While the majority of car accidents avoid the pressures of going to court, you may be involved in a Cincinnati car accident that needs to go to trial. The reasons that car accident claims go to court varies, but it is most likely because the parties can’t agree on a settlement amount or who was a fault for the crash. Understanding the process of a court case can help you know what to expect if your claim were to go to court as well as help you decide if you pursue a court as an option for your car accident claim.
Will a Jury Be Selected If My Cincinnati Car Accident Goes to Court?
The majority of Cincinnati car accident cases that go to court are decided by a jury versus a judge. While a judge will be there to oversee the case, the outcome and the settlement will be determined by the jury.
The jury for your case will be selected by your car accident attorney as well as by the other driver’s legal team. They will use a series of questions to eliminate people from the jury that may be biased in one direction or the other. This is an attempt to provide you with the fairest jury selection to try your crash case before the court.
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Will I Have to Provide Evidence If My Cincinnati Car Accident Goes to Court?
If you are the plaintiff in a car accident case, your attorney has the task of showing “the burden of proof” that you were not at fault in the collision and any injuries that were sustained were a result of the impact of the crash. This requires the calling of witnesses to testify, before the court as to what happened during the accident. These witnesses include bystanders that saw the events of the accident and can back up your account of what actually happened.
You may also require medical professionals to testify on your behalf to the extent of your injuries from a Cincinnati car accident. This could include your doctor, a physical therapist or even a specialist that is providing you medical treatment. These professionals will be able to attest to the severity of your injuries and put into context what your suffering is now and will be in the future.
In providing the burden of proof, your car accident attorney may also call you to testify before the court. This will require you to answer a series of questions about what lead up and happened during the car accident as well as the medical treatment, pain or other issues related to the crash.
Will the Other Driver Provide Evidence If My Cincinnati Car Accident Goes to Court?
When you are the defendant in a car accident case, you have the burden of disproving the plaintiff’s witnesses and providing alternative viewpoints as to what occurred during the car accident. Just like the plaintiff’s attorney, a defendant’s lawyer will call witnesses that saw the crash according to their client’s account. This may also include calling medical professionals that have a differing opinion as to the significance of the injuries in question in the case or the amount of suffering the plaintiff is currently going through.
It can be difficult to hear a defendant try to debunk your injury claims, but if you are the defendant, it is an important step to winning a car accident case.
Will the Jury Get a Chance to Deliberate If My Cincinnati Car Accident Goes to Court?
Once all witnesses have given their testimony, each attorney will have a chance to provide closing arguments. This will provide an opportunity to remind jurors of the evidence that was provided and how each attorney worked to disprove the other party’s testimony.
Once closing arguments have been concluded, the jury will be given time to deliberate and discuss amongst themselves all the facts presented in your case. The information that is discussed by the jury is private. Not even the judge is privy to hearing what the jury says to each other. The deliberations are held in a separate room and can take as few as a few hours or as long as a few days to reach a verdict in your Cincinnati car accident case.
What Will the Jury Verdict Be If My Cincinnati Car Accident Goes to Court?
There is no way to determine in advance how a jury will rule in a case. It is dependent on the information that was provided in the case and how the jurors were persuaded by what they heard from you and your witnesses. There can be many determining factors in deciding a case, and there is no way to fully know what the verdict will be in your car accident claim.
Once the jury has deliberated and comes to a decision on what the verdict will be in the case, they will notify the judge and return to the courtroom to present the decision to both the plaintiff and defendant. The decision will then be recorded by the court and determine if a settlement will be awarded and what monetary value it will have.
How Long Will My Cincinnati Car Accident Case Last If It Goes to Court?
The amount of time that a car accident trial takes depends on the issues surrounding the case. If there is a lot of uncertainty about whose fault the crash was, it may take longer than a case where guilt has been admitted. A typical Cincinnati car accident case can be as short as a few days or as long as a few weeks, depending on how challenging or complex the case is.
Start Building a Case for Your Car Accident Claim with a Ohio Car Accident Lawyers Attorney
When you or someone you know has been hurt in a car accident, call the experienced attorneys of the Ohio Car Accident Lawyers. They can help you navigate the court process and provide you that advice you need to decide if you should take your case to court. Contact us today!
