Expert Witnesses
Most personal injury cases rely heavily upon expert witnesses to explain to the jury technical concepts such as accident reconstruction or the extent of certain injuries. These experts often practice in areas where there is extensive research and writings regarding their specialty.

An expert's testimony will be admitted if the expert possesses the scientific, technical or other specialized knowledge that will assist the tryer of fact to understand the evidence or determine an issue of fact. If a witness qualifies as an expert by knowledge, skill, experience, training, or education, then they may testify in the form of an opinion based upon a hypothetical. Of course, not only must their evidence be relevant, it must also be reliable. Therefore, certain experts would not be qualified if their testimony is based upon methods that are not scientifically valid or generally accepted in the specialized community of their peers.

Today, there are complicated medical procedures, such as MRI's and Cat Scans, that require expert neurologists to interpret. Neuro-psychologists can determine such things as post traumatic stress disorders and extent of brain injuries. In the medical context, there are thousands of specialized experts that are available to testify regarding the extent of different injuries.

Experts today are expensive. It is not uncommon for medical and technical experts, engineers, accountants, or other experts to charge tens of thousands of dollars to testify on behalf of a plaintiff. Thus, this heightens not only the cost to the client, but also the stress and management of a personal injury case. Sometimes it can be extremely risky to invest a large amount of time and money in expert witnesses on a case that may have a valid defense or questionable outcome. However, experts are a necessary evil in most personal injury litigation.

Gerald R. Stahl, Trial Lawyer, has the knowledge and experience to ensure the protection of your basic rights in a personal injury case.