Opinion ID: 1325005
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: engineer's report

Text: At trial, Nationwide sought to introduce a report prepared by Hendrix Engineering. The trial judge ruled the report inadmissible on the ground it was prepared in anticipation of litigation and, thus, did not fall within the business record exception to the hearsay rule. See S.C. Code Ann. § 19-5-510 (1976). Assuming, without deciding, that the report should have been admitted, the error was harmless. The author of the report testified to its contents. Alleged error in the exclusion of offered evidence is of no avail if the same effect had been or was afterwards allowed to be given by the witness. Smith v. Winningham , 252 S.C. 462, 467, 166 S.E. (2d) 825, 827 (1969).