Vocational Expert for Wrongful Death

Losing a loved one due to someone else’s negligence is devastating. Along with dealing with natural feelings of grief, it’s fair to assume you’re angry because their death was completely preventable. 

Although nothing can change the past, seeking compensation and justice for this tragedy will provide you with closure and financial security - both of which can help your grieving process. When you file a wrongful death lawsuit, your attorney can leverage the assistance of various experts who can shed light on critical aspects of the case. 

Depending on the circumstances, attorneys may hire a medical expert, a mental health professional, and even a vocational expert for wrongful death. These professionals are essential as their expertise can swing the case in your favor and help you achieve a fair outcome. 

Why Hire An Expert Witness

Apart from the sensitive nature of wrongful death claims, these cases are often complex. As such, expert witnesses fulfill a pivotal role in clarifying the subject matter to the judge or the jury and providing an objective analysis of the facts of the case. 

Knowledge of the expert witness can also provide vital insights that contribute to the overall clarification of murky questions often present in personal injury cases. 

But Why Is Their Word So Important? 

Simple - expert witnesses are professionals who possess the necessary credentials and experience in fields relevant to the case. For instance, if the wrongful death case requires a deep examination of the deceased individual’s injuries and establishing a link between the accident and death. 

Similarly, a vocational expert for wrongful death can quantify the impact of the death of your loved one on your financial state by evaluating future earnings they would have contributed to the family. 

Experts like these can quantify the full extent of the damages caused by the event and paint a full picture of your losses. Plus, an unbiased assessment of the emotional impact provides an objective look at the circumstances of the case in order to support your case. 

In other words, professional evaluation and testimony from expert witnesses will bolster your case’s credibility, and support you in the process of seeking justice for a deceased loved one and your family. 

Types Of Expert Witnesses

For a successful wrongful death claim, it’s imperative to find and retain the right kind of expert witness so they can properly address the specific circumstances of the personal injury event. Your attorney will likely take charge of hiring the experts your case requires, but it doesn’t hurt to learn how each expert contributes to the overall success of the wrongful death suit.

Here are the most commonly used types of expert witnesses:

1. Medical Experts

Medical examiners or forensic pathologists are an integral part of wrongful death cases. These individuals may perform an independent investigation to determine the cause of that. Their main goal is to establish a clear connection between fatal injuries and the accident. 

Their ability to clarify the pain your loved one might have experienced is also useful as it helps demonstrate the horrifying nature of the harm they suffered. 

2. Accident Reconstruction Specialists

If the death occurred due to an accident, performing an accident reconstruction can be instrumental in establishing liability and ascertaining how the liable party’s negligent behavior caused the accident. 

3. Vocational Experts

If you're considering whether you need a vocational expert for a wrongful death case, it's worth bearing in mind that their role is to assess the victim's career prospects and potential earnings. This will provide insight into the financial loss suffered due to the victim's absence from their chosen profession.

In particular, if the deceased individual was the primary breadwinner in your household, a vocational expert can help evaluate their potential future earnings and determine how they would have contributed to the household's financial situation.

Put differently, a vocational expert for wrongful death quantifies the value of the financial aid you would have had if your loved one hadn’t passed away, thus helping secure fair compensation for your long-term needs.

This takes expertise in the labor market and attorneys often struggle with figuring out the full extent of these losses, which is why they leverage the support of vocational experts. 

4. Life Care Planners

In some circumstances, the deceased family member may have suffered extensive injuries before their death. Even if they have passed away as a result, you’re still entitled to compensation for the future care needs they would need had they survived. 

This is why hiring a life care planner is important, as they can quantify the damages for the individual’s pain and suffering, as well as their future medical care requirements. 

5. Mental Health Experts

Surviving family members often deal with heavy trauma and psychological suffering. Hence, your attorney may hire a mental health professional who can provide testimony that clarifies the mental impact of losing a close family member. 

This is mandatory to determine non-economic damage (i.e. pain and suffering) in the case. 

How Experts Can Support Your Case From Its Infancy

Although it may seem expert witnesses only provide testimony during a trial, it’s much more common for them to guide the attorney from the onset of the litigation process. For example, retaining an expert during the investigation may help conduct an expert analysis early, which may shift the legal strategy onto a better course.

That way, your attorney avoids the risk of overlooking a detail that may be important in the grand scheme of things, but it also helps you preserve all the evidence and have all the information needed to reach a favorable verdict. 

Hire A Nationwide Leader In Vocational Matters For Your Wrongful Death Case

Personal injury cases are built on an objective analysis of the facts. Considering the credibility of the case is everything, the presence of experts will reinforce the validity of your claims and help achieve a positive connection between you and the jury - ultimately improving your chances of a favorable outcome.

Medical costs and material damages are generally easy to quantify, but accounting for all the financial losses the death of a loved one caused is something else. You have to contend with living your life without them and the financial support they brought to the table - and that’s not something you can quantify without an expert in the labor market. 

While your attorney likely knows a vocational expert, you do have a choice in the matter. You deserve the highest level of expertise and you can get it by working with OAS. As national leaders in the vocational and life care planning industries, we took part in many wrongful death cases and our expertise helped many families reach a favorable conclusion.

Fill out our contact form or call 800-292-1919 to get in touch with the best vocational experts in the USA.

Note: 

The information in this blog post is for reference only and not legal advice. As such, you should not make legal decisions based on the information in this blog post. Moreover, there is no lawyer-client relationship resulting from this blog post, nor should any such relationship be implied. If you need legal counsel, please consult a lawyer licensed to practice in your jurisdiction.