Opinion ID: 1735195
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: the trial court erred in permitting the testimony of the defense's expert witness.

Text: ¶ 43. The Fielders' final assertion of error is that the trial court improperly permitted the testimony of Dick Turner, MBC's accident reconstruction and investigation expert. The Fielders allege that Dick Turner was not qualified as an expert witness, and alternatively, that his testimony should not have been permitted in the way and manner it was presented to the Court and Jury. ¶ 44. The Mississippi Rules of Evidence (MRE) permit expert testimony if specialized knowledge will assist the trier of fact to understand the evidence or to determine a fact in issue. M.R.E. 702. An individual may be qualified as an expert in a particular field based upon his knowledge, skill, experience, training or education. Id. The sufficiency of foundational facts or evidence on which to base an opinion is a question of law. Materials Transportation Co. v. Newman, 656 So.2d 1199, 1203-04 (Miss.1995); Gulf Ins. Co. v. Provine, 321 So.2d 311, 314 (Miss.1975). These facts must afford a reasonably accurate basis for the expert's conclusion. Gulf Ins. Co., 321 So.2d at 314. Expert testimony must be consistent with scientific principles as established by the laws of physics or mechanics. Id. The scientific principles underlying an expert's opinion must be generally accepted by practitioners in the expert's field. May v. State, 524 So.2d 957, 963 (Miss.1988); M.R.E. 702, Comment. ¶ 45. Here, MBC submits that Dick Turner was eminently qualified as an accident reconstruction expert. The record reveals that beyond his undergraduate at Syracuse University and police training at the Dallas Sheriff's Academy, Turner testified to specialized training and education at the University of Texas at Austin, the Society of Automatic Engineers for accident reconstruction, and the Institute of Police Technology and Management in Jacksonville, Florida. Turner stated that he had previously been qualified to testify as to accident reconstruction in forty-seven states including Mississippi. Additionally, Turner was a professional race car driver and later test drove vehicles for Ford, Chrysler, GM, Mazda, Honda, Audi, BMW, and Porsche. ¶ 46. This Court has permitted the testimony of qualified accident reconstruction experts to give opinions on how an accident happened, the point of impact, the angle of travel, the responsibility of the parties involved, and the interpretation of photographs. Miller v. Stiglet, Inc., 523 So.2d 55 (Miss.1988); Hollingsworth v. Bovaird Supply Co., 465 So.2d 311 (Miss. 1985). However, in Poirrier v. Degrande, 604 So.2d 268 (Miss.1992), this Court found reversible error where the trial court had allowed the expert testimony of Barber, an alleged accident reconstructionist. Id. at 270. This Court based its reversal however only on the fact that the expert did not have the training or the experience to qualify pursuant to MRE 702, Miller and Hollingsworth. Id. ¶ 47. This Court compared the expert in Poirrier to ones in Miller and Hollingsworth, as follows: [B]oth experts in Miller and Hollingsworth graduated from the Traffic Institute Accident Investigation School of Northwestern University. In Miller, the expert witness also had fourteen years experience as a police officer, during twelve of which he worked accidents, investigating between four hundred and six hundred accidents. Miller, 523 So.2d at 57. In Hollingsworth, the expert witness had vast experience in police department investigating and reconstructing traffic accidents, experience gained at Ford, General Motors and Chrysler Proving Grounds, and in teaching traffic accident reconstruction in approximately thirty-five states. Hollingsworth, 465 So.2d at 313.... While Barber could qualify as an expert to automobile damage and repair and as to cost of repair, Barber does not meet the qualifications regarding accident reconstruction pursuant to Miller and Hollingsworth. 604 So.2d at 270. ¶ 48. Employing a similar comparison in the case sub judice, Turner definitely falls into the category of highly educated and trained accident reconstruction experts previously approved in Miller and Hollingsworth. Thus, the trial court properly exercised sound discretion in allowing the expert testimony of Turner as to accident reconstruction.