Car Accident Questions And Trial Preparation

When a car accident leaves you hurt, and a settlement offer is inadequate, you may have to take further legal action. A settlement could provide you with quick money damages, but when your claim is disputed, or the accident was more complicated, it may be necessary to take the case to court. Part of the process of preparing for trial is called discovery. Read on to learn more about discovery and, in particular, interrogatories in a car accident.

What Is Car Accident Discovery? 

As the first day of court looms ahead, your personal injury attorney and the legal representatives for the other driver (their insurance company) will be busy readying their cases. Trial preparation involves both sides sharing information about the case, which allows the court to proceed more smoothly once it starts. The more information shared before the trial, the quicker the trial can go. This process of information sharing is known as discovery. Discovery involves depositions, document production, medical exams, and interrogatories.

What Are Car Accident Interrogatories?

Simply put, interrogatories are questions asked of each side by the other as part of discovery. These questions must be answered in a certain period of time, and the answers are provided under oath. The questions and the answers are all in written form. Your personal injury attorney will assist you in providing the answers, and your attorney will also be sending interrogatories to the other side.

Car Accident Interrogatory Questions to Expect

Typically, car accident interrogatories revolve around the issue in disagreement. Since most car accident claims settle outside of court, there must be a reason why your case is in contention. The issue could be one of fault, the amount of the damages, your medical condition, and more. The questions you can expect will depend on the contended issue. If, for example, the question is about fault, you might expect the following questions to be asked of you:

  1. Explain how the accident happened.
  2. Were there any witnesses to the accident?
  3. Were you taking any medication, prescribed or not, at the time of the accident?
  4. What time of day did the accident occur?
  5. What was the weather like at the time of your accident?
  6. What was your speed at the time of the accident?

Usually, interrogatories will contain about 30 to 40 questions at a time, and you might receive more than one set during the discovery process.

To learn more about the discovery process and interrogatories, speak to your personal injury attorney.


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