Clarifying Details

Let’s face it, in a moment of panic, you are less likely to notice if the other driver was on their phone or if the driver came to a complete stop before entering the roadway. These details can significantly impact a motor vehicle accident case. While you may not have gotten a good view of the other driver or some other crucial element, a witness who has a better vantage point can help to fill in the gaps.

Establishing Liability

Unlike expert testimony, which is based on a person’s specialized knowledge in a specific field, the testimony of a lay witness serves to establish what occurred. Kentucky Rules of Evidence Rule 701 states that the scope of a lay witness is limited to their perception of an event, helping the trier of fact (a judge or jury) determine the facts.

Providing Video Footage

Unless you saw the event firsthand, it can be difficult to understand the speed at which each driver was traveling or the angle at which both vehicles collided. Given that most people spend most of their day on their phones, an eyewitness may record footage of your accident on their cell phone. While a witness statement is often strong evidence, video footage is considered even stronger. A video will show an accident unfolding in real time, putting any disagreements about what happened to rest.

Providing an Unbiased Perspective

Overcome by a rush of emotions, a motorist’s perspective of a crash can certainly be skewed. The other driver may claim that you came out of nowhere when, in reality, they weren’t paying attention. Given the impartiality that a witness can provide, their testimony typically holds greater weight than that of anyone directly involved in an accident. The ability to recount the incident through fresh eyes will not necessarily favor one party over the other, but it will confirm what happened.

The Role of a Personal Injury Attorney

For a judge or jury to place confidence in a witness’s statement or subsequent testimony, the jury must see them as trustworthy. Establishing a witness’s integrity is no easy task, but it is the job of an experienced personal injury lawyer.

The Lexington personal injury attorneys at Wilt Injury Lawyers make it our mission to help witnesses feel at ease at every point in the process, from pre-trial discovery up to trial. By assisting a witness in preparing clear and succinct testimony while addressing any challenges that opposing counsel may bring up, a witness can help to support your case.

Reach Out to a Lexington Personal Injury Lawyer Today

A witness can provide an impartial perspective on an injury or accident, allowing a judge or jury to determine more easily what really happened. A personal injury impacts more than your bank account, placing strain on relationships and hindering the enjoyment of the life you worked so hard to attain.

Our Lexington personal injury attorneys at Wilt Injury Lawyers have dedicated their practice to helping individuals recover fair compensation to cover the entirety of accident-related costs. To schedule a free case review with a member of our legal team, we can be reached online or by calling (859) 263-8818.