The outcome of many personal injury claims can often hinge on the testimony of medical experts. The consequences of accidents are often complex and affect the ability of victims to care for themselves, earn an income, and pay for medical care.
In personal injury lawsuits, lawyers often utilize medical expert witnesses’ services during the discovery and trial stages.
Accidents may seem simple enough when they occur, but you may be surprised to know to what extent insurance companies might go to try to avoid paying your claims.
Expert testimony can help prevent insurance companies’ malicious and underhanded tactics from derailing your personal injury claim.
Who Is A Medical Expert Witness?
A medical expert witness possesses specialized knowledge, training, skill, and experience related to your case and testifies to give the jurors and judge a clearer understanding of the factors necessary to reach a verdict.
Medical expert witnesses are physicians, nurses, surgeons, or other licensed practitioners whose skills and experience qualify them to testify in a particular medical area.
Medical experts are not required to personally examine a plaintiff to testify, although a personal medical examination can be helpful. The expert can testify based on medical records, reports, or tests performed by your treating doctors that the expert examined to come to their own opinion.
The courts do not permit speculative expert testimony. Facts must support the medical expert’s opinion.
Role Of A Medical Expert
Las Vegas personal injury attorneys, often hire medical experts to help them prove certain aspects of their cases, such as duty, breach of duty, causation, and damages. Using their knowledgeable assessment of the injured victim, and the clinical information in medical reports, these medical experts advise on the cause of injury, which can be crucial in arguing negligence.
They also offer an accomplished opinion on the extent of the injury, loss of quality of life, pain, and suffering, and financial losses due to the impact of the damage on the victim’s employment and earning ability, possible requirements for ongoing care and assistance due to the injury, and the cost of such care and assistance.
Medical expert witnesses can communicate effectively, clearly, and understandable, and present and simplify complex procedures to judges and jurors.
Hiring medical experts early in the claim process can show the adjuster that the plaintiff has built a solid, accomplishable case. This can encourage a reasonable and timely settlement before a full-blown trial.
Many personal injury lawyers enlist the services of medical experts to review a case for merit before accepting it. Medical experts can formulate a preliminary theory or strategy, help to establish a standard of care, determine what evidence should be included and excluded at trial, and help to refine the lawyer’s argument at trial.
Factors To Consider When Choosing A Medical Expert
Expert witnesses, in general, help to clarify when complicated technical issues are in dispute. Your injury lawyer will consider the expert’s educational background and experience, professional credentials, certificates, or awards, authorship of peer-reviewed journal articles in their field, if any, reputation, and experience testifying as an expert witness.
Pacific West Injury Law – We Know How To Utilize Medical Expert Witness Testimonies To Win Lawsuits
Because of our extensive experience in personal injury law, we have access to the most trusted medical experts whose impeccable knowledge and expertise have contributed to many successful claims.
At Pacific West Injury Law, we can assess your claim, send you for any necessary medical examinations, help prepare supporting evidence and represent you in Nevada legal proceedings, giving you the best chance of receiving the adequate compensation you deserve.
Contact A Las Vegas Personal Injury Lawyer At Our Law Firm
If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in Las Vegas, Henderson, or North Las Vegas due to the negligence or carelessness of someone else, it’s essential to choose a personal injury lawyer with extensive medical-legal knowledge and experience and a comprehensive network of actively practicing medical experts. Call an experienced personal injury lawyer at our firm for a free case evaluation right away.
