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EXPERT WITNESSES Every medical malpractice case and most injury cases require multiple witnesses to tell the facts of an incident and to explain them. Expert witnesses are usually physicians or nurses in the same field of health care as the person or party being sued. They are required to evaluate the facts and the medical testimony in order to come to a conclusion that there was or was not a breech in the acceptable standard of care based on the facts and circumstances of this particular case. That is another way of saying that there was a deviation from the acceptable standard of care (or not), or that the actions taken were not reasonable. Both sides will have expert witnesses with likely opposing points of view. They may each base their testimony on putting emphasis on different aspects of the medical events. An expert witness is one who can explain to the jury rationally and with a strong basis how he came to his conclusions and why they merit jury consideration and are persuasive enough to carry the confidence for the side he favors. |
