F.a.q.
Road traffic accident
Dr Leon: It often happens in the case of a motor accident that the certification of more than one specialist doctor is needed (for example, orthopedic, neurologist, physiotherapists, etc.) and therefore there is a large amount of official documents and test results to gather. In this case you will need to visit the forensic pathologist who will study your file and will then compose a medical assessment report for all the injuries. You will give this assessment report to your lawyer, who will then use it for all the follow-up legal actions.
Dr Leon: Cannabis can weaken mental activity and reduce the ability to concentrate while driving, even if there are no obvious signs at first. The results of the toxicology report, in combination with other information, can lead to a conclusion on how recent the use of cannabis was and whether you were indeed driving under its influence. In this case you should visit a forensic pathologist who will write a medical assessment report, which you can then submit to your lawyer.
Dr Leon: Before you proceed with any kind of legal action, it is imperative that you first visit a forensic pathologist who will advise you, according to your medical record and history, on whether you have sufficient evidence to move forward with a legal challenge. If you then decide that you want to proceed with legal action, the forensic pathologist will compose a medical assessment report for your case.
Dr Leon: Cases of a doctor’s responsibility and medical error are within my field of work. You will need to show me the medical file of the case during our first meeting, so that I can evaluate the case and advise you on any further action. In putting together an assessment report we may seek, if needed, the collaboration of other specialist doctors (including colleagues that you suggest).
F.a.q.
Medical responsibility (medical error)
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Abuse (beating)
Dr Leon: Since you don’t want to press charges, call the police or get legal advice from a lawyer yet, it is essential that you visit a forensic pathologist who will examine your injuries and write a medical assessment report concerning your case. The report is given exclusively to you and you can use it at any time in the future.
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Technical advice on autopsy
Dr Leon: No doubt we can serve as technical advisors for your clients. As you may already know, technical advisors act essentially as specialist witnesses on the side of the parties who have brought the legal action, and they have the right to attend the autopsy, to have access to all the documents and to ask for information (article 207 of the Code of Criminal Procedure). Furthermore, we co-operate with other specialist doctors, if needed, in order to cover such incidents and any medical procedure — for example, with an Anatomic Pathologist in case of a histological examination.
Dr Leon: In these cases, scientists should be qualified to guide you properly, carry out a valid sampling and ensure that the sample reaches the laboratory in excellent condition. The specialist in these cases is the forensic doctor who, in addition to his obvious role in taking a sample from a deceased person, also has a particularly important contribution to the process for living persons. The forensic doctor can also coordinate the whole process and evaluate the final results correctly. The participation of the geneticist, who has the primary responsibility for the analysis of the samples, is also essential, and they may contribute to the other stages of the process as well. A major problem in our country is that there is no institutionally regulated role for a geneticist, so before turning to a “specialist”, the people concerned need to investigate the “specialist’s” competence themselves. Therefore, the safest thing is to start the procedure by visiting a forensic doctor.
Dr Leon: At our practice, sampling for paternity tests is carried out as the rules of science and ethics define. It is a prerequisite that sampling is done at the practice, by a forensic doctor, with the consent and physical presence of all participants in the test. Prior to sampling, an interview on medical data, identification of the participants and completion of the relevant documents take place. In this way, and in collaboration with certified genetic laboratories, we ensure the full validity of the result. Obviously, we do not carry out remote tests or tests on samples that have not been taken with the consent of the person concerned.
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Molecular biology (DNA test)
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Occupational accident
Dr Leon: The forensic pathologist is the doctor you should turn to in order to examine your injuries, review your medical history and medical file, and write an assessment report if needed.
Dr Leon: You need to seek advice from a specialised forensic pathologist who will examine your medical file and inform you on what and how you can claim.
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Insurance claims
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Bodily harm
Dr Leon: The injury criteria are specific. If the person’s life is threatened, if there is a general health disorder and a potential danger to life, if the person has been severely and permanently injured, as well as in the case of mutilation, the injury can be classified as serious, even if indirectly and even if the full extent of the injury is not revealed for a while.
Examples of such injuries are bone fractures, injuries to joints, large vessels and nerves, limb amputation and so on. In any case, what you have to do is contact a forensic pathologist to assess the case and suggest ways in which they can assist (opinion, testimony, etc.).