Personal Injury Expert Services in Hawaii
KWVRS provides personal injury vocational and life care planning analysis for attorneys handling cases in Hawaii. KWVRS provides forensic economic analysis with its affiliated firm, Kincaid Wolstein Economics.
Overview
Personal injury cases encompass a broad range of physical and psychological harms arising from negligence. Vocational, economic, and life-care experts quantify the functional, earnings, and care consequences of the injury.
Vocational and economic impact
A vocational evaluation establishes residual functional capacity, transferable skills, and labor market options consistent with post-injury medical restrictions. The analysis supports earning capacity opinion and accommodation planning.
Damages may include past and future lost earnings, loss of earning capacity, lost household services, lost fringe benefits, and present value of any needed life care plan.
Hawaii courts and expert standards
Personal Injury matters in Hawaii are litigated in the state's trial courts, with vocational, life care planning, and economic testimony evaluated under Hawaii's expert evidence standard. KWVRS prepares reports and testimony that account for these requirements.
Where these cases are heard
- Circuit Court - General jurisdiction; civil cases over $40,000, felonies, family court division
- District Court - Civil cases up to $40,000, misdemeanors, small claims, traffic
Highest court: Hawaii Supreme Court. Federal venues: D. Haw.
Sources: Hawaii State Judiciary, How the Courts are Structured: the appellate courts are the Hawaii Supreme Court and the Intermediate Court of Appeals; the trial courts include the Circuit, Family and District courts (reviewed 2026-10-12); Hawaii State Judiciary, Circuit Courts: general jurisdiction in civil and criminal cases, with exclusive jurisdiction in felony cases and in civil cases where the contested amount exceeds $40,000 (reviewed 2026-10-12); Hawaii State Legislature, Hawaii Revised Statutes, Family courts, divisions of circuit courts: the family courts are divisions of the circuit courts (reviewed 2026-10-12); Hawaii State Judiciary, Family Courts: legal matters involving children, domestic relations cases including divorce, child support, paternity and custody, and domestic violence cases (reviewed 2026-10-12); Hawaii State Judiciary, District Courts: civil actions up to $40,000, small claims up to $5,000, traffic infractions and criminal offenses punishable by imprisonment not exceeding one year (reviewed 2026-10-12)
Attorney guides for personal injury cases
Other case types in Hawaii
Frequently Asked Questions
When is a vocational evaluation warranted in a personal injury case?
A vocational evaluation is typically warranted when the injury is alleged to have reduced the claimant's earning capacity or ability to sustain competitive employment, or when future employability is contested.
What is the difference between lost earnings and loss of earning capacity?
Lost earnings reflect actual wages the claimant did not receive. Loss of earning capacity is a broader vocational concept reflecting the difference between pre-injury and post-injury capacity to earn, regardless of whether that capacity was being fully realized prior to injury.
Are household services losses always included in personal injury damages?
Household services losses are considered when the claimant performed unpaid services (childcare, home maintenance, meal preparation) that the injury now prevents. Valuation uses time-use data and local replacement service rates.
References
- BLS Occupational Employment StatisticsGovernment
- BLS American Time Use SurveyGovernment
- O*NET OnLineGovernment
- Hawaii State Judiciary, How the Courts are Structured: the appellate courts are the Hawaii Supreme Court and the Intermediate Court of Appeals; the trial courts include the Circuit, Family and District courts (reviewed 2026-10-12)Government
- Hawaii State Judiciary, Circuit Courts: general jurisdiction in civil and criminal cases, with exclusive jurisdiction in felony cases and in civil cases where the contested amount exceeds $40,000 (reviewed 2026-10-12)Government
- Hawaii State Legislature, Hawaii Revised Statutes, Family courts, divisions of circuit courts: the family courts are divisions of the circuit courts (reviewed 2026-10-12)Government
- Hawaii State Judiciary, Family Courts: legal matters involving children, domestic relations cases including divorce, child support, paternity and custody, and domestic violence cases (reviewed 2026-10-12)Government
- Hawaii State Judiciary, District Courts: civil actions up to $40,000, small claims up to $5,000, traffic infractions and criminal offenses punishable by imprisonment not exceeding one year (reviewed 2026-10-12)Government
Ready to Get Started on personal injury cases in Hawaii?
Contact KWVRS to discuss scope, timing, and the deliverables appropriate to the matter. Plaintiff and defense.