"Mom, I don't want to be a witness." Jean looked at her son. "I understand that, Richard," she said. But it will be over soon." Richard scowled. "What if the other lawyer makes me look like a dope?" Jean looked at Joe with an exasperated look.

Joe spoke up. "Richard, try and relax. You are only here to talk about the things you have seen since your mom was hurt. Just tell the truth. There is no way she can take issue with you on that. What's she going to do, suggest that you are making it up?" Richard smiled. "I guess you're right he said.

Jean's husband spoke up. "He's right, Richard. I was nervous too. But it was fine. And it is really important that the jury hear from the people who see your Mom every day. I will never forget that time she was in the shower and couldn't even bend over to pick up the soap she had dropped. The jury needs to know about these things."

In the courtroom Joe looked at Richard. "A few minutes ago you said your mom doesn't help you as much with your homework as she did before her accident. What did you mean by that?"

"My mom is really good with the computer," Richard replied. When I was doing homework before, she would sit by me and show me how to organize my work in to files. She would show me advanced applications with drawing on the computer and stuff."

"How has that changed?" asked Joe. "She still tries to help me," said Richard. "But she is tired a lot. If she sits beside me for more than about 20 minutes her face gets white and she moves around a lot. Before the accident she never missed anything. She was always reminding to do things the way she had taught me. Now I have to remind her. And that makes her sad."

"What other changes have you noticed?" Joe asked. "The house is kind of messy, I guess," replied Richard. "What do you mean when you say I guess?" asked Joe. "Is it messy or not?" Richard looked down. "It's really messy, I guess. Dad has been giving us heck because Rob and I are supposed to help Mom with the housework. Dad says he wants the house to look the way it did before she got hurt. But it never has."

"Is there anything else?" Joe asked. "She doesn't come camping or come to soccer games with us…."

Unless you have been hurt it is difficult to understand how injuries can affect the smallest aspects of your life. The evidence of family, friends and co workers is crucial. The jury must understand the real impact on your life. That will give them the basis for measuring the medical evidence. At Horne Marr Zak we understand this. We will take the time to search out the right witnesses and ensure they are prepared.