When you have filed a personal injury case, and your doctor agrees to come and testify on your behalf at trial, do you have to pay him? The answer is yes, you will have to pay your doctor to come in and testify. It would be sort of selfish to assume they will spend a day or two in court and not receive some type of financial compensation.
When you have filed a personal injury case, and your doctor agrees to come and testify on your behalf at trial, do you have to pay him? The answer is yes, you will have to pay your doctor to come in and testify. It would be sort of selfish to assume they will spend a day or two in court and not receive some type of financial compensation.
Importance of Testimony Given by Your Doctor
You have filed a personal injury case to obtain compensation for the harms and losses you have suffered. One of the key witnesses will be your doctor, who will have to come and testify on your behalf. In some instances, your doctor will also be your expert witness in which case, your lawyer will have to send all the medical records associated with the treatment you had before you ever met this doctor.
He will be the expert witness who will explain to the jury in detail:
· The type of injuries you have suffered
· The level of severity of your injuries
· The pain and suffering you are enduring and likely to endure in the future
· The treatment you are undergoing
· The treatment you are likely to undergo in the future
· Whether you will need surgery
· Whether you are disabled or going to be disabled in the future because of your injuries
· The quality of life you are leading now, and the type of life you are likely to lead in the future
· Whether your likely life span has been shortened because of your injuries
All these are important points must be presented to the jury, so that they come to know about the injuries you have suffered and the struggles you have endured and may continue to endure. It will also help them determine the compensation amount that should be awarded to you. These points will have to be presented by a doctor, preferably your doctor, whom the jury will view as a credible witness. As you can logically infer by now, the testimony of your doctor is pivotal for your case.
Your lawyer will have to ask your doctor about the specific conclusions and opinions he has about the treatment you received prior to him treating you. Your lawyer will ask these questions because the person in the best position to answer these questions is the doctor who was treating you.
He is the one who has seen you multiple times, and he has observed the way your condition has changed during this period. Based on this reasoning, your doctor is the best person to provide an opinion about your future medical treatment, and conclude if there was any violations in the basic standards of care during your prior treatment.
Doctors do not Work for Free
So if your doctor is coming to court to testify on your behalf, you will have to compensate him for his time. The doctor will also have take time to study your prior medical history and prepare key points that will help him convey to the court about your treatment and future outlook.
