The legal definition of expert witness is having “a special knowledge of the subject about which he is to testify.” That knowledge must generally be such as is not normally possessed by the average person.
The expert witness is thus able to afford the tribunal having the matter under consideration a special assistance. This expertise may derive from either study and education, or from experience and observation. An expert witness must be qualified to testify as such.
I, Charles Cotton, qualify as an expert witness in the ground surface livery transportation industry. My undergraduate and graduate work in traffic safety education along with my 34 years as a seasoned, successful operator with a totally clean record (FBI criminal data based files) qualifies me in the judicial system.