Many types of injuries and illnesses are difficult to verify using medical evidence alone. For example, many soft-tissue injuries cannot be seen on an MRI or x-ray. In addition to medical records, witness testimony can be helpful in establishing the nature and extent of a claimant’s illness or injuries.
In some cases, a witness who gives poor testimony can do more harm than good, says a Florida disability lawyer. The most important thing for witnesses to remember when giving testimony is to include as much detail as possible. A Florida disability lawyer has prepared the following examples of poor versus strong witness testimony:
Poor: The claimant can’t keep up with her gardening
Strong: The claimant used to be an avid gardener and loved to grow a lot of her own vegetables. Since she had her accident, she does not do any work in the garden and did not plant anything this year. When I visit her now, she is usually laying down on her bed or the couch. She has trouble standing up and usually has to lay back down after walking a short distance.
Poor: The claimant was disabled the last few months he worked at the factory with me.
Strong: I worked with the claimant for almost ten years. He was always a great worker and he would get his own work done and sometimes help me finish with mine. After the accident, he was not able to keep up with the rest of us. Our supervisor had to get a stool for him, because he could not stand up for a full work day. One day, he fainted while he was working on the line and the supervisor called an ambulance to take him to the hospital. He did not come back to work after that.
A lawyer can instruct witnesses and help them practice their testimony for an upcoming disability hearing. To speak to an experienced disability lawyer at a Florida disability law firm, please call the office of CJ Henry Law Firm, PLLC at 352.304.5300.
