Expert witnesses may not be needed in every nursing home abuse case. For example, if a nursing home staff member hit your loved one and the incident was caught on tape, then proving that nursing home abuse occurred may be straightforward. You may already have all of the evidence that you need.
However, other cases of nursing home negligence are more complicated. In order to recover damages in a nursing home abuse case, you must prove that:
- The nursing home owed your loved one a duty of care.
- The nursing home breached that duty of care by failing to provide you loved one with reasonable care.
- The breach of the duty of care caused your loved one’s injury.
- You loved one was hurt and has the legal right to pursue damages.
Nursing homes owe their residents a duty of care and that element of negligence may be easily established. The other components of a legal claim can be trickier…
Expert Witnesses Can Help You Prove Negligence
Expert witnesses can help you prove whether a nursing home acted with reasonable care, whether its actions or inactions caused an injury, and how badly those injuries impacted your loved one. Some of the experts who can help with this include:
- Doctors.
- Nurses.
- Directors (or previous directors) of nursing home facilities.
- Geriatrics or long-term–care experts.
- Respiratory therapists or rehabilitation therapists.
- Pharmacists or pharmacology experts.
- Psychiatry or psychology experts.
The specific experts that you need depend on exactly what happened and the unique injuries that you suffered.
How to Find the Right Expert Witnesses for a Nursing Home Abuse Case
It can be difficult to find your own expert witnesses. It is not enough that someone is qualified—because of his education or experience—to be an expert witness. That person must also understand the role of being an expert witness and be persuasive on the witness stand.
An experienced nursing home abuse attorney knows how to find the right experts for each individual case, and a lawyer knows when to use an expert witness in a particular case. You do not have to make this decision alone. Instead, we encourage you to contact us directly via this website or at 1-800-800-5678 and the schedule a free consultation with us today to discuss all aspects of your nursing home abuse case.