How Long Is a Typical Car Accident Deposition?
How Long Is a Typical Car Accident Deposition?
Just like court cases can last from just a few minutes to days at a time, the depositions can vary greatly in time length as well. The type and severity of a court case can affect the duration of a deposition. A typical car accident deposition will not last for days, however. Let us talk about what duration you can expect from such a proceeding. There are three questions to evaluate to determine the length of an automobile accident case: How big is the case? How important is the witness? And How complex is the case? These are the questions that can help lead you in the right direction.
How Big Is The Case?
Typically, smaller cases require shorter depositions, and larger cases require longer depositions. Extensive damages and injury entail more in depth questioning to uncover important causes and details, while “soft tissue” damages can lead to a more routine, quicker line of inquiry. The reason for this is simple: Depositions cost time and money. A lawyer’s time, as well as the production of a transcript do not come for free. If a case is smaller, it simply does not make logical or economic sense to invest money in long depositions when they are not needed.
How Important Is The Witness?
The second question evaluates the importance of the witness being deposed. Depending on how central a witness is to a case can impact the length of a deposition. Key witnesses entail more in depth questioning, meaning more time on the record, while ancillary witnesses do not demand as much time. The key witness in a typical car accident case will most likely be the injured victim. This victim’s testimony is probably much more important than a secondary fact witness, and will typically last longer.
How Complex Is The Case?
Are the facts clear? How complicated the issues and how severe the damages are can impact the extent of the inquiry needed to uncover what exactly happened. Personal injury lawyers may need to spend a significant amount of time exploring the facts to determine the reason for accidents with complex causes. Automobile accident cases that have additional claims underling them will need investigation into these extra claims as well. To explain, consider an accident that occurred while on the job: There may be a conjunctive workers compensation case that the victim may be involved in that will require more time to explore. Or consider an automobile accident that was the cause of a vehicle malfunction: A products liability case could make the investigation of the accident more complex and time consuming.
These are the questions, but what are the answers? How long is a typical car accident deposition? There are no exact answers, but there are some general trends that can help you know what to expect. In a small accident deposition, here is what you can anticipate:
| Main Injured Plaintiff | 2-3 hours |
| Defendant | 1-2 hours |
| Witness | .5 – 1 hour |
Again, there are no exact numbers to calculate. Every case and witness is different and requires their own time to uncover the important information. These questions, however, are a great starting point to predict how long a deposition will be.
