7 Most Impactful Demonstrative Evidence Examples

7 Most Impactful Demonstrative Evidence Examples

When preparing to present your case, it’s important to keep your audience in mind. After all, you know the facts of your case backwards and forwards, but the mediator or the jury has no idea who your client is or what happened.

That’s why attorneys often rely on visual litigation aids, like demonstrative evidence, to help their audience quickly understand their case and strengthen their credibility. But what type of demonstrative exhibit would be the best fit for your case? To help you answer this, we’re going to cover seven of the most impactful demonstrative evidence examples that you can use in your case.

Let’s start with medical diagrams, graphics, and animations.

1. Medical Animations, Diagrams, and Graphics

Whether you’re a plaintiff or defense attorney, medical diagrams or animations can be vital for your case. In fact, one attorney who leveraged medical illustration services was awarded a $5.8 million verdict from the jury.

“Demonstratives and powerful visuals should be designed with the factfinder in mind.”

Andrew G. Jackson, American Bar Association

Sample Medical Animation

If needed, quality visuals can be reused after mediation as demonstrative evidence at trial. Medical graphics are powerful in your opening and closing statements, and should be easily adjustable to fit your final say and your expert’s testimony.

2. Right-way, Wrong-way Animations

Sometimes one of the best ways to strengthen your argument is to help the jury see what could have happened in a car crash, or some other incident. A visual can depict an outcome without the negligent action in question, or visualize how your client was not negligent. Either way, this demonstrative evidence example focuses on helping the jury determine liability.

Courtroom Animation’s “Ghost” Demonstrative Evidence Example

For example, in the demonstrative exhibit above, the original incident involved a motorcyclist who was driving too fast. He crashed into the truck, and sued for damages. Our team created a ‘ghost’ animation that followed the actions of the original motorcycle driver, and showed how the accident could have been avoided if he was driving the speed limit.

3. Mechanism of Injury Visuals

When a case involves an injury, it’s common practice to have a mechanism of injury animation or similar graphics. While this demonstrative evidence example favors plaintiff attorneys, defense attorneys can use these visuals to disprove an injury happened how the plaintiff said it happened.

Interested in a mechanism of injury animation, or some other visual, but are unsure where it fits into your case’s budget? Download our pricing guide to find out.

An injury animation is a powerful tool that provides a strategic narrative for your strongest argument. When armed with a medical visual that validates your experts’ opinions, the opposing counsel might rethink their approach during mediation. This would save you the cost and time of a trial.

4. Product Failure Animations

When a product fails, it’s a challenge to quickly explain how, when, and why to the jury or mediator. This type of demonstrative evidence example can visualize:

  • The type of defect and relevant parts
  • The steps of the creation of a product
  • The malfunctions, externalities or damages in question

Product Failure Animation Sample from Courtroom Animation

One attorney leveraged litigation video services to describe his product failure case, and a less-than-a-minute animation helped him reach a successful settlement.

5. Unbiased Forensic Animations

When emotions are running high, creating an unbiased visual for your case can be a hurdle. Any experienced litigation animation studio will ensure that any visual is not overly dramatic. For example, this can include a visual with too much blood, or involving conjecture by visualizing events that are not based on physical data.

Demonstrative Evidence Example of Officer-Involved Shooting Animation

Even discussing the bias from the witness or expert perspectives might prove difficult without a visual litigation aid.

Watch our CEO, Brady Held, discuss a high-profile shooting animation in this Fireside Forensics episode.

A neutral visual, especially with regards to physical evidence animation in high profile cases, is the key to keep bias at bay.

“[Judges’ and jurors] values and understandings of right and wrong that shape their sense of justice are what actually decide most cases. Which means that a trial is not a legal puzzle. It’s a mo­­rality play. And the role of discovery is not just to get your case into or out of court. It’s to find the facts—the human elements—that tell the winning story.”

– James W. Mcelhaney, Distinguished Trial Lawyer and Law Professor

6. Motor Vehicle Collision Animations

One highly impactful type of demonstrative evidence examples we had to include is car crash animations. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that in 2021, 42,915 people were unfortunately killed in car crashes in the United States. As people return to commuting at work, there has been a rise of civil cases around vehicle crashes.

To ground this form of demonstrative evidence in a real-world example, watch the viral video we created after the Jenner car crash from 2015 below.

One attorney even landed a $1 million settlement (over 20x return on his investment) due to a game-changing car crash animation. There is no doubt that car crash animation is a powerful tool, and is quickly becoming more and more in demand across the country.

Fun fact: When you think of accident recreations, you might think of car crashes or pedestrian collisions. But did you know that aviation animations are also a popular tool for civil attorneys?

7. Video Analysis Graphics

In some cases, surveillance video tells the whole story and the case is open and shut. However, most public videos contain bad quality footage, like too-far-away cell phones, grainy surveillance cameras, or dirty dash cams.

If you have questions about the admissibility of demonstrative evidence, read this article, “5 Questions About Legal Admissibility for Visuals, Answered.”

That’s why one form of demonstrative evidence is video and data analysis. You and your expert can tell the jury what happened, but without visual insight, they might miss the key element of your argument.

By using camera matching techniques, laser scanners, and an analysis of every pixel in your video, your argument can become clear as day.

Which Demonstrative Evidence Examples Would Best Fit Your Case?

No matter what type of civil case you have (or will have), leveraging a demonstrative exhibit is one of the best ways to support your argument. One of these seven forms of visuals could be your own game-changer, no matter what phase of litigation you’re in:

  1. Medical Animations, Diagrams, and Graphics
  2. Right-way, Wrong-way Animations
  3. Mechanism of Injury Visuals
  4. Product Failure Animations
  5. Unbiased Forensic Animations
  6. Motor Vehicle Collision Animations
  7. Video Analysis Graphics

Are you prepared to achieve a favorable verdict or settlement for your client?

Try demonstrative evidence today, and learn how it can be a powerful tool for your case.

Or, are you more interested in learning more about what trial exhibit or mediation tactics you can use? Download the eBook below for more information about demonstrative evidence.

Courtroom Animation - Free Checklist - How to Prepare Your Case for Working with a Forensic Animation Studio
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