When A Car Accident Court Case Goes To Trial
Most of the time when a car accident claim is filed, the claim is settled before it ever turns into something more. But, if you happen to have a claim that simply cannot be settled outside of court, you will need to go to court to have it settled.
There are many reasons why there might be a car accident court case but one of the more common reasons is when the parties involved cannot agree on who was at fault and caused the accident to happen. In other cases, the parties cannot agree on a dollar amount to be settled out of court.
If your car accident court case cannot be settled outside of court, then your claim will go to a trial. If you’ve never been through something like this before you might be wondering how it works or what happens next.
Jury Selection
In most states, a jury is the one that will look at the case, but before all that happens the lawyers needs to choose people for your trial. Usually, a jury is comprised of 12 people, but sometimes that number can be lower.
The Voir Dire is the first step to your trial. This is where the jury members are selected. Potential jurors are asked a bunch of different questions so that the lawyers can learn more about those people. The whole purpose to this stage is to see if the potential jury members have any prejudices or biases against certain people or situations, which would keep them from being fair and unbiased in the case.
Opening Statements
In a car accident court case each of the parties is allowed to make an opening statement. Usually, the plaintiff’s side goes first.
Defendants Presentation of Evidence
Once the plaintiff’s lawyer has presented all of the evidence for the car accident court case, the plaintiff’s side then rests. This allows the defendants time to present evidence in the claim.
Closing Arguments
After each party presents their evidence and witnesses, each side gives a closing argument. Essentially this is a highlight of all the evidence in the car accident court case that needs to be fresh in their minds of the jurors. It’s a persuasion to allow the jury to draw certain conclusions from the case and the evidence that was presented.
Jury Deliberation
After the closing arguments happen, the jury will then proceed to a room away from the courtroom and will make deliberations on the evidence and witness testimony from both parties in the car accident court case. In every state, jury deliberations are 100% confidential. Neither the lawyers, the parties in the car accident court case, nor the judge are present for jury deliberations. In most cases, a verdict will be met within a few hours, but because there is no set time limit, these deliberations can go on for days at a time.
The Jury Reaches A Verdict
Once the jury reaches a verdict they will then notify the judge that the deliberations have ended. The jury is then brought back to the courtroom, where the verdict of the jury is read to both parties.
While court cases happen everyday if its something you are new at you may have a hard time understanding how all of this works. You need someone by your side to lead you along the way and has your best interest in mind. Because of this, hiring a lawyer is in your best interest!
When you need a Utah personal injury lawyer on your side, call Symco Injury Law at 801-738-9910.