Section 13.30 Miscellaneous Uses of Expert Witnesses

• Library: Sources of Proof (2014 Ed.)

E. (§13.30) Miscellaneous Uses of Expert Witnesses

Expert testimony has been used on a wide variety of subjects in Missouri courts. Examples include:

· showing that a product does not comply with industry safety standards and that compliance could have prevented an accident, Eagleburger v. Emerson Elec. Co., 794 S.W.2d 210, 232 (Mo. App. S.D. 1990);

· construction and safety of steps in a slip-and-fall case, Associated Dry Goods Corp. v. Drake, 394 F.2d 637 (8 ^th Cir. 1968);

· safety of tile in a grocery vestibule, Hyman v. Great Atl. & Pac. Tea Co., 225 S.W.2d 734 (Mo. 1949);

· the amount of time a hole in a paved surface was in existence, Chambers v. City of Kansas City, 446 S.W.2d 833 (Mo. 1969);

· the fact that “hard-packed” marijuana was the common form for bulk distribution and was not suitable for personal consumption, State v. Fairow, 991 S.W.2d 712, 714–15 (Mo. App. E.D. 1999);

· the effects of blasting, Wiley v. Pittsburg & Midway Coal Mining Co., 729 S.W.2d 228 (Mo. App. W.D. 1987);

· the source and cause of explosions, including those caused by natural gas, Craddock v. Greenberg Mercantile, Inc., 297 S.W.2d 541 (Mo. 1957); Salsberry v. Archibald Plumbing & Heating Co., 587 S.W.2d 907 (Mo. App. W.D. 1979);

· the distance sparks would “jump[ ]” at given voltages,

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