Opinion ID: 1110208
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 17

Heading: Unqualified Expert Testimony

Text: Pagan alleges it was error to allow the medical examiner to render an expert opinion about whether breaking through tempered glass would cause injuries without evidence of his expertise in this field. The record reflects that the medical examiner's education, background in glass, and years of experience in medicine were explored and presented to the jury prior to his rendering an opinion. Dr. Ronald Wright was the Broward County district medical examiner at the time of this murder and a certified anatomic chemical forensic pathologist. He testified that during his twenty-four-year career he had extensive experience in the types of injuries caused by glass. Once his general experience was established, the prosecutor asked Dr. Wright if he was familiar with types of glass used in sliding doors in South Florida. He responded affirmatively and proceeded to discuss the construction of glass doors. He explained that the glass in the sliding doors at the Jones residence was made of glass that had been sintered, heated, then rapidly cooled, causing internal fracture lines so that if broken it would shatter into small squares. When the prosecutor asked Dr. Wright his opinion of whether a person who came into contact with that type of glass would be injured, defense counsel objected, contending the inquiry called for speculation. The court permitted the question. Dr. Wright opined it would be highly unlikely that a person who kicked in or crashed through that type of door with a shoulder would be injured. The prosecutor then asked what level of force would be necessary to break tempered safety glass. Defense counsel objected again on the same grounds, but the court permitted the question. Dr. Wright went on to explain that a person could kick in a glass door. Under Florida's Evidence Code, admission of Dr. Wright's opinion was proper. Section 90.702, Florida Statutes (1995), provides: If scientific, technical, or other specialized knowledge will assist the trier of fact in understanding the evidence or in determining a fact in issue, a witness qualified as an expert by knowledge, skill, experience, training, or education may testify about it in the form of an opinion; however, the opinion is admissible only if it can be applied to evidence at trial. In this case, the qualifications of Dr. Wright were explored prior to his testimony, and the testimony was connected to the facts which had already been introduced before the jury. When presenting expert testimony, a trial court has broad discretion in determining the range of subjects on which an expert witness can testify, and, absent a clear showing of error, the court's ruling on such matters will be upheld. See Finney v. State, 660 So.2d 674 (Fla.1995). In this case, Dr. Wright used his scientific knowledge to assist the jurors in understanding whether the perpetrators of this crime would be injured by breaking through the sliding glass doors. The predicate for this testimony was laid by Dr. Wright's years of experience with glass and his extensive experience with injuries caused by it. The record shows Dr. Wright's opinion was based in scientific principle rather than being speculative. Furthermore, his statement was admissible to explain the evidence. Dr. Wright's opinion could be used to explain why neither perpetrator complained of being injured during the robbery as testified to by Latasha Jones. Dr. Wright's opinion also helped explain why Quezada did not notice injuries to Pagan when he saw him after the crime was committed. Pagan has not demonstrated that it was error to allow the expert to express his opinion in this area.