Evaluation of extrajudicial expert advice in Catalonia (Spain) in 2016–2017

Abstract Introduction Since the application of Law 35/2015, the Legal and Forensic Medicine Institutes provide extrajudicial expert advice at the request of individuals for the resolution of traffic accident claims. The objective is to analyze the most relevant medical-legal aspects of this expert advice. Material and method This is a retrospective descriptive study of the extrajudicial expert advice in the divisions of Barcelona and l’Hospitalet, and Tarragona of the Catalonian Legal and Forensic Medicine Institute from 2016–2017. The data was obtained from the extrajudicial expert records of both divisions. Results 547 medical-forensic reports were made. The accidents were mainly caused by a rear collision between cars on urban routes. The injuries were mostly minor, with cervical involvement being the most frequent. A high percentage were resolved with conservative treatment in an average of 69 days, there were mild sequelae in almost half of the cases. Aesthetic damage was reported in 14%. There were no differences between the two divisions. Conclusion Extrajudicial expert advice is a valuable source of information for assessing the damage caused to traffic accident victims. As in other studies, most injuries are mild and are associated with collisions between cars, causing sequelae in half of the cases. It seems that the extrajudicial route is effective in helping resolve traffic accident claims, but more studies are needed to obtain a more complete vision.