Perhaps the two most advertised benefits of forensic animations are their
persuasiveness and that they tend to have a greater retention in the memories of
Jurors.
Of course, any lawyer would like to here that they were more "persuasive and memorable" than the lawyer on the opposing side, but for anyone who has worked significantly in creating forensic animations for litigation, we see other "real" benefits that come out during the development of the animation.
It has been my experience that there are two main benefits of forensic animations that most people do not highlight often enough. They are perhaps the most important of all since they help to refine an attorney's entire case and strengthen their position.
Getting it Right!
There is a large amount of effort and thought that goes into piecing together all the bits of evidence to make a strong, cohesive animation that agrees with the expert witness and lawyer's position. Often, there are a number of reports from police, accident reconstructionists and other expert witnesses. There are also witness testimonies that all needs to be looked at. Each report tends to highlight a different aspect of a case and so there can be different viewpoints as to what happened.
Once an animation has been drafted and sent to the client, they get a chance to review a likely scenario, the timing and different perspectives that can all be compared to the known evidence at hand. Forensic animations are typically based on an accident report or witness testimony and often, these two pieces of evidence do not always agree with one another and can have much conflicting evidence. After having viewed an animation, it is not uncommon to find that an attorney will change his/her position on some points since it becomes clearer that something did not happen the way it was originally anticipated.
There are also circumstances where blatant errors and miscalculations are found after having viewed a forensic animation. This often saves the expert witness and attorney from an embarassing situation during trial and provides a perspective to something closer to the "truth".
Taking a second look
A second benefit of the forensic animation is that different scenarios can be considered since one can easily "experiment" with different assumptions, evidence and variables. Personally, it's like going the extra mile to take a look at what other things may have happened and eliminating the scenarios that could not have occurred. It is a question of preparedness that all too often gets overlooked due to any number of reasons.
Forensic animations provide a visual set of scenarios where a case has its strengths and weaknesses. Analyzing the plausable scenarios when they have been summarized in a visual recreation means an effective and less time consuming way to understand one's case. Areas of strength can be emphasized and areas of weakness can be avoided. This also allows an attorney to focus on the specific questions for the opposing counsel.
In the end, the process of going through and analyzing the forensic animations means an attorney is better prepared to face the different scenarios which may arise in court. The visual check that the animations provide along with the detailed analysis is where the true value comes out. The discussion that takes place between all parties and the clear visuals that are created, help to ensure accuracy and alignment with an attorney's case. Then, when presented in court, jurors are more likely to be persuaded by a case with a stronger argument.
