When it comes to workers compensation cases it is crucial to demonstrate the serious impact the injury has had on the life of the worker. This will sway a jury as to their decision, which means that you must choose the best tactic for presenting this information. In today’s legal sphere the best option is video evidence.
It has been shown many times over that a professionally prepared video clearly demonstrating how a person’s life has been severely and irreversibly altered by an unfortunate, yet wholly preventable, incident is much more effective and compelling than even live testimony given by the person that was injured or a witness. It is not uncommon for exceptional judgment figures are made as a result of these video documents. It is thought that while someone may only remember about 20% of what he hears a victim or witness say when on the stand, they will routinely remember 80% or more of what they see on a video document.
When it comes to putting video to work for you in workers compensation cases a legal videographer must create a video document that is convincing and that shows not just the damage that has been caused to the injured victim’s life, but to the lives of his friends and family as well. A truly compelling video will show the day to day living of the victim as well as including introspective testimony from the victim himself, his friends, and his family.
The purpose of trial presentations is to give the jury the opportunity to see with their own eyes the effects of the incident and the difficulty the victim has had in trying to overcome these effects. Often it is difficult for a jury to truly sympathize with a victim and the struggles that he had to endure to rehabilitate his body, relationships, and daily function if they only hear accounts. Putting it right in front of them through a legal video that clearly tells a story of the loss a victim has endured, the losses suffered by those that were dependent on him, and the dependence on others that the victim must now resort to as a result of the incident, however gives them the advantage of experiencing these struggles vicariously, making the testimony much more personal and effective.
Such a video is especially effective when it is for a case involving a victim that has been severely burned, or has lost their sight or a limb. It can be nearly impossible for a healthy person to understand the difficulties such a victim would face, but a video of their daily lives will show this in bold, unapologetic terms, compelling the jury to feel sympathetic and make a favorable determination.
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Brian White is a legal videographer and lead consultant for CarolinaLegalVids.com, a full-service video production facility specializing in legal video services. You can rest assured that Brian and his team at CarolinaLegalVids.com will capture all the necessary visuals and deliver an effective video presentation for use during mediation or in court. To learn more on how legal video can help your case – drop us a line at bwhite@carolinalegalvids.com or call us at 803.487.1364