Expert Witnesses Used in Rhode Island Car Accident Claims

When you must file a claim for compensation following a car accident, you have the burden of proving you were not at fault. Even if you believe your claim is clear cut, the negligent driver’s insurance company could dispute the cause of your crash, the severity of your injuries, or other issues in an effort to deny or reduce your claim. Consequently, you may need to retain an expert to prove your case and receive the compensation you deserve.

Hiring an Expert Witness

An expert witness is a person who has specialized education, training, and work experience that allows him to explain and clarify key issues of dispute that prevent your claim from being settled. Because experts are expensive, you only want to hire the ones you truly need. Here are the types of experts that may be helpful:

Medical expert.

A medical expert can explain the injuries you suffered, the treatments you need, and your final prognosis. In addition, he can help prove that your accident—and not a prior incident—was the cause of your injury if this is in dispute.

Mental health expert.

A mental health expert may be needed to prove how your accident has affected your mental and emotional state. He can help establish the emotional trauma and pain and suffering you have endured due to your injuries and how they have limited your quality of life.

Accident reconstruction expert.

If the insurance company is disputing the cause of your collision, you may decide to hire an accident reconstruction expert. This car collision expert can establish the sequence of events that led up to your crash and may use special computer programs to show a reenactment of what occurred.

Economic expert.

If your injuries prevent you from returning to your former job, you may need to take a reduction in pay when switching careers. In extreme cases, you may be unable to work at all. An economic expert can determine the value of your claim for lost earning capacity in the future, which can be complicated to calculate.

Engineers.

If road design defects contributed to your wreck, an engineer may be needed to testify as to how the roadway design or construction was defective.

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Christopher L. Russo [email protected]

Helping Rhode Island personal injury victims for nearly three decades to get the compensation they deserve.