Austin Car Accident Lawyer Details What You Can Expect After Filing a Personal Injury Case
Every year, over 700,000 personal injury cases are filed in the United States. A vast majority of these cases, however, are settled out of court. Only about 4% to 5% of these cases actually go to trial. With this being the case, it is not surprising that many people do not know what happens after they file a personal injury case.
In this article, we tell you what you can expect after you file a personal injury case with the help of an Austin car accident lawyer.
Discovery
Once a lawsuit is filed in civil court, the plaintiff and the defendant can learn about each other’s claims and evidence through a process called ‘discovery’.
Written Discovery
In this process, your Austin car accident lawyer can obtain the information they need from the other side in writing. Your lawyer will send a set of forms – which are listed below – to the other party and ask them to fill out the details.
- Request for Disclosure
- Request for Production
- Request for Admission
- Interrogatories
Similarly, the defendant’s lawyer can also request you fill out these forms in order to obtain the information they need.
Oral Discovery
In this process, the plaintiff, the defendant, witnesses, and other parties who have information pertaining to the case will be asked to testify under oath. During your deposition, you will be questioned by the defense attorney. Similarly, the defendant will be questioned by your Austin car accident lawyer. Both attorneys are allowed to make objections if they believe that the other side is asking questions that are not relevant to the case or making wild allegations or insinuations that are not grounded in facts.
Subpoenaing Records
This is a process in which your attorney as well as the at-fault party’s attorney can subpoena the records they want to present as evidence. These may include:
- Police report
- Medical records
- Prescriptions
- Receipts for various expenses associated with your treatment and rehabilitation
- Employment records
- Tax returns
The Trial
This is the final stage of your personal injury case. Your case will reach this stage only if your Austin car accident lawyer is unable to reach a settlement with the other side or resolve the case through mediation or arbitration.
At this stage, both attorneys will be allowed to make an opening statement, present the evidence for their claims, and make a closing statement. Once it is done, the jury – based on the evidence presented by both sides – will decide whether you deserve to be compensated and if so, how much.
Get the Compensation You Deserve by Hiring the Best Austin Car Accident Lawyer
Car accidents can leave you with catastrophic injuries which might require a lifetime of treatment and care. So, it is critical to hire an experienced attorney who can help you get adequate compensation for your tangible and intangible losses.
Attorney Thomas J. Henry has been practicing law for over 25 years, focusing solely on personal injury cases. As the founder of the largest and one of the most successful law firms in the state, Thomas J. Henry has the legal knowledge, trial experience, and resources to take up any kind of personal injury case. For a free and 100% confidential evaluation of your case, call us today at (866) 517-5659 or contact us online.
