Questions To Expect During Your Slip And Fall Case Deposition
During a typical deposition, the opposing side gets to asks you questions to get a better understanding of your case. If you are pursuing a slip and fall injury case, expect the defense to ask you myriad questions on the circumstances of your injury. Here are some of the questions to expect, and why the defense will ask them:
Which Shoes Were You Wearing?
The issue of shoes is relevant because it may give the defense a way out of the liability. This is because some shoes are more likely to cause slip and fall accidents than others. For example, walking with smooth heeled shoes on wet ground can easily make you slip. High heels may also cause you to slip on uneven ground.
What Were You Doing?
Many people slip and fall when they step onto things because they were not looking where they were going. For example, if you are distracted by a cell phone, you can easily step on a wet patch of the floor, slip, and injure yourself. Distractions may also cause you to bump into things and fall. This is what the defense is hoping for when they ask you this question.
When Did You Realize There Was A Danger In The Area?
Expect this question after you have identified the cause of your fall. The intent here is to determine how aware you were of your surroundings. If the defense lawyer can somehow show that you were not paying attention to the environment, then they can get the court to apportion you some of the blame for the accident.
What Were You Carrying In Your Hands?
As you can imagine, the insinuation here is that if you were carrying an object, then it could have contributed to your contributed to your injuries. Maybe you were carrying a heavy object that weighed you down or a fragile item without which you could have broken your fall.
As you can see, the deposition questions can be very revealing. Some of them may not even seem relevant to the case, but the defense can't ask an irrelevant question. While it is always important to tell the truth, how you convey this truth also matters because you can unwittingly give the defense ammunition to use against you. This may happen, for example, when you volunteer information that the defense hasn't asked or doesn't need to know. Your lawyer will discuss with you how you are supposed to approach the deposition.
Check out a site like http://www.gdamianilaw.com if you're looking for help from legal professionals.