Today’s question is, what is a vocational expert, and how do we use them in a personal injury case?

My name is Bob Snyder. I’m a personal injury trial lawyer, and I’m coming to you from Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, where my firm is headquartered. We practice throughout the States, in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, as well as in federal courts throughout the entire United States.

Today’s question about a vocational expert is directed at those persons who suffered a permanent loss that either results in total disability, and inability to go back to their normal work and occupation that they had before the incident, or a partial loss, because they can’t go back and make the money that they used to make, because they can’t do the type of work that they used to do, even though they can still do some kind of work.

How do we figure out how much money is lost, and who gives us this information? I’m pleased to say that I don’t have to figure it out. As long as I can get the necessary facts, I can hire a vocational expert who has made a study for many years in psychology, and also in working usually for a governmental agency or authority, and determining what all the jobs are, and the directory of occupational titles, and there are hundreds, and hundreds, and hundreds of jobs. What each type of job requires as far as its physical or mental tasks in order to perform it, and what each job pays, and how many of these jobs are available within your geographic area.

It’s easy if we have a total disability case, and a man made $100,000 before he was injured and makes zero afterwards. We know he’s losing $100,000 a year, and he’s 46 years old, and eligible for Social Security at age 66, he has a 20 year work-life expectancy, so it’s 20 times $100,000 equals $2 million. How about if the man that made $100,000 a year now cannot come back to his job, but he came back to some other type of job that can be reasonably anticipated that he’ll make $25,000 a year? He’s going to lose $75,000 times 20, and that’s a million and a half right there. This is just one element of the personal injury damage claim that he’s entitled to present.

I hope this information is a benefit or help to you, and I tell you, we always use the reports and the live testament of our vocational experts to prove your substantial losses and earning power, and earning capacity, and earnings. Feel free to contact me for this subject, or any other information at 610-265-0850