Davis Levin Livingston Firm Blog »
August 01, 2011
Car Accident Witnesses
An experienced Hawaii personal injury attorney prepares an accident plaintiff with the goal of getting fact finders to find the witnesses for the plaintiff to be credible. Trial lawyers depend on witnesses to establish a case. Persuasion is achieved by the speaker’s personal character. Jurors believe good people more fully and readily, especially when exact certainty is not possible. Three things inspire confidence in jurors: · Good sense · Good moral character · Good will Jurors rely more on witnesses in establishing facts rather than documents, pictures, and attorney arguments. The jurors look to see if the overall story makes sense, whether witnesses are consistent, people’s motives, and detail. In the end, jurors decide based on instinctive feelings. Non-verbal communication speaks more than verbal. A person’s true reaction is usually expressed non-verbally so jurors do not look too much to testimony. They look more at body language, voice, facial expressions, eye movements, dress, smile, relaxed during cross-examination. In witness preparation, an experienced Hawaii accident attorney prepares a plaintiff to make sure non-verbal communication reinforces verbal. If the verbal and non-verbal conflict, jurors tend to believe the non-verbal. They look to see if the plaintiff is confusing, clear, defensive. Is the witness self-confident? Credibility comes from trustworthiness, lack of defense, competence, and likability. A plaintiff has to be respectful to the court, opposing party, and not take things too personal. When pursuing a car accident personal injury claim, look to a Hawaii accident attorney who knows how to prepare a witness for trial.
Category:
[Personal Injury]
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