Responding To An Interrogatory
The last few weeks have been a blur. You were involved in an automobile accident that put you in the hospital. You suffered a broken leg, torn rotator cuff in your left shoulder and countless lacerations and bruises. Your doctor has prescribed that you not return to work for at least 12 weeks. All you can think of is how much this accident has changed your life and the amount of the time you’re be out of work. You’ll be without a paycheck for 3 months and the continued doctor’s bills are going to continue to rise.
You’ve contacted a local attorney who has agreed to take your case and help you recover damages. The person who hit you has also retained an attorney. What you thought was a clear cut case of “he hit you, you got hurt and now you want compensation” just became a game of “please supply us with more information”.
In the legal realm we use a term called “Interrogatories”. It’s a fancy word that means we (the lawyers) are requesting more information. Interrogatories are basically a set of written questions put forward by one litigant and required to be answered by the other litigant in order to clarify and determine facts of the case.
Yes, these interrogatories are shared to the other party. I know, sometimes it doesn’t seem fair that not only are you hurt, but now your exact words are being shared to the other party. But, this is done for a reason, your thoughts, your story and your exact experiences are documented.
Can your statements that you share in your interrogatories be challenged? Yes, they can. But, as attorneys we try to get the bottom of things and make sure that the story you or the other litigant is sharing is correct. When we find something that doesn’t sound right or doesn’t make sense we try to clarify the questions to get to the truth.
It may seem like a lot of back and forth but say the person who hit you was driving negligently; the questions we would ask on the interrogatories would help us clarify if…
- The person was driving too fast
- If the person failed to drive carefully
- If they failed to take reasonable steps to avoid the accident
- If they failed to understand the proper use of the vehicle’s controls.
So although you may feel a bit awkward or confused or even angry answering the questions, they are designed to help fill in the missing information and move your case forward.
If you would like to learn more about how interrogatories work in Indiana or to get answers to any other legal terms give us a call today at (219)736-9700. Or contact us via chat or the free consultation form on our Webpage. Also, click the sign up button below to subscribe to our newsletter.
The Law Offices of David W. Holub is a personal injury law firm located in Merrillville, Indiana, focused on providing efficient and effective client-centered representation. Our mission is to provide top quality legal representation, which includes an uncompromising pursuit of our client’s legal interests, while being accessible and attentive to our clients during times of personal challenge.