Does anyone need expert witnesses at a DUI trial? Yes they do!
For many people, when they think of testimony from expert witnesses at trials, they think of high profile court cases. But it isn’t only murder, drug trafficking and sex crimes charges that expert testimony might be useful in. Believe it or not, even drunk driving cases often need testimony from expert witnesses. Not sure why that would be? Stick around, we’re going to break it down for you.
When you get pulled over by a cop and arrested for drunk driving here in Michigan, it isn’t simply the word of the arresting officer, dash cam video and the breath test results against your claims of sobriety. There is so much more involved! The prosecution’s case is often relatively complex, and they have substantial resources at their disposal. After all, in the eyes of the state they’re the “good guys” fighting for justice. So their budget is enormous.
The prosecutor will be using experts to build their case against you at trial!
For starters, when the prosecutor begins putting together your case for trial, they assume you will probably plead not guilty. That will force them to prove to the court that you are in fact guilty. And how would they go about doing that? In party, by using experts.
In addition to the testimony of the arresting officer, the results of the roadside breath test (if you took one), the results of any subsequent bloodwork, and body or dash cam footage, the prosecutor can also be relying on expert testimony.
A Forensic Toxicologist will be testifying against you in court!
As if they don’t already have the cards stacked in their favor, another option in the prosecution’s bag is a doozy. Their evidence will include the expert testimony, opinions, and conclusions of a Forensic Toxicologist employed by the Michigan State Police. For the most part, blood samples are forwarded to the MSP crime lab for analysis of the amount of alcohol in the blood.
A forensic toxicologist analyses biological samples (saliva, blood, urine) for the presence of toxins, including drugs and alcohol. The prosecution will likely have had an MSP Forensic Toxicologist verify the results of your DUI blood work before filing charges. And once you get to court, it’ll be a forensic toxicologist introducing and explaining the evidence against you. That “scientific evidence” will be on top of the testimony of the arresting office and any video that the cop took during the stop and arrest.
What will the Forensic Toxicologist tell the court?
In addition to explaining what your breath test or blood work said about your level of intoxication, they will also explain lots of other important factors. These might include:
- Your intoxication indicators (slurred speech, stumbling, vomiting, etc..)
- The effects of alcohol on the human brain, based on scientific tests
- The effects of alcohol on reflexes and response time
- The proven dangers of drunk driving, including stats about fatalities
- The accuracy of breath test machines and blood work results
- How the arresting officer complied with state law when making observations and collecting samples
But you can have your own experts, testifying on your behalf!
It may sound scary, but you aren’t fighting this battle without a few weapons of your own, namely expert witnesses for the defense. You have the right to use a forensic toxicologist of your own at your trial. So who should you ask to set up this expert testimony on your behalf? Well, that’s a great part of hiring the best possible DUI defense attorney available to you – they’ll take care of all that for you! Our drunk / drugged driving defense team is based in Lansing, with an office in Oakland County. We work with forensic toxicologists, pharmo-toxicologists, physicians, phlebotomy technicians, blood testing experts, experts on Michigan’s DataMaster machine and scores of other scientists.
At The Kronzek Firm we have spent decades defending people all over Michigan against drunk and drugged driving charges. Our defense team has extensive experience in Kent, Ottawa,and Jackson Counties, and all over Metro Detroit. Over the years we’ve developed relationships with a number of highly qualified experts who can provide independent scientific opinion in your defense. In addition, our experienced DUI defense attorneys know exactly how to build a strong defense, and aggressively defend your rights.
Call our team at 866 766 5245 (1 866-7-NoJail) today to discuss your Michigan drunk driving case today.
