What is an Expert Witness and How Can One Help My Personal Injury Case?

Personal injury cases can be complicated. How an injury happened, the nature and extent of an injury, whether a product or device was defective and dangerous, how much you should be compensated – the answers to these questions are often not easy to understand or within the realm of most folks’ experience.

When the injuries or causes or an injury are technical or complex, they key to winning a personal injury case can be expert witnesses hired to explain things to a jury in ways that are both powerful and easy to understand.

Expert Witnesses v. Fact Witnesses

Expert witnesses are different from “fact” witnesses. Fact witnesses are people who know first-hand about the accident or injury. The plaintiff or the defendant who testify about what they were doing, what they saw, and what they experienced are fact witness, as are others who can testify directly about what happened.

By contrast, expert witness are hires, and paid, by either a plaintiff or a defendant to prepare reports and offer testimony because their education, background, and experience make them uniquely qualified to provide analysis, explanations, and conclusion about a givens subject or issue.

Common types of experts in personal injury cases include:

• Medical Experts. While your own treating physicians will provide testimony about your injuries and treatment, it is often necessary to retain an expert medical witness to provide testimony and prepare independent reports about the nature and extent of your injuries.
• Accident Reconstruction Experts. While fact witnesses may testify as to what they saw at the scene of an accident (for example, if a light was green or red), the how and the why of an accident can require specialized knowledge. Just like investigators analyze plane crashes to determine what happened, accident reconstruction experts have specialized training and experience that allows them to look at the evidence and facts of a particular accident and make educated conclusions as to what happened and who was at fault.
• Economics Experts. Determining how much you should be awarded in damages can involve looking ahead at future earnings and medical costs, taking into consideration life expectancy, health, and a range of other factors. Economic experts can testify as to your loss of earning capacity and what your future expenses will be and help a jury determine how much you should be awarded if you are successful in proving that the defendant was responsible for your injuries.
• Mental Health Experts. In cases involving pain and suffering, loss of consortium, or other emotional and psychological trauma after an accident or injury as part of helping a jury come to an amount to award to compensate a plaintiff for such “non-economic” damages.

At The Parian Law Firm, we utilize an extensive network of experts here in Georgia and across the country when we believe that their expertise will increase the likelihood of a positive result and a greater recovery. We represent injury victims exclusively and are committed to getting justice and compensation for our clients. Please contact us at (770) 727-5550 or chat live online with a member of our staff today.