What Are Forensic Experts?
Brian O Sutter
Personal Injury
Most people in America are now quite familiar with hearing the word “forensics” used when referencing crime investigation. However, its use over the years and its frequent application in fiction, reality TV and the daily news when documenting criminal trials has given some people the impression that forensic science is basically crime science, and that’s not actually true. Forensic science can also play a valuable, critical role even in civil cases, such as a personal injury lawsuit. But if that’s the case, then how? Let’s look at Forensic science really is.Preservation & Admissibility
Forensic science obviously plays a very important role in criminal investigations. But that’s not because it is the science of solving crimes. Rather, forensic science is two disciplines that are rolled into one. The first role, the one that is primarily put into action, is the collection, analysis and preservation of evidence. This is one of the reasons why forensic science is so closely tied into criminal investigations, since a crime often requires experts to take what’s found at a crime scene and provide the data—such as fingerprints or DNA—that ties a suspect to that crime scene.
The second role that forensic science plays is legal admissibility. It’s not just important for evidence to be collected and preserved, it must be done in such a way that it meets the very rigid and exacting demands of admission into court for use in trial purposes. This means that procedures must be strictly observed, legal requirements all met, and people brought to the stand to give their opinions are expert witnesses with the knowledge and credibility to have their remarks entered into court record, and even considered as evidence.
More Than Just Fingerprints
Forensic scientists come from all walks of science and medicine, not just blood spatter analysts and DNA technicians. Forensic psychologists, for example, can evaluate the mental health of a victim or criminal and give expert opinions on their state of mind. Forensic accident reconstruction experts can speak knowledgeably about speed, direction and consequences of a driving accident, and what likely factors would make such an accident possible. Forensic programmers can analyze computers and other devices to trace when information has been deleted from a hard drive and, in some cases, even recover that information, or show what kind of activity has been conducted on a device.
All of this can play an important role as admissible evidence in a civil trial, such as a personal injury lawsuit. Both criminal cases and civil cases can be resolved through the use of a jury making a decision, though in the case of a civil lawsuit, it’s not guilty or innocent, so much as liable to pay a lawsuit, or not liable.
In this regard, whether you are in an accident in a car, or are seeking help for a workplace injury, getting some kind of forensic investigation on your side can only help your case. Once something is done with proper forensic procedures, you can take it to court and present it to a jury.