There are a number of reasons why you may be filing a personal injury claim. You may have slipped and fallen in a grocery store, a big rig truck may have collided with your vehicle, or you may have a medical malpractice claim. Regardless, if your personal injury claim is headed to trial, a personal injury attorney may be looking to hire expert witnesses who can help define your injuries, determine the extent of your injuries, or lay out how the accident happened and why the other party is at fault. As the attorney goes to hire expert witnesses, you may notice that no one actually certifies or labels individuals as experts. This may leave you wondering how your attorney determines who is an expert witness. Here are some of the things the personal injury attorney looks at. 

The Professional Experience of the Witness

One of the first thing that a personal injury attorney looks at when determining whether someone can be an expert witness in your personal injury case is what professional experience the witness has. Their background and the bulk of their work experience needs to revolve around the field or area that they claim to be an expert in. For example, if you are looking to show that a doctor misdiagnosed you, you will need a medical expert who will has worked in the medical field and can explain what diagnosis any other doctor would have made based on the symptoms had. If the expert feels the doctor also misdiagnosed you, it is no longer your word against the doctors, which is beneficial to your case. 

The Credentials of the Witness

Another key factor an attorney will look at when determining whether someone may be an expert witness for your personal injury case is what credentials the expert witness has. If you have been involved in a car accident, you may need an accident recreationist to recreate the accident. While no one will certify a recreationist as being an expert, an attorney, as well as the judge or jury, may place more weight on their testimony and recreation if they have completed an accident reconstruction certificate program, especially those issued by law enforcement agencies or state standards and training commissions. 

The Reputation of the Witness

The last factor a personal injury attorney will look at is the reputation of the witness. Do other people in the field look up to this professional? Does the professional have a clean record? Their reputation is important, especially if they come under fire during cross-examination. As such, an attorney will always check out their background and their reputation in the field they claim to be an expert in. 

There is no agency or institution that certifies any individual as an expert. As such, it is up to a personal injury attorney to vet someone who may potentially be an expert in the field that you need an expert in to ensure that they have the professional experience, credentials, and reputation to make an impression on a jury or a judge. 

For more information on how to find an expert witness and how they can help in your case, talk with a local law firm in your area, such as Fessenden Laumer & DeAngelo, PLLC.

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