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Normally, a personal injury case ends at the time of the pre-trial settlement. Sometimes, though, the two parties fail to agree on the terms of a settlement. When that happens, the case goes to trial. At the trial the jury will hear a number of different witnesses, one of them might be the accident victim.
Consequently, if you have been in an accident, and if you have consulted with a lawyer, regarding how to get compensated for your injuries, you cannot rule out one possibility. That is the possibility of a trail. If your case does go to trial, then you may be asked to testify on the witness stand. Your attorney will help you to prepare for that same experience.
What you will be doing, as you prepare
About two weeks before the date of the trial, your personal injury lawyer in Sudbury and Kingston will have your review the statements that you made during the examinations for discovery. Your attorney wants to make sure that you remember exactly what you said. Your testimony will be weak, if it differs from what you said during the examinations for discovery.
Next you and your lawyer will go over what questions you will be asked by the attorney for the plaintiff (your own lawyer), while you are on the witness stand. In addition, you will be given the order in which those same questions will be asked. You will practice answering those particular questions.
What you should expect, as you prepare
Do not think that you can be fully prepared after meeting only once with your lawyer. The two of you will probably meet 3 to 4 times. At one session, you might get questions that deal with the background information. At another session you might have to provide details on what actually happened at the time of the accident.
At one point your lawyer will try to make you feel uncomfortable. That will be the time when you need to get ready for the cross-examination. At that time, you will be questioned by the attorney for the defendant.
That same attorney may get close to your face, while stating a question. That will be done with the intention of making you feel uncomfortable. For that reason, during the some of the practice sessions your own lawyer’s body language will mimic the actions that will probably be made by the defendant’s own legal counsel.
How the practice sessions have a dual purpose
You need to be ready to provide answers, while you are on the witness stand. But even as you practice doing that, you must strive to do something else as well. You must display confidence, as your offer your answers. You should be ready to stay calm, even if someone gets close to your face, while asking a question. When the practice sessions have helped you to reach both of those goals, then you are ready to testify.