Mark Twain once said, "if you tell the truth, you don't
have to remember anything". The inference being that a
truthful person can use their experience of an event as the basis
for their storytelling.
It seems simple, doesn't it? Yet, in practice it's
generally not that easy.
Memories and compensation claims
Most injured people who pursue a compensation claim are required
to recount and retell the circumstances of their injury over and
over for many years after it happens. Their ability to accurately
recall the exact details of an event that occurred many years
earlier can be a deciding factor in whether they win or lose their
case.
On the face of it, it makes perfect sense. Our legal system
relies upon the ability of a Judge to determine facts in dispute to
figure out exactly what occurred. This inherently requires an
assessment of the credibility of witnesses who give evidence.
