Before & After Witnesses at Trial: How They Help Your Tampa Car Accident Lawyer Win Your Case

Each car accident case in the Tampa, Florida area is different. Often, you and your lawyer will be able to settle your case for an amount you find satisfactory without the need to take your case to trial. Sometimes, however, you may decide that the only way to receive the compensation you deserve is to go to trial and allow your attorney to present your case to a Tampa area jury.

At trial, you and your Tampa car accident lawyer will have the burden of proving that the damages you suffered were a result of the defendant's wrongdoing. In order to be successful at proving your case, one particularly useful element is to have "before and after witnesses."

Before and after witnesses can explain to the jury what you were like before the auto collision and compare that to the problems and limitations you have experienced after the collision, whether it occurred in South Tampa or surrounding areas such as Town 'n' Country, Brandon, Seminole Heights, Lutz, or St Petersburg.

For example, before and after witnesses will explain that, before the car accident, you were very active and perhaps participated with them in various activities such as jogging along Tampa area beaches, bowling, and other recreational events across Sun City Center, Riverview, Carrollwood, Dade City, Seffner, Ybor City, and Clearwater. However, as a result of your car accident injuries, the witnesses can describe to the jury that you are no longer able to participate in those activities.

Before and after witnesses also can explain to the jury more subtle injures, such as the affect of the injuries on your personality. The witnesses might say, for example, that prior to the collision, you were free of pain, relaxed, focused, and happy. After the collision, eyewitness testimony can show that you became irritable, unfocused, and often emotionally upset due to the change in circumstances and the effects of the injury on your life.

Although you and your spouse also may be willing to testify about these issues, the jury views before and after witnesses as being more objective, and therefore believable, witnesses. Because before and after witnesses play a very important role in jury trials, it is important that you choose witnesses that are able to communicate effectively on the stand, as well as exhibit confidence and credibility. Unfortunately, if it appears that your before-and-after witness is exaggerating, that will reflect poorly on you. Likewise, if the before and after witness is not able to explain the impact of the injuries on you, not only will you not receive any benefit from their testimony, but that poor testimony might actually hurt your case as well.

Because of their importance, our law firm works with you in order to choose the very best before and after witnesses for your trial. Part of that process includes an interview with the witnesses to make sure that they have the presentation skills needed to help the jury understand the impact of the injuries on your life. It is only with that understanding that we can hope to have a just verdict from the jury.

Hopefully you will not have to go through the stress of a trial to receive a fair settlement in your Tampa area car accident case. But even if you do, the law firm of Dale Appell, P.A. is a trial law firm that excels in all areas of personal injury law, from accident investigations to insurance company negotiations and all the way through trial. Please call our law firm today or fill out the form on our “Do I Have a Case?” page to receive a free initial consultation about your case.