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Expert auto witnesses are called upon in both civil and criminal cases, and the qualifications required vary depending on the specific issue. A civil negligence or product liability trial may require an advanced degree in automotive engineering, while a witness needed to testify about practical aspects of a vehicle may only need to be a certified mechanic. Courts make a case-by-case decision on who may testify as an expert witness.
Civil suits and criminal cases regularly call on expert witnesses to explain complicated concepts to the jury or convince them that the evidence is relevant and important to the case. For anyone hoping to become an expert auto witness, he or she must have a combination of education and experience in the automotive industry. Exactly what qualifications are needed to become an expert auto witness will depend on the jurisdiction, as well as the specific issue in the automotive field that the witness plans to testify about.
An auto expert may be someone who is called upon to testify in a civil trial for or against an auto manufacturer in a negligence or product liability suit. On the other hand, an automobile expert may be needed in a criminal case to testify on issues relating to a car’s performance in a chase or whether a vehicle shows signs of forced entry among other possible testimonies. As a result of the diversity of possible reasons for expert testimony, the requirements for becoming an automotive expert witness can vary.
In a civil negligence or product liability trial, the path to becoming an expert auto witness will likely include an advanced degree in automotive engineering or something similar. Liability in a civil action based on design or manufacturing defects, for example, will require testimony from someone with a high degree of knowledge about how the automobile was designed and manufactured. In addition to a master’s or doctoral degree in an engineering field, a potential specialist must have a significant amount of experience in the field itself, preferably with supervisory experience.
If a potential automotive witness is needed to testify about the more practical aspects of a vehicle, an advanced degree in engineering probably won’t be necessary. Rather, a person planning to become an expert auto witness regarding the more practical aspects of a vehicle will generally need to be a certified mechanic with a substantial amount of field work experience. Again, supervisory experience is always helpful when trying to qualify as an expert witness.
In the United States, individual courts make a case-by-case and witness-by-witness decision regarding who may testify as an expert witness. As a rule, the judge will want to hear testimony from the potential witness about his educational background and work experience. Furthermore, most courts will want to hear some indication that the potential witness is considered an expert by his or her peers before making a decision.
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