When you file a claim after being involved in a car accident, you will need to enter the interrogation stage. This is one of the first steps to a lawsuit, and is done during litigation. The reason this is done is because multiple people involved in a single car accident might have very different versions about the events that took place. The court system needs to hear all sides and interrogate each person. While the term interrogation sounds bad, it is simply a way to explain each person is going to tell the courts what they saw, and will be asked a series of questions to collaborate their story.

Discovery

The part of interrogation is actually the discovery process. The lawsuit begins when you as the plaintiff will file the case, with the help of your lawyer. You file the lawsuit with the courts, who then serve the defendant with a notice of the lawsuit. The defendant is then given the opportunity to answer the complaint you have against them. After their answer is filed, the lawsuit begins, and you enter the discovery period. During discovery, both of your lawyers are trying to gather information about the accident and what exactly happened. You and the defendant are both going to try to debunk the other person's claims with your own discovery. If you are able to come to a settlement during the discovery period, you will be able to avoid trial.

Interrogatory

During discovery and the interrogation process, you will also go through what is called an interrogatory. This is a list of questions that are asked of the other party to get more information for the case if it goes to trial. The reason interrogatories exist is so there is not harassing of one party of the lawsuit that asks irrelevant questions. With these basic questions, the court comes up with them, and both parties are asked the same types of questions. If a lawyer finds out that someone has given a false answer, they may be subject to penalties for perjury.

Questions Asked During Interrogation

If you are curious what types of questions are asked in interrogatories, the following examples can give you a good idea. As you see from these questions, they ask about everything from details in the accident to getting more information about your injuries and how they have affected you. Some example questions include:

  1. How did the accident occur?
  2. Did you see any witnesses?
  3. Were you taking medications when you got into the accident?
  4. Have you ever been married?
  5. What injuries are you claiming?
  6. Did you lose any wages due to your injuries?
  7. What medical treatments do you need for your injuries?
  8. What medical treatments have you gotten in the last 10 years?
  9. Have you ever filed for bankruptcy?

As you can see, the courts wants to know a lot of pertinent information that can help them make a decision in your case.

Share