Kinds of Witnesses: A Focus on Expert Witnesses

All kinds of legal proceedings require a witness’s account to tie up all details and make sense of documents that have been gathered through a subpoena to compile evidences. There are times, however, when the narration of an ordinary witness, or even the impeachment of a hostile witness, is not enough to make judges and jurors understand certain facts and issues that involve highly technical or specialized forms of knowledge. This is where expert witnesses come in.

An expert witness can be any professional who is regarded as a respected member in their field. Expert witnesses are more commonly called in for cases involving, but are not limited to, personal injury or criminal cases wherein their testimonies are deemed to be vital in shedding light on matters involving medical science, toxicology, and other related specializations.

There are some things that distinguish an expert witness from the other types of witnesses. Expert witnesses are not necessarily related to any party in the cases where they are giving their testimony. Another distinction is that they are the only kind of witnesses allowed by the general rules of court to give opinion and draw conclusions as long as it is related to their field of expertise. Their objectivity and specialized knowledge make them vital in winning a case for or against plaintiffs in a personal injury lawsuit.

Pegging BAC Levels at DUI Cases

One of the most significant pieces of evidence presented in a driving under the influence (DUI) case will be the suspect’s blood alcohol content (BAC). The BAC level is often determined in a breathalyzer test, but the numbers are not just markers. They can also help identify how impaired the suspect was from the drinking. A forensic toxicology professional may assist pegging the degree, and all states will have an associated threshold.

Persons with a BAC of between 0.06% and 0.10% often experience problems with depth perception, reasoning, and vision, as well as lowered levels of pleasure. Speech slurs, slower reflexes, and mood swings are hallmarks of BACs between 0.11% and 0.20%. You may have witnessed incidents where the drunk suspect forcefully brushed off people and groggily insisted nothing was wrong with them.

BACs of 0.21% up to 0.29% trigger potential memory blackouts, loss of consciousness, and seriously impaired sensations. People should watch out if the BAC cracked the 0.30% barrier, however. The suspect can be flitting in and out of consciousness, depressed, or is close to death because of drops in the heart rate.

Determining the BAC and the associated effects will make a difference in building a case against the suspect. The police will also assist with other facts.

A Need for a Medical Expert Witness and Other Facts about Toxic Torts

"In general, physical injury cases are easy to sort out in terms of what exactly happened to whom, like a victim who suffered fractured limbs from a car accident for instance. Toxic tort cases, on the other hand, are rarely as telling. Most of the time, for an attorney to successfully give justice to his client, a reliable medical expert witness should be hired. Here are some basic facts about the technical realm of toxic tort claims and litigation that every lawyer should arm themselves with."
http://www.environmentaldiseases.com/blog/2014/06/26/a-need-for-a-medical-expert-witness-and-other-facts-about-toxic-torts/

Forensic Toxicology and the Law: Working Together Against DUI Defenses

"Calling in the Cavalry This is when expert witnesses like Dr. Nachman Brautbar of Environmental Diseases are called in. Whether it be for the prosecution or the defense, witnesses who are certified experts on forensic toxicology can review the DUI testing process in every stage, and they will find out if there was indeed any flaw in the procedure which could significantly influence the verdict. If DUI offenders are getting smarter, then prosecutors’ job of delivering justice just got tougher. Thankfully, they can still rely on the services of a reputable, expert forensic toxicologist to ensure that the medical aspects of a DUI case process is done right and free of potential conviction-reversing flaws."
http://www.environmentaldiseases.com/blog/2014/06/25/forensic-toxicology-and-the-law-working-together-against-dui-defenses/

Famous Killings by Poisoning Throughout History

Before the advent of artificial chemicals and the advancement of toxicology, numerous killings throughout human history have been committed using natural poisons. Here are some of the most famous ones.

Socrates – The famous Greek philosopher was sentenced to death by drinking hemlock, which is derived from a highly toxic flowering plant of the same name. Indigenous to Europe and South Africa, hemlock works by inducing paralysis and gradual shut down of all major bodily functions.

Emperor Claudius – The Ancient Roman Emperor Claudius was killed by the poison master Locusta using nightshade, a kind of poisonous berry. Both the plant’s berries and leaves are extremely poisonous, and were a known component in the manufacture of poison-tipped arrows.

The U.S. and U.K. poisonings – Conducted by the serial killer Dr. Thomas Neill Cream between 1881 and 1892, the murders were committed using strychnine, a substance much like hemlock. Cream killed seven women and a man during the time period by giving the victims strychnine as medicine.

Borgia Family Guests – Numerous political enemies of the powerful Italian Borgia family were killed using arsenic during the Renaissance. They did the heinous act by mixing arsenic with the wine, which they then served to their guests/enemies at local gatherings.

The technology back then may not have been enough to prevent such killings, but thanks to advanced toxicology practices available today, we can now easily track and speedily make perpetrators pay for their deeds, as well as save lives in the process.

Real CSI: Forensic Toxicology Clinches Cases

When people hear the word “forensics,” the image that most likely pops up in their mind is that of the scientist-detectives of the popular CSI show. However, the pop culture image is far from the truth. Crime scene investigators do exist, but what they mostly do is gather the evidence. The bulk of the real crime-solving is done inside the laboratories.

Most of the heavy lifting is done by specialists in forensic toxicology. They are the ones who help identify any foreign substances found in the scene of the crime. This expert knowledge is why many forensic toxicologists are called to the stand during trials; their expertise can help prove the guilt or innocence of a defendant.

An example of a case where forensic toxicology greatly helps is in drunk-driving cases, wherein knowing the precise level of alcohol in a person’s blood can ultimately determine the verdict. Another use for it is to identify if someone has recently used illegal drugs.

Testimony from an expert forensic toxicologist can also help lawsuits against companies that have endangered people because of their illegal practices. Tests would determine if pollutants can be found in the local drinking water or if a contractor has used too much asbestos in a construction project. When proof beyond reasonable doubt is needed, the scientific results of a toxicology test are hard to beat.

Facts about Environmental Diseases: The Dangers of Nickel Exposure

Humanity doesn’t always bring about its own plagues – sometimes, even naturally occurring substances can be just as deadly as man-made toxic wastes and pollutants. A lot of people may not be aware of it, but some metals can pose a serious threat to the health of an individual or a group of people, and nickel, despite its plethora of uses, is one of the causes of many common environmental diseases today.

http://www.environmentaldiseases.com/blog/2014/05/14/facts-about-environmental-diseases-the-dangers-of-nickel-exposure/