Motor vehicle accidents

• Author: Carolyn S. Koch
• Pages: 115-144

MOTOR VEHICLE

ACCIDENTS

5-1

CHAPTER 5

MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENTS

I. GOVERNING PRINCIPLES

A. Honestly Evaluate Weaknesses

1. Soft-Tissue Injuries

§5:01 Pain

§5:02 Timing of Lawsuit

2. Catastrophic Injury Cases

§5:03 Don’t Assume Catastrophic Injuries Mean a Large Verdict

§5:04 Did Plaintiff Contribute to Her Injuries?

3. What Could the Parties Have Done Differently?

§5:05 From the Plaintiff’s Perspective

§5:06 From the Defense Perspective

B. Don ’t Rely on Untested Assumptions

§5:07 Example: Plaintiffs In Crosswalks Can Still Be Negligent

§5:08 Example: The Simpler the Fix, the Greater the Liability

[§5:09 Reserved]

II. VOIR DIRE QUESTIONS

A. Preliminaries

B. Questions to Ask in Every Motor Vehicle Case

§5:10 Attitudes Toward Personal Injury Lawsuits

§5:11 Motor Vehicle Accident and Driving Experiences

§5:12 Attitudes about Damages in Auto Cases

§5:13 Driving Experience Where Accident Occurred

C. Questions re: Specif‌ic Driving Situations and Types of Drivers

§5:14 Governing Principles

§5:15 Specif‌ic Types of Accidents or Conditions

§5:15.1 Bus Accidents

§5:15.2 Motorcycle Accidents

§5:15.3 Truck Accidents

§5:15.4 Accidents That Involve Police Cars and Other Emergency Vehicles

§5:15.5 Hazardous Conditions

§5:15.6 Weather Conditions

§5:16 Specif‌ic Types of Drivers

§5:16.1 Distracted Drivers

§5:16.2 Aggressive Drivers

§5:16.3 Elderly Drivers

§5:16.4 Inexperienced and/or Younger Drivers

§5:16.5 Disabled Drivers

[§5:17 Reserved]

MOTOR VEHICLE

ACCIDENTS

Effective Voir Dire 5-2

D. Questions re: Injuries

§5:18 Disabling Injuries

§5:19 Sof t-Tissue Injuries

§5:20 Catastrophic Injuries

E. Questions re: Damages in Catastrophic Injury Cases

§5:21 Governing Principles

§5:22 Voir Dire Questions

Appendix 5-A Sample Voir Dire Script