Proving a lawsuit against a negligent party can be challenging if you do not have sufficient proof and evidence to support your statement. Expert witnesses play a gallant role in your lawsuit to support your claims and enable you to get the compensation that you deserve. Similarly, an orthopedic expert witness provides evidence for medical malpractices related to orthopedic surgeries. Orthopedic surgeons are experts dealing with accidents or sports-related injuries. The treatments vary depending on the severity of the problem. Usually, the treatments include physiotherapy or surgery. Orthopedic experts are called upon by the attorneys to provide statements, supervision, and Independent Medical Exams for lawsuits on muscoskeleton problems. Legal actions can be taken by patients if they receive the wrong treatment or if they face complications after a surgery. Hence, the lawyers representing the patient will seek advice from orthopedic experts to prove the claims. This outside opinion is necessary to sort out the disputes.
Qualities to look for in an orthopedic surgeon witness:
As these witnesses play an integral role in orthopedic negligence, it is essential to look for the best orthopedic surgeon having a good reputation and experience in this field. These witnesses provide evidence at trials, and arbitration on orthopedic matters like an ankle injury, knee arthroscopy malpractices, elbow arthroscopy malpractices, etc. Medical experience is not the only criteria to choose an orthopedic expert witness. There are various other aspects which need to be considered:
- Education– The surgeons should have earned degrees from well-known certified universities. Education is an important consideration because it reveals a lot about the knowledge of an expert witness.
- Experience– An orthopedic expert should be an experienced one- someone who is practicing or a retired surgeon. As an expert witness, the surgeon should be a pro in giving written records and unbiased statements to build your case. As a surgeon, he should have experience with orthopedic problems and their treatments or procedures.
- Medico-legal knowledge– There are certain legal issues surrounding orthopedic practices which makes it important for the surgeons to know the legal requirements, besides clinical skills. Look for experts having knowledge in both medical and legal field like causation, standards of care, and unbiased case reviews – both orally as well as in written format.
- Communication skills– Orthopedic surgeons that communicate information in a confident and clear approach are considered to be the best orthopedic witnesses. The attorneys seek help from these expert witnesses to throw light on the disputes because most of the attorneys are not familiar with the medicinal terminologies. So the attorneys should look for someone who has clear communication skills.
These are some of the essential qualities to look for before approaching an expert witness. It is important to connect with expert witnesses who can meet the exclusive requirements of your case.
