How long does it take to settle a semi truck accident?
Answer: Normally it takes 18 months to 3 years to settle a semi truck accident case if the case goes to trial. The litigation process begins with the filing of a lawsuit or the Complaint. The filing of the lawsuit doesn’t always mean that you have to go to Court. It simply begins the litigation process formally. Normally, the Complaint is filed in the Common Pleas Court in the county where the accident occurred or where the truck driver resides.
Written Questions
After the lawsuit is filed, it is important to provide written questions to the negligent semi truck driver and the trucking company. The main tools utilized for written discovery are known as “interrogatories” and “requests for production of documents,” and “requests for admissions.”
The attorney for the semi truck driver and trucking company normally provide our clients with their set of Interrogatories and Request for Production of Documents. We assist our clients with answering all of these questions and exchange the documents requested.
Deposition
After written discovery is exchanged, we normally schedule the sworn deposition of the driver and all witnesses that have personal knowledge of the accident and take the deposition of representatives from the trucking company.
During the discovery process, the Court will hold periodic hearings to monitor the status of the Parties during their trial preparation. These hearings are often called “preliminary status conferences” or “pretrials.” During these conferences, the Judge will provide the Parties with deadlines for exchanging information called a discovery cutoff date. Furthermore, the Judge will impose deadlines for filing expert witness lists and schedule a final pretrial date and trial date.
Mediation
After the depositions of all of the key parties are completed, we always mediate our semi truck accident cases. A mediation is a widely used alternative to trial that we always complete to provide our clients with another option other than litigating the case at trial. A mediation involves the hiring of a mediator or using a Court appointed mediator who acts to facilitate negotiations between the Parties. We always hire an experienced mediator who is aggressive and fights for our clients and highlights all the strengths of our clients’ claims.
Trial Prep
In the event the case is not settled at mediation, our law firm continues to aggressively prepare the case for trial. We will cover with our client the witnesses that we will call upon, the evidence that we will utilize, and how much money we are going to ask from the jury. We also arrange all of the necessary exhibits that will be submitted to the jury, meet and prepare all of the witnesses that will testify on our client’s behalf, and keep our clients updated on all developments including how long we expect the trial to last.
Semi Truck Accident Questions?
If you have unanswered questions about a semi truck accident case, we are a phone call away at The Law Office of Tom Somos, LLC.
