Expert Witnesses

Expert witnesses are a common feature of both criminal and civil trials. They are witnesses who, by virtue of their education, training, skill, or experience, are believed to have knowledge of a particular subject beyond that of the average person. The knowledge of an expert witness is advanced to the point that others can officially and legally rely upon the witness’ specialized opinion about a piece of evidence or fact issue within the scope of their expertise.

Expert witnesses frequently offer assistance to the fact-finder. For example, if someone has a piece of evidence, an expert witness may be used to explain the full scope of that piece of evidence. They are often used to explain to the jury a piece of science or technology that could be crucial.

This type of witness is capable of delivering expert evidence about facts from the domain of their expertise. A word of caution, the testimony given by expert witnesses can be rebutted with a learned treatise. This can hurt the reputation of the expert witness professionally.

Typically, experts are relied upon for opinions relating to the severity of an injury, the degree of insanity, the cause of failure in a machine or device, the loss of earnings to be expected by an injured individual, the care costs of taking care of an individual, etc. In civil trials, experts are frequently used by both sides to advocate differing opinions. It is then left to the jury to decide who is actually the expert.

If you have been injured in an accident of some sort, please contact the Kenosha personal injury lawyers of Habush, Habush, & Rottier at 1-866-499-4700 to discuss your case and to determine your legal options.