If a car accident case goes to trial, the defendant’s attorney interrogates the victim to dig up information from him and seek inconsistencies in it, if any. A victim who is about to get grilled in a court is aware that the defendant’s attorneys will try and trip him up and he may get nervous about it.
Sure enough, the victim’s lawyer will prepare him for the trial. But what if the lawyer is inexperienced?
Our experience shows that victims who work with inexperienced or general attorneys goof up while being questioned and harm their cases.
So, to help accident victims, our team of experienced car accident lawyers in Salt Lake City got together and created this guide that will help victims know what kind of questions to expect. They can prepare in advance and confidently face the grilling by the defendant’s attorney, without goofing up.
A couple of things before we begin: always be truthful and stick to the facts while answering. Also, don’t guess the answers; if you don’t know, just say so.
1. Basic Questions related to Personal Background
The session starts smoothly with the attorney asking about the witness’s name, address, telephone number, education, marital status, etc. Then begins the tricky part.
2. Health-Related Questions
Defense car accident attorneys in Salt Lake City try to figure out if the victim’s health issues are actually due to accident injuries or are due to an existing medical condition. They quiz about injuries and health issues that existed before the accident, and the health problems experienced after the accident, and try to reconcile the two.
They also quiz about the medical professionals the victim has consulted in the last decade or so and the treatments he has received.
3. Job-Related Questions
Victims include lost wages (current and future) in their compensation claim and the defense attorney tries to pick holes in the claim by querying them about their prior jobs and how many jobs they changed in the last 5 years or so.
The defense also digs into the victim’s current job, including its nature, his coworkers, wages, and whether he has skipped work in the past 3–5 years, and the reasons thereof.
4. Police Record
If the victim has a criminal record, the chances are high that the defense car accident attorneys in Salt Lake City will try to exploit it to influence the jury. Victims with a police record must consult their attorneys on how to objectively and truthfully answer such questions.
5. Accident-Related Questions
Besides the usual questions like the day, time, and venue of the accident, weather and traffic conditions, direction in which the victim was headed, Salt Lake City’s car accident lawyers also ask the following:
- If the victim observed any road signs and whether he followed the traffic rules.
- What was the victim doing just before the accident?
- What was the distance between the cars before the accident?
- Speed-related questions.
- What happened after the cars collided?
- Did the parties talk to each other after the accident? Did any party admit fault?
- Car repair details.
- Pictures of the accident shot by the victim, if any.
- Details of witnesses, if any.
- Whether the victim consumed alcohol before the accident?
6. Injury-Related Questions
Besides the health-related questions described earlier, defense attorneys also quiz the victims about:
- The injuries caused by the accident.
- Medical professionals consulted for the treatment.
- Accident-related discussions that the victim had with his doctor.
- If the treatment helped him recover.
- If the impact of the injuries continued after the treatment.
- Medical costs.
- Lost wages (current and future, with explanations).
- Impact on social life, personal relationships, and daily routine.
The questions above do not represent all the questions that a defense attorney is likely to ask. For a detailed list that’s specific to your case, check with an experienced car accident injury attorney.
If you’d like to know more, or need clarity on the questions above, we are happy to offer you a free meeting.
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We are among the top car accident lawyers in Salt Lake City and have helped hundreds of victims get the compensation they rightfully deserve.
We have prepped victims for depositions, negotiations, and trials by helping them understand the finer details. We believe a well-informed victim (or his loved one) can easily answer tricky questions while sticking to facts so long he has a skilled and experienced car accident attorney, like us, by his side.
We encourage you to set up a free, no-obligation, no-pressure meeting with us to learn how you can win.
You have everything to gain and nothing to lose – and we are just one phone call away.
