Expert Witnesses in Anne Arundel Medical Malpractice Cases

An expert witness is someone who has special training education and/or experiences in a given field. Expert witnesses in Anne Arundel medical malpractice cases are tasked with explaining and validating the plaintiff’s argument. Expert witnesses explain facets of the case and provide the judge and jury with the knowledge and context necessary to make a decision. However, people should also know that in medical malpractice cases, hiring an expert witness is a necessity and there is a cost involved in hiring them. If you want to know how an expert could help your case, speak with a knowledgeable medical malpractice attorney that could answer your questions.

Expert Witness Requirements and Qualifications

There is no set minimum requirement for experience, as it is going to depend on what the expert is for. In medical malpractice cases, the expert witness should be a medical provider/medical professional. It has to be someone who has gone to medical school and has a medical degree, has practiced medicine, is published in the field, and an expert in the particular field that they are giving an opinion on. For example, if a radiologist incorrectly writes a report, and that was the cause of the person’s misdiagnosis, they will need to have a radiologist testify that the standard of care was breached, and that allegedly caused an injury.

Types of Expert Witnesses in Medical Malpractice Attorneys

The expert witnesses that medical malpractice attorneys might use will depend on what type of doctor the individual was seeing and who and what type of doctor is alleged to have breached the standard of care. For example, if there is a birth injury to a child, the medical malpractice attorney would use an OB-GYN who delivers children, who has a medical degree, and who is licensed to practice in the state. That expert witness will need to testify that the standard of care was breached and that is the cause of a birth defect.

Expert witnesses in Anne Arundel medical malpractice cases should have the same experience as the doctor who allegedly breached the standard of care caused an injury and committed malpractice. An expert witness is required for every medical malpractice case.

Can the Expert Witness be one of the Professionals Who Treated the Plaintiff but is Not on Trial?

The expert witness can be one of the medical professionals who treated the plaintiff but is not on trial. However, that would go to the weight of that expert’s opinion in terms as they are an advocate for their patients. Doctors are supposed to be advocates for their patients. There may be some bias and/or prejudice from that testimony. They may be biased in favor of their patient and it may not be considered objective by the jury. Therefore, it is best to choose someone who does not actually know anything about the plaintiff and/or the defendant who was involved in the case to indicate objectively that the standard of care was breached.

Weight Given to Expert Witness Testimony

Expert witness testimonies are usually given a lot of weight in Anne Arundel malpractice cases. The jury, the trier of fact, and/or the judge has to decide which one to believe. They have to have someone explain the case, the medicine, the standard of care, what should have been done, what did not happen, what did happen, and whether or not it caused the injury or death. These testimonies are always given the most weight in terms of whether or not malpractice has been committed. The weight does not vary from case to case.

How an Anne Arundel Medical Malpractice Attorney Can Help

A medical malpractice attorney will not try a case without an expert opinion; it would be committing malpractice. They have to have an expert, they do not have a choice because it’s all about the standard of medical care and whether or not the particular defendant met the standard of care or breached the standard of care. If an individual wants to know more about the benefit of expert witnesses in Anne Arundel medical malpractice cases, they should confer with a well-connected lawyer that could explain the benefits of an expert, and retain a respected expert witness for them.

Anne Arundel County Medical Malpractice Lawyer