The Role of Expert Witnesses in Personal Injury Trials
If you were harmed in an accident, your Columbus personal injury attorney will file a claim or a lawsuit seeking damages against anyone whose negligent behavior contributed to your injuries. If your case goes to trial, your personal injury lawyer will demonstrate how your injuries were caused by somebody’s careless actions.
In many cases, more than one party shares responsibility for the victim’s injuries. Perhaps the truck driver who crashed into your car was speeding, but poor truck maintenance also contributed to the severity of your injuries. In a case like this, your attorney may file claims against the driver, his employer, and the mechanic whose job it was to fix the truck’s brakes and replace its tires.
Determining how an accident occurred and who bears responsibility for your injuries can be complicated. That’s why the court often relies on expert witnesses who can break these issues down and explain them to a jury. Choosing the right expert witness will improve your chance of winning in court and can increase the size of the settlement you receive.
What Is an Expert Witness?
According to Georgia law, an expert witness is someone who has “scientific, technical, or other specialized knowledge” that will assist the court in understanding evidence and determining the facts of a case. A witness qualifies as an expert based on their “knowledge, skill, experience, training, or education” of a particular field related to the case.
Types of experts who are frequently called upon in personal injury trials include:
- Medical experts include doctors, dentists, nurses, physical therapists, and other professionals who are trained and licensed in a healthcare-related field. In a case involving medical malpractice, these experts will inform the court if the treatment a patient received deviated from accepted medical standards. Medical experts will also explain how an injury occurred and review the types of medical treatment and personal living assistance the patient will require.
- Reconstruction specialists use the principles of physics and mathematics to explain how an accident occurred. They create physical and computerized models that allow juries to visualize what happened and demonstrate how the actions of the people involved impacted the accident victim.
- Economists inform the court about the financial impact of the accident and how it will affect the victim’s future employment. Economists also provide information about the lifetime costs of treating various injuries.
- Mechanical engineers play a significant role in defective product lawsuits, explaining how the product’s design contributed to the victim’s injuries.
- Traffic engineers explain how various factors such as speed, force of impact, vehicle damage, and skid marks demonstrate how fast a driver was traveling when the accident occurred. Engineers also interpret data collected by the vehicle’s event data recorder (EDR), which is often referred to as the “black box.”
- Mental health experts explain the psychological effects that an accident or assault may have on the victim and go over the types of treatment that the patient’s doctor may recommend. Victims in these cases often suffer symptoms that include PTSD, depression, anxiety, mood swings, loss of appetite, and difficulty sleeping.
- Forensic experts may be asked to comment on the amount of alcohol in a drunk driver’s system at the time of a crash, determine if a fire was accidentally started, or identify who was present when an accident or assault occurred by confirming DNA evidence.
Personal Injury Cases Where Expert Testimony Is Valuable
Having the right expert witnesses makes a huge difference in the courtroom. At Butler Prather LLP, we work with some of the most trusted and respected expert witnesses in the nation. Our firm relies on these experts when we litigate various types of personal injury lawsuits, including:
- Car accidents
- Trucking accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Pedestrians struck by motor vehicles
- Environmental contamination torts
- Motorcycle accidents
- Premises liability
- Product liability
- Nursing home neglect
- Slip and fall injuries
- Wrongful death actions
Are You Suffering from Catastrophic Injuries?
At Butler Prather LLP, we think it’s only fair for the person who harmed you to answer for their actions. For over 35 years, our experienced trial lawyers have been getting justice for accident victims.
Butler Prather LLP has won hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts for clients in over 30 states. Our Georgia injury attorneys have won over 60 verdicts and settlements of over $10 million and nine verdicts exceeding $100 million.
Call us at (706) 322-1990 to schedule your complimentary consultation today.