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When your personal injury attorney tells you that your deposition has been scheduled, you may feel a sense of panic. Depositions can make you nervous, and anticipation even more so. But proper preparation for your deposition should ease your anxiety. You may not know what to expect, what type of information you should or should not expel, or what the environment will be like. You are in a dispute. And that, in and of itself, can make anyone anxious. The best way to ease any tension is to ask your personal injury attorney for a thorough description of what is to be expected at your deposition. We’d like to go over some of the questions the lawyer who is deposing you will ask.
Background Questions At Personal Injury Deposition
- You’ll be asked about your current address and any previous addresses which you lived in over the last decade or so.
- You’ll be asked questions regarding your current job, such as your salary, if you are self-employed, what jobs you’ve held over the past decade or so, your reasons for leaving past jobs, etc. If you’re claiming lost wages, expect in-depth questions regarding your past income and your current employment.
- You’ll be asked if you’ve ever been involved in legal claims or lawsuits before, including workers’ compensation claims, insurance claims, lawsuits (even if they’re not injury related, ie. divorce).
- You’ll be asked about injuries or illnesses that you’ve had over the course of your lifetime. The lawyer who is deposing you will expect a full answer on this type of question. Try to recall every hospital/ER visit you’ve ever made, doctors who have treated you in the past, and everything you can regarding your medical history to answer as completely as you can. If you cannot remember everything, a simple “I do not recall at this time” will suffice in wrapping up this portion of the deposition.
Questions About Your Accident/Injuries During Your Deposition
- You’ll be asked to go over a slew of details regarding your accident. For example, if you were in a slip and fall, you’ll be asked to recall what you were doing at the time of your slip, trip, or fall. You may be asked if you were on the phone, if you were in a hurry, if your injury was sustained during your fall or made worse, etc. Your answers to these questions can either help or hurt your case, so your discussion with your personal injury attorney prior to your deposition is crucial. If you were in a car accident, you’ll likely be asked where you were going/coming from, who you were with, what time you left, what you were doing prior to driving, what condition your car was in, if you were wearing a seatbelt, if your signal was on – anything that may help the lawyer deposing you prove negligence on your part.
- You’ll be asked to describe the details of your injury. This will include the names of doctors or physical therapists who treated you, how you were referred to these medical professionals, your complaints to these medical professionals regarding your injury, the treatments you underwent, whether the medical professionals who treated you have been paid and if not, how much they are owed, if you’ve worked since your injury, etc.
While this may answer some of your questions should you be facing a deposition soon, it’s best to have a thorough conversation with your personal injury attorney. They will be there to protect you and it’s in their best interest as well as yours that you are not taken advantage of by the lawyer deposing you.
