What is the role of expert witness in court? An expert witness in law is a person with many years of experience, skills, and expertise in a particular field. Expert witnesses help the court in many cases, supporting the jury in understanding complex and nuanced information.
Besides, expert witnesses provide credible and objective knowledge and collaborate with the legal team to strengthen the case. For example, forensic expert witnesses play a crucial role in civil and criminal cases by providing evidence-based information.
A forensic expert collects evidence, investigates crime scenes, and performs various tests and experiments on items collected at the crime scene. A forensic expert witness also performs an autopsy or analyzes the reports and presents a court testimony.
That way, the court can help conclude a case and serve justice. Anyway, the primary function of an expert witness is to help the court decide a case. The expert witness provides independent, impartial, and evidence-based testimony before the court.
The purpose is to transform complex and technical information into simple and easy-to-understand reports. Thus, the judge and jurors understand the information quickly and make an informed verdict to conclude the case.
Role of Expert Witness
A qualified, professional, and skilled expert witness play a vital role in court. The expert witness has many years of experience in a specific field. Forensic, vocational, securities, mental health, parenting, and medical experts are examples of expert witnesses.
In this section, we will focus on the role of medical expert witnesses and give you a few examples. A medical expert witness looks at the case material facts and focuses on medical-related issues.
For example, the role of an expert witness is to analyze the patient’s medical records and prepare a testimony. The expert witness also prepares written statements, creates models, and testify before the court.
The opinions of a medical expert witness are based on his experience working in the medical field, health-related publications, and skills in using scientific tools. A medical expert witness breaks down technical, complex, and scientific terminology into simple information with objectivity and credibility. That way, the judge and jury understand the complex data and conclude the case.
Medical Malpractice Case Example
Medical expert witnesses play a vital role in a wide range of medical malpractice cases. An expert witness has many years of experience and extensive medical knowledge in a hospital, clinic, private practice, laboratory, and other relevant settings.
Sometimes, a case requires an expert witness in the medical field with many years of experience in a specific area of the medical sector. For example, the expert witness can be a hospital administrator, medical school professional, department chief, physician, nurse, or hospice care professional. Let us now give an example so you understand the concept.
Misdiagnosis
Misdiagnosis, also called delayed diagnosis, is the most common case that requires the expertise of a medical professional. Research shows that over 20% of patients in the U.S with chronic health conditions complain against their primary care providers.
The complaint is often about misdiagnosis by their doctors. Heart attack, cancer, celiac disease, stroke, thyroid conditions, and fibromyalgia are the most frequently misdiagnosed health conditions. When a doctor misdiagnoses a specific condition, it can negatively affect the patient’s health, causing severe harm or even death.
The plaintiff, Electra Carmen, brought a malpractice action against Dr. John Davis. The victim claimed that Dr. David failed to perform his duties and did not refer her for diagnostic breast testing on time.
The court needed the help of a medical expert witness to determine whether Dr. Davis had breached the standard of care owed to Electra Carmen. So, the medical expert witness analyzed the case and collected information using different oncology and pathology tools.
The witnesses presented testimony before the court. The judge and jury analyzed the testimony and found it convincing. The court held that Electra Carmen had met the burden of proof and Dr. Davis had not met the standard of care owed to the plaintiff. The court concluded the case by awarding the plaintiff $5 million in damages.
Contact Legal Medical Consulting, Dallas, TX
Although many organizations have expert witnesses in the medical field, Legal Medical Consulting, Dallas, TX, is a reputable firm and has medical expert witnesses with many years of experience.
Our medical expert witnesses are confident, consistent, trustworthy, experienced, dedicated, and have effective communication and investigative skills. The role of expert witness is to provide impartial, evidence-based, reliable testimonies before the court. Contact us today if you are a victim of a medical malpractice case.