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Accidents happen. No one likes them; there’s nothing pretty about them, and yet they happen. Unfortunately, they happen more often than not. When it comes to car accidents, considering the number of cars on the road, they’re quite often.
During our lifetimes the chances are you’ll find yourself in a car accident. It’s not a pretty event, but, it’s betting against the odds believing you’ll be able to avoid one. Even if you do, a family member or a close person will most likely have one.
When the worst happens it is important to know how to react. Of course, if nothing is your fault, you’ll need an attorney to represent your interest. Getting the damages back should be your priority in this case, especially if your health was endangered.
Most people in these situations seek legal help, and it proves to be very useful to them in the end. The legal system works in this department, if you’re a damaged party, you should fight for what’s yours in the court. Most people are eager to do so but without a prior idea of what awaits them in the court.
This is where we’ll try to step in. if you do not know anything about what follows a car accident you require legal help. But, even with the best attorney, there is, no one can prepare you for what awaits you in the court.
If you had a trial before, that’s another story. But, for the first-timers, a few guidelines are needed to approach the event the right way. Of course, after you hire an attorney, and one can be found if you click here, you need to read this article. The reason is simple. We are going to give you the four tips for understanding a car accident trial – 2024 guide.
Most people who found themselves in a situation involving a car accident wished they had a prep article like this one. Now, you don’t have to be one of those people.
Just keep reading, and see what you can do for yourself to handle the challenges of a trial the proper way. Don’t worry, it is nothing difficult, but without hearing it here first, many aspects of a trial could surprise you negatively. Let’s start.
1. Focus on The Date
Nothing comes as a surprise to the court mechanism. Before anything else, you’ll receive a notion of when the trial is going to be held. Once the jury is assembled, just like the Avengers in the popular movie, you’ll receive a date for your trial.
This is when you need to get more focused on your case, and talks with your attorney about making the winning statement. You need to have your facts straight, witnesses in line, and all the documentation tied to the case prepared. A set date gives you time for preparation, so you can’t act like you were ambushed or surprised.
2. Prepare For The Process
Once the date is set the process is put into motion. There’s a period called the pre-trial motions where the evidence is presented to the judge. It is done like that to exclude any evidence that the judge deems irrelevant.
Both parties have a chance to present their case to the judge before the trial. In some cases, the judge can even determine that there’s no basis for a trial when one party doesn’t have any evidence supporting its case. In cases like these, there is no work for the jury too.
After the case is deemed trial worthy, both parties will have a chance of presenting their case. The plaintiff goes first while the defendant goes second. Once they’re done with the opening words, the case will go back to the plaintiff.
It will have a chance to make a hard case by the inclusion of various reports including police and medical ones, bringing out the witnesses, photographs of the crime scene, experts in various fields, including medicine and traffic, and any other evidence that are found fitting their claim.
The defendant has the same right of presenting everything from above, to defend their case. What follows after this is the closing argument after which the case is getting near its closure.
3. Focus on the Judge and The Jury
Once the case is underway the main players in addition to the plaintiff and the defendant are the judge and the jury. They’re the eons that will be deciding your case. Once the trial is put to closure, the decision will be in the hands of the jury.
They will decide who is in the right. If you win, it will be their estimation of how much you’ll be compensated. When the verdict is made the jury will be handing it to the judge. He will read their decision out loud for all parties to hear it.
Of course, there will be various legal issues left unresolved which will all be determined by the judge in the aftermath of the jury’s decision. For most people newly acquainted with the issues of car accident trials, the correlation between the judge and the jury remains unclear. What you now know is that the decision is equally in both hands.
4. Collecting Comes Last
While the court will decide on your case it is not where it all ends. Once you hear the final word of a judge, and even if you win, that’s not the last of it. Your money will still be out there t be collected.
The court case will be closed, but the part where you get the reward is just put into motion. In most cases, it will take time for you to be fully compensated. Of course, the practice depends on the state in which your case happened.
You also shouldn’t forget that the losing party has a deadline to file a motion in a case they believe that a new trial is in order. What this means is that your compensation could be a few months away. In case there’s no appeal you should receive what’s yours in a half a month or forty days at most.
