Easton, MA Personal Injury Lawyer

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Getting hurt is never part of anyone’s plan. Even people who work more dangerous jobs or are doing a potentially dangerous recreational activity do not expect to get hurt, and people really do not expect to get hurt because another party screwed up and failed to do their job. You could end up facing a long and expensive medical recovery that was in no way your fault, which is distressing for many victims already dealing with enough.

Dealing with the aftermath of injuries can be frustrating, upsetting, and unfair, but we are here to help. Our lawyers have handled hundreds of these kinds of cases, so we know what it takes to effectively fight for the financial compensation you deserve.

Call (617) 925-6407 and get a free case analysis from the Boston personal injury attorneys from the Law Office of John J. Sheehan.

How Do Personal Injury Cases Work in Easton, MA

Lawsuits have so much more to them than going to trial. There is tons of legal work that goes into building a case before anyone enters a courtroom in front of a jury. In fact, there is a good chance that your case will be resolved outside of court, as very few cases actually go to trial. Of course, our personal injury attorneys are more than capable of taking your case to trial, but it is also a good idea to understand the large amount of other things that go into a successful personal injury claim.

Filing Your Case on Time

Once you retain us as counsel, we will work towards getting enough information to have your case filed in a timely fashion. The law actually requires that plaintiffs file their case within a certain amount of time or they waive their right to sue and get damages. In Massachusetts, plaintiffs have three years from when they get hurt to file their claim pursuant to Mass. Gen. Laws Ch. 260, § 2A.

While three years may appear to be a long time, there are a lot of things that could make that time feel shorter than it actually is. You will have to recover from injuries, and we will have to track down information and get your claim ready. Thus, it is always the best move to retain counsel as soon as you can after getting injured.

Discovery

Once your case is filed, the gathering of information to support your claim kicks into high gear. Our lawyers will get information from lots of sources, but many people are surprised to learn that lawyers on opposite sides of a case will exchange information in a process called “discovery.” During discovery, attorneys will give each other relevant information so that both sides are working off of a similar set of facts. This is very important to ensuring that justice is done fairly, as, contrary to what is shown in movies and television, surprises are rare in legal actions, and it is better for everyone involved if they are avoided.

Depositions

Depositions are another important process that is going to happen before trial. You are virtually guaranteed to be deposed as the plaintiff in your lawsuit, so it is a good idea to understand a little about how they work.

When you are deposed, opposing counsel, our lawyers, and a professional recorder will be present. Opposing counsel will start by asking you basic questions to get you acclimated, but matters will quickly turn to things important to the case. It is very important that you answer every question as truthfully as possible since depositions are taken under oath, and lying in one is considered very bad in the eyes of the law. That being said, if a question is not fair or relevant to the case, our lawyers can object, and you will not need to answer it.

Once opposing counsel has asked all their questions, we get to ask follow-up questions for the record. Both lawyers can go back and forth in this way until they feel their questions have been answered, so it is not unusual for depositions to take a long time – usually all day.

The defendant in your case will also get deposed, as will any witnesses who will testify and other parties important to the claim, so it can take quite a while for everyone to get deposed in a case.

Pre-Trial Matters

Sometimes, you will have to go to court before trial in personal injury cases. In many instances, our lawyers can go and represent you, but in other cases, you may need to tag along to an important hearing or decision. Hearings before trial can be for all sorts of things, ranging from setting a date for trial to admitting or denying evidence to working out an admission of liability. Because the reasons you could be in court before trial are varied, our lawyers will brief you on what is going on for your case so that you can follow along with the process.

Trial

Finally, if the parties have not been able to settle the claim beforehand, the case will go to trial. By the time a trial takes place, potentially years of work have gone into the case, so both sides will generally know what the other is going to do. The real purpose of a trial is to fairly present the facts and legal arguments to the jury so that they can decide on the merits of that information and whether the defendant is liable or not. If they determine that the defendant is liable, the jury also determines how much you are awarded in damages.