Car Accident Interrogatories- Basics

1. Car Accident Interrogatories- Basics

2. When a car accident case cannot resolve out of court, the legal teams of the two sides prepare for a court case in various ways. One way is through interrogatories. Interrogatories are sets of written questions that are typically asked and answered under oath. If you’ve been involved in a Bakersfield car accident, you can consult your lawyer to determine if interrogatories can help your case. Sample Questions for an Interrogatory Lawyers use car accident interrogatories to gather information to build a strong case. The process of asking these questions is known as discovery or first discovery in legal terms. What questions can be asked during discovery? Interrogatories help car accident attorneys understand the facts of the case, what caused the accident, and who is at fault. Standard interrogatories relate to:

3. Injuries sustained; Prescribed treatment; Medical history and mental status; Lost wages; Employment history, and more. You can also be questioned about your driving and accident history, actions taken after the crash, and what you did to mitigate injuries. Your lawyer should help you understand what to expect and prepare you for appropriate answers. Interrogatories go both ways. Both sides have the right to pose a maximum of 40 questions to the opposite side. The legal representatives compose the list of questions and explain the reasoning behind each question to their clients. The defendant must respond promptly to help the plaintiff’s legal team understand their point of view about the crash and establish the right recovery strategy.

4. Difference Between Depositions and Interrogatories The plaintiff is allowed 30 days to respond to interrogatories, and the questions are not asked in-person. Depositions are different because they are: In-person interviews; The respondent must be sworn in; A court reporter must be present; The sessions are recorded— written or videotaped; However, there are some similarities, including: Your lawyer accompanies their client to the deposition session in both cases, and Your lawyer can assist you in preparing for a deposition just as they help with written interrogatories. Other Evidence Needed to Prove Your Case

5. Interrogatories are part of the comprehensive evidence file. Other evidence that can help your case can include: Treatment records and bills; Doctor’s report; Medical prognosis (written); Wages history record; Police report; Therapy and rehab records; Photos of the crash scene; Photos of sustained injuries, and Witness accounts, among others. You or your lawyer should gather the above-listed pieces of evidence to build a strong case. The collected evidence should be well organized before it’s presented to the defendant or their insurance company.

6. How Else Can Lawyers Help With Interrogatories? Besides helping you understand the legal parameters that can impact your case, a good lawyer should also help you with: Assessing the feasibility of your case Court appearance or representation; Calculating the recoverable damages; Preparing and filing the lawsuit in court; Complying with the statute of limitations; Appealing unfair verdicts, and Negotiating a fair financial settlement, among others. A settlement can be reached before the case goes to trial. Otherwise, you’ll have to go through a trial to fight for your deserved compensation. Car Accident Recoverable Damages

7. In these challenging economic times, anyone will struggle with repairing damaged property and paying for injury treatment after a car crash. Fortunately, you can file an injury claim and recover damages for all losses resulting from the negligence of another person or party. The recoverable damages will depend on your contribution to the accident—fault and the extent of the loss incurred. The recoverable damages for a car crash can include: Non-Economic Damages Non-economic damages compensate the plaintiff for subjective non-financial losses, such as pain and suffering, inconvenience, emotional distress, loss of companionship, consortium, and diminished quality of life. Non-economic damages are calculated using two methods; the multiplier method and the daily rate method. The Multiplier Method Under this approach, the total economic damages are multiplied by a specific factor, a multiplier, which is a number ranging between 1.5 and 5. The multiplier depends on the severity of the case. A low multiplier is applied to less severe cases, while higher multipliers are used for severe cases.

8. The Daily Rate Method The daily rate method is a bit straightforward because it uses a fair “daily rate” for living with injuries or disabilities. The daily rate is multiplied by the number of days the claimant spends on recovering or your average life expectancy. Economic Damages Economic damages compensate the plaintiff for objectively verifiable financial losses, such as medical expenses, loss of earnings, loss of use of property, repair or replacement costs of damaged or lost property, and economic value of domestic services, among others. Car accident interrogatories help the lawyers of the plaintiff and defendant understand the details of a car accident to make better choices. It’s important to consult a car accident attorney if you’ve suffered injuries after a car crash.

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