Make A Great Impression In The Courtroom

It's All About Perspective: How To Discuss Your Viewpoint Of Your Accident In Court

14 January 2016 by Richard Ramirez

Given the injuries you sustained and the impact on your emotional levels, it would not surprise car accident lawyers that you feel very traumatized about your car accident. However, lawyers are very matter-of-fact people. When you finally decide who to hire for your lawsuit, here is how you need to discuss your viewpoint of your accident so that your lawyer has exactly what he or she needs to outline and define your case for court.

If You Are Too Emotional, Take a Witness 

Sometimes it helps to take a third party with you, someone who was with you in the car and someone who is old enough to speak in court in the event that your lawyer needs a witness. If your witness was uninjured and just shaken, he or she may be more calm about the accident now and can talk about what happened. This person may also be able to speak for you if he or she knows your story and exactly how you have perceived the accident and experienced it. 

Practice Relaxing and Relating the Facts

Since you may have to tell your story in court, now is a good time to begin practicing relaxing and relating the facts in your case. This may be very hard to do at first because your mind may race, you may make assumptions about the other driver or your mind may try to fill in the blanks where certain details about the accident escape you. If you can find a way to relax, you can avoid stating anything that is not fact.

Your lawyer and the court judge will expect facts only, and it helps to practice separating the facts in your case from all of the emotional side stories. (It may seem very cold to operate like this, but lawyers and judges cannot make a fair ruling if they have to sort out the facts for you.) Begin by first relating the facts to your lawyer, who will help you continue this practice so you are ready to answer questions asked by the judge in court.

Realize and Accept That the Other Driver May Have a Different Viewpoint

Whether you were the one that was hit or you were the one that was hitting, often both sides have a different viewpoint of what happened. It does not necessarily mean the other driver is lying, only that the other driver's experience of the accident was different from your own. This is why it is so important to involve the police right when an accident occurs, because it is their documentation that will show whose viewpoint is more accurate and in line with the facts. If you accept that the other driver saw and experienced things differently, then you and your lawyer can more calmly work through the moments in court where there may be a difference of opinion and your lawyer can refute or dispute anything that does not truly fit the documentation or facts.

If you're ready to move forward and open a court case, contact a law office like The Best and Westover to get started. 

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