Opinion ID: 1707182
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: did the trial court err in excluding the testimony of dr. john walker?

Text: During the state's case-in-chief, Dr. John Walker testified as to his observations just prior to the collision between Moffett's and Tally's vehicles. After Dr. Walker's testimony, Staff Sgt. Donald W. Rawson of the Mississippi Highway Patrol testified as an accident reconstruction expert. He presented an exhibit (S-9) depicting the location of the vehicles at the time of the collision, their paths of travel after the collision, etc. The chart was not inconsistent with the testimony of Walker, but did not show the movement of the vehicles before the collision. Moffett's counsel decided to call Dr. Walker during Moffett's case-in-chief so that Walker could refer to the exhibit and illustrate the movement of the vehicles before their impact. The rule excluding witnesses from the courtroom had been invoked. During a recess in the trial, however, one of Moffett's attorneys accompanied Dr. Walker into the courtroom, where Exhibit S-9 was on open display. Dr. Walker then briefly examined the exhibit to see if he could identify the area depicted in the diagram. He asked defense counsel if the location shown in the diagram was Highway 15, and defense counsel answered, yes. Dr. Walker left the courtroom before trial proceedings resumed, and at no time did he hear the testimony of other witnesses. Later, when defense counsel attempted to examine Dr. Walker regarding the state's exhibit S-9, the state's attorney objected on the ground that Walker had violated the rule by entering the courtroom and viewing the exhibit outside the presence of the jury. The trial judge ruled that because Walker had viewed the exhibit and consulted briefly with counsel, he could not testify in regard to the exhibit. However, the judge allowed the defense to proffer the evidence which Walker would have presented. The proffer showed that Dr. Walker had intended to take a red marker and indicate on the exhibit the paths of Moffett's vehicle and the Tally vehicle from the point where he first saw them until the point of their collision.