Expert Witnesses in Henrico County DUI Cases
When a DUI case goes to trial, very often both the prosecution and the defense will call upon expert witnesses to help further their case. Expert witnesses in DUI cases can testify on different subjects, but most frequently they will testify in regard to the drug or blood testing done to verify intoxication. The court will usually take an expert witnesses’ testimony very seriously, and good testimony can have a large impact on the outcome of a case. If you are facing a DUI charge, it is important to have an experienced Henrico County DUI lawyer who can challenge the prosecution’s expert testimony, and provide reliable expert witnesses in your defense.
Expert Witness Testimony in a Trial
What typically will happen with an expert witness in a DUI case trial, is that the expert will first and foremost testify as to his or her qualifications to be determined an expert by the court. Then, the expert will testify as to what the findings were based on the evidence. In other words, the expert will testify as to what the findings were regarding a specific blood test. If the expert is credible, that testimony can change a case and the court puts a lot of weight on that testimony.
Expert Witnesses for the Prosecution
Expert witnesses in Henrico County DUI cases can play many roles. Expert witnesses in DUI cases can testify as to the results of a blood test and the effect such drugs may have on an individual. An expert can also testify as to an unexpected reaction to the drugs or a particular reaction that an individual had that may not be common.
In a DUI case, the prosecution will typically call witnesses who had tested the blood or who can testify as to the results of the blood test—in other words, how the results of a blood test can show the impairment, how the blood test was handled, and how the test was conducted.
Value of an Experienced Henrico County DUI Lawyer
What a lawyer will do to counter expert witnesses in a DUI case, is challenge the qualifications of the state’s experts. They can challenge the tests and procedures done, and they can also challenge how those doing the test handled the evidence.
Typically, the experts that an attorney might call are experts that can challenge how the test was conducted and the conclusions of the tests. In other words, were the results of the test enough to show any sort of impairment by the driver? An expert can also testify to whether the defendant had a unique or unexpected reaction to drugs.
In a Henrico County DUI case, it is important to have an attorney that knows good experts, because an expert witness can turn a case. An individual is going to want an expert that can testify in court, who is comfortable testifying in court, and who knows the procedures and the law on a DUID case.
