Trial Presentation Tip of the Day
The last auto tort case I tried involved a car accident involving a car that pulled out of a gas station and hit our client. At trial, the Defendant claimed the car must have been coming so fast that he could not have seen the Plaintiff coming. I think I showed through the Defendant's illogical time/speed/distance estimations that the accident did not happen as he suggested.
But some jurors told me after the trial that the Google Earth images I used at trial were very helpful in demonstrating how the Defendant's story was not plausable. It is funny, years ago before Google Earth was availabile I remember auto accident lawyers paying for overhead photographs of car accident scenes. Now they are easily available yet no one uses them.
Jurors appreciate the clarity that overhead pictures provide and you get credit with them for being the lawyer that provided it to them. It is worth the 10 minute investment.
Great tip.
The use of overhead photos to orient jurors to general geographic location of incidents and then the specific location of an accident was a helpful tip from one of our local multi-million dollar verdict plaintiff lawyers. Of course, he paid a pilot to take the photos.
In my last 3 trials, I've used Google Earth. Jurors love it and lean forward to look at the photos. They want to get oriented and know as much about the area as possible.
Of course, Google Earth has become even better now with 360 degree views of the street level. Try it! Put in an address and, as long as Google has mapped it, you can rotate 360 degrees.
It's also a good idea for use in a blog or website because it can be easily embedded.
Great site. Thanks for the ideas.
How do you authenticate Google Earth pics? Who can testify to their accuracy, fair depiction, etc, except someone from Google (who I'm assuming doesn't want to come to my trial)? Are you getting judges to take judicial notice of the images?