The Importance of Using A Medical Expert Witness
Finding an expert witness should never be left to chance. Your expert witness is the foundation of any case involving workman’s comp, motor vehicle accidents, DOT accidents and employee health and safety. The right expert can differentiate your case and help gain jury approval.
From analyzing the elements of negligence to testifying at deposition and trial, your case success often depends upon competent medical insight. Given the pivotal role played by a medical expert witness, it is surprising how often the search for the right expert can lead to case uncertainty. Dr. Fletcher offers you the confidence that you have chosen the right expert based on your case dynamics.
The Benefits of David F. Fletcher, MD
Dr. David Fletcher is the Medical Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SafeWorks Illinois Occupational Health Services, Ltd. SafeWorks Illinois provides comprehensive occupational health services and return-to-work programs to create safe, drug-free businesses and industries. He has practiced Occupational Medicine for more than 35 years.
Dr. Fletcher was named in October 2017 as the first Frank Leone Award recipient. This award is named after the founder of the National Association of Occupational Health Professionals (NAOHP) for national leadership in the occupational health field.
Dr. Fletcher is a leading medical expert in the Illinois Workers’ Compensation system having produced the multi-stakeholder “Work Injury” Conference from 1992-2013, serving since 2011 on the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) advisory committee, appointed to the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission (IWCC) Medical Fee Advisory Board (MFAB) in 2016 by Republican governor, Bruce Rauner and reappointed in 2020 by Democratic governor, J.B. Pritzger, and reconfirmed by the Illinois State Senate in 2021. and has been a leading representative of the Illinois State Medical Society (ISMS) before the Illinois State Legislature and IWCC since 2014. He has taken care of more than 19,000 individual Illinois workers hurt on the job since 1985.
Along with the treatment of injured workers, Dr. Fletcher’s daily clinical activities include medical certification for commercial motor vehicle drivers, known in the industry as DOT medical examinations.
Dr. Fletcher is a licensed, certified Medical Examiner and is a member of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) National Registry (NCRME). As a Medical Review Officer and Substance Abuse Professional, Dr. Fletcher is also intimately familiar with the FMCSA Part 40 Rules for Department of Transportation Drug and Alcohol Programs. Dr. Fletcher provides a unique level of expertise for your MVA and DOT accident cases. In 1995, he developed the first national DOT certification trainings for other physicians and his clinic performs over 1,000 DOT evaluations a year.
Dr. Fletcher has devoted his entire 35+ year career to making the nation’s highways safer for all who travel, with particular regard to Interstate Commercial Motor Vehicle Drivers, certified to drive by the Department of Transportation. This devotion to public safety has led to Dr. Fletcher being celebrated as one of the most sought-after expert witnesses in the United States regarding driver fitness.
Dr. Fletcher can analyze complicated medical issues, draw conclusions and has extensive experience explaining his expert opinions in a report or at trial and/or deposition. His objectivity and experience has proven invaluable for serving as an expert for both claimants and respondents in Illinois Workers’ Compensation cases, as well as plaintiffs and defendants in civil matters. In addition to being an experienced expert witness in court and depositions, Dr. Fletcher also lends his expertise to litigation support consulting offering medical opinions, executing IMEs and PPIs, record reviews, and consulting on case strategy.
Case Study
The most notable case exemplifying Dr. Fletcher’s expert witness work focuses on the tragic and preventable death of Mr. John Lindsay on May 9, 2010, in which the back of Mr. Lindsay’s vehicle was struck by a semi driver who had fallen asleep at the wheel and had a history of poorly-controlled sleep apnea.
Through Dr. Fletcher’s painstaking documentation analysis, affidavit drafting, and recorded expert witness testimony, Mr. Lindsay’s family was awarded a landmark $3.25 million settlement, along with responsibility accountability from the trucking firm employing the semi driver. To this day, Dr. Fletcher maintains a close relationship with Mrs. Wanda Lindsay, widow of the late John Lindsay. Please, visit the John Lindsay Foundation Facebook page or review this press release for further details on Mrs. Lindsay’s continued fight for reform within the commercial truck-driving industry through the John Lindsay Foundation.
