You've probably heard the term “expert witness” on TV dramas, but these experts actually play a very real and important role in personal injury cases.
Also known as a judicial expert or professional witness, this figure doesn't actually “witness” a crime. Instead, they’re considered to have expertise and key knowledge about a particular subject due to their education, experience, skill or training. In general, they know more about a specific subject than the average person, whether it’s technical, scientific or something else.
For example, an expert witness might be an orthopedic physician who intimately understands musculoskeletal injuries sustained in an accident. Their opinion about an issue or evidence can be of paramount importance for either a judge or jury to make the most informed decision. However, their opinion isn't necessarily the final answer—it’s subject to rebuttals, just like any other type of evidence in a personal injury case.
Most Common Needs
Expert witnesses might be used for pretty much anything in a lawsuit or trial, but they’re most often depended on for their expertise on injury severity, degree of sanity, the cause of failure in a device or machine, care costs, loss of earnings and other similar issues.
