Car Accident Charles County, MD Auto Accident Lawyers: When Might I Need An Expert Witness for My Maryland Car Accident Case? By Law Office of Robert Castro, P.A. | April 3, 2024 Share Expert witnesses are sometimes needed for auto accident cases here in Charles County, Maryland. If you have been injured in a car accident, contact us here at the Law Office of Robert Castro. Our number is (301) 870-1200. We are experienced and top-tier auto accident lawyers in Charles County and St. Mary’s County, Maryland. In this article, we briefly describe what expert witnesses are, what their role is in car accident cases, and a few examples of when you might need an expert witness for your case. What is an expert witness? Generally speaking, witnesses come in two varieties: fact or eyewitnesses and expert witnesses. The former provide testimony and evidence of what they saw and experienced. Conversely, experts provide testimony and evidence based on their skills, training, education, and their review/experiments related to the specific case. Fact witnesses generally testify without pay; experts generally are paid for the opinions that they provide. Under Maryland’s codified Rules of Civil Procedure, expert witnesses are valid sources of evidence that can testify in Maryland car accident cases. There are certain requirements that must be met, such as the expert must have training, education, and skills related to the specific field of study in which they are giving an opinion. In a tire blow-out case, for example, the expert must have the requisite expertise in automotive tire manufacture, repair, performance, causes for failure, etc. You would not, for example, hire a medical surgeon to give opinions in a tire blow-out case. The field of expertise is not relevant. What is the expert’s role in a Maryland car accident case? Generally, an expert’s role is to give testimony about matters of a technical and/or scientific issue that is beyond the ability of untrained persons. Most people would not have any knowledge about why a tire might have blown out, causing a car accident. But, the reasons why this might have happened — and how it happened — may be crucial to determining who is at fault for a Charles County, Maryland, auto accident. Thus, an expert is hired to research what happened in the accident, inspect and examine the tire, and provide a report and testimony based on his or her expertise. When you might need an expert witness for your case? Not every car accident case will need an expert witness. However, sometimes, there is a tricky factual question that cannot be answered by the fact witnesses. Often, these involve questions of causation. Here are a few examples: A tire blow-out case (as mentioned above) — experts will generally be needed to provide evidence where that is any claim that mechanical failure or product failure was a cause of the accident A case where there is a dispute about whether the accident caused a particular injury — in Maryland, the victim must prove that the injuries were caused by the accident; in some cases, like a case where there are pre-existing injuries, this is disputed Where damages are in dispute such as where the victim is claiming future medical bills — an expert can be used to bolster the claim or challenge it Where damages must be computed — a financial or accounting expert might be needed Where technical or computer knowledge is needed to obtain data from devices like a car’s “black box” And more Contact Waldorf, MD Personal Injury Attorney Robert Castro Today This article has been provided by the Law Office of Robert Castro. For more information or questions, contact our office to speak to an experienced Maryland personal injury lawyer at (301) 870-1200. We are Waldorf, MD, Personal Injury lawyers. Our address is 2670 Crain Highway, Waldorf, MD 20601.
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