Expert Witness Blog

Wood products expert witnesses may write reports and testify on pressed wood products, wood manufacturing, building materials, and more. The International Wood Products Association includes this press release on its website:

The International Wood Products Association (IWPA) welcomes legislation to set a national standard for formaldehyde emissions from composite wood products. “Our members are meeting and exceeding the emission regulations already in place in the state of California. They welcome a nationwide standard to provide uniformity and predictability to the marketplace,” said Brent McClendon, executive vice president of the International Wood Products Association.

The Formaldehyde Standards for Composite Wood Products Act (S. 1660) passed the House of Representatives on June 23, 2010 and is now bound for President Obama’s desk. The legislation directs the Environmental Protection Agency to promulgate regulations on emissions, labeling, and third-party testing, among other provisions.

Synthetic latex expert witnesses may opine on latex allergies, latex hypersensitivity, and related issues. In How Do I Prepare for Latex-Safe Emergency Care?, Gerri Rivers, EMT-1, Quad Cities Support Network Chairperson and member of the American Latex Allergy Association writes:

5. Write individual letters introducing yourself and latex allergy to your State EMS Director (to locate that person try: www.co.rowan.nc.us/es/oems/memlist), local EMS Director, local hospital administrator, are Medical Society Director, local police chief and local fire chief. It should contain your name, home address and phone number, emergency treatment guidelines, information about any latex-safe EMS equipment that you need or have. A description of your usual signs/symptoms during a reaction is also useful. Include the phone number for A.L.E.R.T., Inc. and a NIOSH Alert. Also include a copy of a medical statement from your doctor indicating your condition, severity of your reaction and the importance of latex-safe treatment. The letter that you write to your local EMS director should be sent to all of the people on the list and your attorney, if you have one.

Read more: AALA.

Foreign language translation expert witnesses may opine on translations for depositions and legal proceedings, source languages, and more. In Florida to Require Certified Court Interpreters the American Translators Association writes:

Beginning July 1, courts throughout the state of Florida will be required to use state-certified interpreters. Interpreters will be required to pass an oral and written exam that measures their proficiency in English, foreign languages, courtroom procedures, and legal terminology. Continuing education courses also will be required. Previously, training and testing were voluntary. The new law will likely boost the demand for the state’s interpreters, which already have seen their work increase as the population soars. In Brevard County, for example, there were 294 cases that called for interpreters in the county’s 2004-2005 fiscal year, but that number nearly doubled to 547 cases in the 2006-2007 fiscal year.

Since July 2007, there have been requests for interpreters in about 400 cases, a pace that would set a new record. Although Spanish is the most requested language, other popular languages include Russian, Vietnamese, and Portuguese, says Earth Languages co-owner Julie Graybeal. Haitian Creole also is popular. Brevard County has a contract with an interpreter agency that draws from a pool of about 40 interpreters fluent in 27 languages. Judges may also use a telephone interpreting service when a live interpreter is not available on short notice. Brevard County interpreter Lea Collins says she uses newspapers, television, and the radio to keep up with Spanish and French slang, legal and medical terms, and cultural references.

Latex allergy expert witnesses may opine on latex allergies, latex hypersensitivity, and related issues. In How Do I Prepare for Latex-Safe Emergency Care?, Gerri Rivers, EMT-1, Quad Cities Support Network Chairperson and member of the American Latex Allergy Association writes:

3. “Flag” your address on your area 9-1-1 enhanced system (if available). They may resist, but you should insist! Call your local EMS, police or fire department for the correct number or person to talk to.

4. Discuss with your allergist any personal latex-safe medical supply needs. Your personal Advanced Life Support jump kit may include such things as ET tubes (which require a doctor’s prescription), IV tubing, cardiac monitor electrodes and a bag-valve mask, non-latex tourniquet, and non-latex gloves in various sizes. You may not need all of these things, but better to have something and not need it than need something and not have a latex-free product. Make sure to notify you local EMS of what you have and where it is kept. Even if your local EMS has latex-safe supplies, other EMS away from home may not.

