# First Do Know Harm, LLC

> Independent medical-forensic expert review and testimony in sexual assault and SAFE/SANE
> examination, non-fatal strangulation, intimate partner violence, and child abuse cases,
> for both prosecution and defense. The practice of Benjamin O. Weger, MD, FAAP —
> a board-certified pediatrician and forensic healthcare examiner based in North Carolina,
> retained nationwide and overseas.

## The expert

Benjamin O. Weger, MD, FAAP. Board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics
in General Pediatrics (2014) and Adolescent Medicine (2020). MD, Indiana University School of
Medicine. Licensed in North Carolina and Indiana. Forensic training includes the Defense
Health Agency Forensic Healthcare Examiner course (2023), contributions to drafting the DHA Forensic
Healthcare Procedure Manual (2020), Child First forensic interviewing, and a five-course
progression at the Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention (2022–2026). He has
performed and supervised medical-forensic examinations since 2019 and has consulted and
testified in proceedings across the United States and overseas since 2022, retained by both
defense and government. He accepts engagements from both defense and government, applying the
same standards and the same fee structure in either case.

## Qualifications

A summary CV is published at https://firstdoknowharm.com/qualifications.html (board certification, education, forensic training, consultation history, teaching, publication). Full CV and fee schedule on request.

## Services

- Independent records and case review (medical records, examination documentation, photographs, peer-reviewed literature)
- Written expert reports
- Deposition and pretrial interviews
- Expert testimony at trial, in the United States and overseas

## Practice areas

- [Sexual assault & SAFE/SANE exam expert witness](https://firstdoknowharm.com/sexual-assault-safe-exam-expert-witness.html): a normal exam is common after assault and neither confirms nor excludes it
- [Non-fatal strangulation expert witness](https://firstdoknowharm.com/strangulation-expert-witness.html): most non-fatal strangulation leaves little or no external injury
- [Intimate partner violence expert witness](https://firstdoknowharm.com/intimate-partner-violence-expert-witness.html): injury patterns in context; consistency is not causation
- [Child abuse expert witness](https://firstdoknowharm.com/child-abuse-expert-witness.html): the differential, the mimics, and the limits of pediatric findings

## For attorneys

- [For prosecutors](https://firstdoknowharm.com/for-prosecutors.html)
- [For the defense](https://firstdoknowharm.com/for-defense.html)

## Articles

- [Delayed and Hidden Injury After Non-Fatal Strangulation](https://firstdoknowharm.com/delayed-hidden-injury-non-fatal-strangulation.html): most survivors of non-fatal strangulation have no visible neck injury, and absence of marks does not mean the assault did not happen
- [Why a Normal Exam Is Common in Child Sexual Abuse](https://firstdoknowharm.com/normal-exam-common-child-sexual-abuse.html): a normal genital exam is the most common finding in children evaluated for suspected abuse, even after a disclosure
- [Why Bruises Cannot Be Reliably Dated by Their Color](https://firstdoknowharm.com/bruises-cannot-be-reliably-dated-by-color.html): visual and photographic dating of a bruise to a specific time window is not supported by the peer-reviewed evidence
- [How Often Adult Sexual Assault Exams Show Genital Injury](https://firstdoknowharm.com/genital-injury-rates-adult-sexual-assault.html): most adult sexual assault complainants have no genital injury on examination, and genital injury also occurs after consensual intercourse
- [Bruising in Infants Who Are Not Yet Mobile](https://firstdoknowharm.com/bruising-in-infants-who-cannot-walk.html): accidental bruising is rare in infants who cannot yet cruise or walk, and the peer-reviewed evidence supports evaluating such bruises for sentinel injury
- [Head Injury from Short Falls in Young Children](https://firstdoknowharm.com/head-injury-short-falls-young-children.html): short household falls are a common history in child head-injury cases, and the peer-reviewed evidence bounds fall height, injury patterns, and fatality risk

## Contact

Email info@firstdoknowharm.com or call (812) 236-7027 with the jurisdiction and the question
to be answered. Engagements begin with a conflict and fit check; no privileged material before
the conflict check clears. Hourly rate with an upfront retainer; fee schedule on request.

Forensic consulting is provided by Dr. Weger in his private capacity through First Do Know
Harm LLC; opinions are his own and do not represent the Department of Defense, the Uniformed
Services University, or the U.S. Government.