If you suffer a catastrophic or life-altering injury in Texas, proving liability and full damages requires more than basic evidence. As the plaintiff, you carry the burden of proof. In complex cases involving paralysis, traumatic brain injury, amputation, or severe burns, expert witnesses are often essential.
An experienced Austin personal injury lawyer will typically rely on qualified experts to strengthen liability arguments and maximize financial recovery.
What Is an Expert Witness?
In Texas, the courts allow testimony and input by expert witnesses to help clarify details or facts that are relevant to a personal injury case. An expert witness is a person with a heightened level of knowledge, training, experience or expertise in a specific subject.
Expert witnesses can be hired during a catastrophic injury case to explain complex topics and provide insights into the plaintiff’s case from the perspective of a knowledgeable specialist. Testimony from an expert witness could make or break a case by helping a jury understand technical evidence or determine a fact.
Accident Reconstruction Experts
A catastrophic injury claim can benefit from the use of several types of expert witnesses. One is an accident reconstructionist, or a professional who specializes in using available evidence to re-create an accident. These re-creations can help determine liability, or legal responsibility, for a catastrophic event by showing who or what caused the accident.
Proving causation is a key component of a personal injury case. The four elements of negligence are duty of care, breach of duty, causation and damages. An accident reconstruction expert can help demonstrate the cause of the event to prove that the plaintiff’s catastrophic injury most likely would not have happened were it not for the defendant’s failure to meet the duty of care.
Medical Experts
A medical expert can be an important tool for demonstrating the seriousness of the plaintiff’s injuries and their connection to the accident in question. A medical specialist such as a neurologist, oncologist, orthopedic surgeon or psychiatrist can explain complicated medical topics in layman’s terms so that the jury understands the severity of the victim’s injuries and how they have impacted the victim’s daily life, mental health, physical abilities and future.
Life Care Planners
Certified Life Care Planners can be instrumental experts during catastrophic injury claims, as they can explain how much a long-term or permanent injury will cost the victim over the span of decades. Life Care Planners testify about the future medical needs of an individual with a catastrophic injury, such as:
- Surgeries
- Rehabilitation
- Physical therapy
- Occupational therapy
- Speech therapy
- Prescription medications
- Medical devices
- Live-in nursing aides
- Around-the-clock care
A Life Care Plan created by a certified expert will take into account factors such as inflation to calculate an accurate and detailed estimate of how much a catastrophic injury will cost over the victim’s projected lifetime. This can help the victim seek fair and full compensation.
How to Hire Experts for Your Catastrophic Injury Case in Texas
Other expert witnesses that could be helpful during a catastrophic injury claim include vocational experts, economic experts, traffic specialists, safety experts and forensic experts. If you hire the right catastrophic injury attorney in Texas, the law firm can hire highly qualified experts to testify during your case. The use of experts can strengthen your claim, prove liability, and help you get a fair settlement or jury verdict.
For more information about the role of experts in catastrophic injury claims, contact the Texas personal injury lawyers at FVF Law Firm – Injury & Wrongful Death Lawyers for a no-cost case evaluation. Our lawyers have over 100 years of combined experience.