Engineered wood expert witnesses may opine on wood manufacturing, building materials, engineered wood, and more. In Green Building and Life Cycle Assessment, APA-The Engineered Wood Association writes:

What makes a building program green? The complexity of modern products makes it difficult to measure sustainability. In scientific circles, life cycle assessment (LCA) is emerging as the accepted way to determine the true environmental impact of any product. A measurement from “cradle to grave” of the product, including raw material extraction, manufacture, distribution, use, maintenance, and destruction, LCA examines pollution, human health, and energy efficiency over the lifespan of the product. This eliminates biased rankings that occur in an evaluation of a product based on one criterion. Because LCA examines the entire picture of a material’s impact, it is an objective means to determine environmental impact and thus a focal point for accurately measuring green building attributes. Download the Wood Promotion Network’s Wood and Green Building fact sheet, The Role of Life Cycle Assessment, for more information.

Medical interpreting expert witnesses may opine on medical interpreting, source languages, sign language interpreting, and more. In Characteristics of Good Medical InterpretersAlex Uvarov, A&A Languages, LLC, writes:

A medical interpreter must show courtesy and respect toward all medical staff, ranging from doctors all the way to appointment schedulers. An interpreter should never giver their own opinion on a matter and should never disagree with a doctor or a nurse. If an interpreter needs to speak to a staff person and that person is busy then the interpreter needs to wait until that person is finished. Medical offices are sometimes stressful work environments; a good medical interpreter will show patience and understanding and not interrupt the work of medical staff.

Wood products and lumber expert witnesses may opine on wood manufacturing, building materials, engineered wood, and more. In Environmental Facts and Green Building, APA-The Engineered Wood Association writes:

Wood, and more specifically engineered wood, is a renewable building material and is a good choice for the environment, for green building, and for long-term life cycle performance. With intensified interest in environmental impact and green building, it’s important to consider the attributes that make wood a good choice for the environment. It’s also important to understand how engineered wood products can be used to meet the emerging standards and requirements for green building.

The manufacture of wood products requires substantially less energy than the production of other building products such as steel and concrete. Wood product manufacture results in fewer greenhouse gas and other air-polluting emissions. And wood design compares favorably on the solid waste scale. Its environmental attributes make wood the natural choice for sustainable design.

Interpreters expert witnesses may opine on medical interpreting, source languages, sign language interpreting, and more. In Characteristics of Good Medical InterpretersAlex Uvarov, A&A Languages, LLC, writes:

Medical interpretation is an important subset of the field of interpretation that requires the interpreter to possess certain important characteristics. A good medical interpreter must have a strong medical vocabulary. The interpreter must know how to translate basic medical terms such as asthma and x-ray and also advanced, highly specialized terms such as nuclear stress test and sickle cell anemia.

One aspect of medical interpretation that can be difficult to handle is dealing with emergency situations. Sometimes a patient that an interpreter works with on a regular basis will have an emergency appointment and that interpreter will be called upon to go help the patient as soon as possible. In these situations the interpreter should make an effort to go to this emergency appointment, for the sake of maintaining continuity with this patient. In case the interpreter cannot make this emergency appointment the interpreter should follow up the next day to find out the nature of the emergency.

Medical illustration expert witnesses may opine on medical exhibits, medical graphs, medical charts, and more. Here, the Doe Report, a library of medical-legal graphics writes on MED:

Medical Demonstrative Evidence, or MDE, including medical illustrations, animations, anatomical models and computer presentations, helps attorneys and their expert witnesses communicate medical information, clearly and concisely, to a lay or professional audience.

At every step of a personal injury or medical malpractice case, it falls on someone to explain details of human anatomy, physiology, trauma and/or surgery. Some attorneys say: “That’s what I pay my medical expert for,” or “I know enough about my client’s medical condition to explain it to a judge or a jury.” However, no matter how good you or your medical expert are at talking about medical issues, using a visual aid during your presentation will increase your persuasiveness and ability to educate your audience.

Latex expert witnesses may opine on latex allergies, latex hypersensitivity, and related issues. In How Do I Prepare for Latex-Safe Emergency Care?, Gerri Rivers, EMT-1, Quad Cities Support Network Chairperson and member of the American Latex Allergy Association writes:

Latex allergy has proven itself to be a frustrating and potentially disabling and career-ending condition. Once a person has been diagnosed, they must then educate themselves and others about latex allergy. It is important that a latex allergic individual, be treated by knowledgeable personnel in a latex-safe manner.

Many latex allergic individuals are not sure how to prepare themselves, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), and hospitals to manage their needs. Those who attempt to inform EMS directors, hospital administrators or Emergency Department (ED) directors are often given the run-around, cold-shoulder and no help at all! The realization that few understand appropriate treatment guidelines can leave one feeling frustrated, angry, and scared.