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Understanding all the crucial steps in a personal injury trial

On Behalf of | Nov 21, 2019 | Firm News, Personal Injury & Medical Malpractice Defense |

Quad Cities defendants in a personal injury trial need to have a plan. These types of cases can involve significant emotional affect and thousands — if not millions — of dollars. To have a solid plan, it is important for defendants in a personal injury case to understand all of the crucial steps in a trial.

The first — and, some will say, most crucial — part of a jury trial is the selection of the jury who will listen to the facts and applicable law in the case. During this process, both sides — plaintiff and defendant — will be able to ask questions of the potential jurors, seeking to select jurors who will be able to be fair and impartial when listening to all aspects of the case. Of course, there is a lot of analysis of the personalities of the potential jurors as well, as both sides look for advantages in the case.

From there, the case will get rolling with opening statements, which is a chance for both sides to lay out what they intend to prove in the case. The next step is the presentation of evidence. This is the heart of the case. Witnesses will be called to give testimony and physical, documentary and demonstrative evidence will be presented to the jury, all crafted to convince the jury of one side or the other’s case.

Once the presentation of evidence is completed, both sides will get a chance to give closing arguments. This is the last chance to convince the jury that the evidence that was presented proved crucial points. From the defense perspective in a personal injury trial, usually the most crucial point is that there was no evidence of negligence or recklessness. From there, the jury will receive specific instructions on deliberation and then will proceed to deliberate, returning with a verdict in the case.