Medical Illustration in the Courtroom : Proving Injury, Causation, and Damages

Medical Illustration in the Courtroom: Proving Injury, Causation, and Damages educates the reader on how to communicate science visually―in personal injury, medical malpractice, criminal, and forensic cases―by creating art that utilizes medical records, radiographs, and computer software. Medical illustration bridges the gap between complex technical, medical, and scientific concepts to clearly illustrate, and explain visually, a medical condition, negligence, or the causation of an injury or death to the lay person. Medical artists are frequently challenged with illustrating injuries and medical conditions that can’t be seen by the naked eye. And while using medical photography and imaging for illustrative purposes can be helpful, to an untrained eye it can often be unclear or confusing. This is where the medical illustrator enters the equation. There are often patients who have recovered from an injury or infection that appear in good health. However, should an unforeseen injury or fatality happen, medical illustrators can reveal to people what’s actually going on inside the person, an invaluable asset to attorneys in the courtroom―especially for personal injury and medical malpractice cases. While many attorneys utilize medical artists, nonvisual people don’t always recognize the value of demonstrative aids until they see them first-hand. When attorneys and their clients enlist the aid of medical artists, it quickly becomes apparent that properly conceived and executed artwork is invaluable to illustrating the facts―and medical impacts―of any number of scenarios: homicides by shooting, stabbings, vehicular accidents, in addition to medical malpractice and personal injuries resulting from surgery or possible negligence. Presenting a myriad of services and computer technologies that can be utilized, Medical Illustration in the Courtroom provides demonstrative aids used in cases to illustrate personal injury and medical malpractice, employing "tricks of the trade" to create an accurate effective image. Such images are educational to attorneys, insurance adjusters, judges, and juries to help create a visual storyline, the goal being to help combine art and science to provide a clear illustration of events to help in adjudicate legal and forensic cases. Cover Half Title Title Copyright Dedication Contents Preface Acknowledgements 1 Introduction to Medical Illustration 1.1 What Is Medical Illustration? 1.2 Patient Education 1.3 Law 1.4 Medical Device 1.5 What Does a Medical Illustrator Do? 1.6 Fields of Study 1.7 A Brief History of Medical Illustration 2 Medical Illustrations Enhance Trial Presentation 2.1 How to Take Complex Medical Information and Present It Visually 2.2 Colorized Radiology—Types and Visual Solutions 2.3 Presentation Method—How Is It Proposed? 2.4 How to Decide What Presentation Format Best Fits Your Case 2.5 Timelines and Fetal Monitor Strips 2.6 Why Are Accuracy and Client-Specific Anatomy Important? 3 Medical Illustrations for Personal Injury Cases 3.1 Case Study One—Worker’s Compensation, Jack Walker 3.2 Case Study Two—Personal Injury/Wrongful Death, Matthew A. Lathrop 3.3 Case Study Three—Medical Malpractice, Attorney Howard Thigpen 3.4 Case Study Four—Medical Malpractice, Attorney Andrew Sibbernsen 4 Medical Illustrations for Medical Malpractice Defense Cases 4.1 Case Study One—Medical Malpractice Defense, John Sly 4.2 Case Study Two—Medical Malpractice Defense, Christina Billiet 4.3 Case Study Three—Medical Malpractice Defense, Kiely Keane 5 Medical Illustration—Interpersonal Violence 5.1 Forensic Nursing 5.2 Diagrams for Documentation 5.3 Diagrams for Documentation—Valerie Sievers, MSN, RN, CNS, AFN-C, SANE-A, DF-AFN 6 Illustrating Gunshot Wounds 6.1 Overview of Ballistics 6.2 Internal Ballistics 6.3 External Ballistics 6.4 Terminal Ballistics 6.5 Bullets Cause Tissue Damage 6.6 Atypical Entry Wounds 6.7 Ricochet 6.8 Case Study One—Mass Shooting,Justin Demerath, April Strahan, Thomas J. Henry Law, Marion M. Reilly 6.9 $230,000.000.00 Verdict! 6.10 In News Today—Department of Justice Set to Appeal— Victims Will Receive 144.5 Million Dollar Settlement 6.11 Case Two—Apartment Shooting—Civil Suit, Greg Bevel Wesley Gould, Rochelle McCullough, L.L.P. 7 Forensic Facial Reconstruction 7.1 Four Categories of Forensic Art 7.2 Three-Dimensional Facial Reconstruction of the Skull 7.3 Circumstances for Creating 3D Facial Reconstruction—Method 7.4 Technical Phase 7.5 Tissue Depth Markers 7.6 Tools and Materials 7.7 Modern 3D Facial Reconstruction with Artificial Intelligence (AI) 8 Medical Legal Illustrations Are Useful in Every Stage of Litigation—Not Just Trial! 8.1 Submitting Medical Demonstrative Aids to Trial 8.2 Find a Qualified Medical/Forensic Illustrator 8.3 Find a Qualified Medical Expert 8.4 Expert Witness Directories 8.5 Utilize Your Medical Imaging/Reports 8.6 Exchange/Submit the Demonstrative Aids 8.7 Know the Courtroom 9 Utilizing Focus Groups for Review of Demonstrative Aids 9.1 Advantages of Focus Groups during Trial Prep 9.2 How to Hire a Focus Group 9.3 Do Focus Groups Enhance Settlement Negotiations? 9.4 Having Your Medical Artist Listen in on the Focus Group 9.5 In Closing—Utilize Focus Groups! 10 How Media Has Affected Learning 10.1 The Tech Generation—Immediate Access 10.2 Community Strength through Social Media 10.3 The Technology “Wow” Factor 11 Conclusion 11.1 Thank You! References Index