The injury probably has you feeling bad enough. Unfortunately, you may soon learn that it can get worse. As you might imagine, insurance companies aren’t lining up to pay out claims, even when that’s what your employer pays them to do. Instead, they’re going to most likely make you jump through a hoop or two before approving your claim. One of these is a deposition and it’s important that you nail it.
What Is a Deposition?
Depositions come up in a number of different legal proceedings. When it comes to an injury or workers’ compensation claim, the point is to get relevant facts about the case straight from the horse’s mouth.
The questions you get asked will depend on what your injury is, the events that led up to it, the nature of your injuries and other relevant statistics. It will also be recorded.
Understandably, depositions can go one of two ways. On the one hand, if your injury occurred with witnesses around or on camera, the deposition will most likely be little more than a formality.
On the other hand, if your injury makes the insurance company suspicious, they may use this opportunity to see if they can get you to contradict yourself or otherwise come clean.
More likely than not, yours will go off without a hitch and the insurance company’s lawyer will be nothing but courteous. Still, it’s worth being prepared given how important the deposition is.
Be Honest and Upfront
This should seem fairly obvious, but it’s worth repeating. For one thing, you’ll be under oath. Lying or even unintentionally distorting the truth could end up hurting your ability to collect workers’ compensation.
However, it goes deeper than that. If you don’t understand the question, be honest and say as much. Don’t guess. You’ll be better off asking for clarification than giving an answer you end up regretting later.
Don’t Guess
Furthermore, don’t guess about any of the specifics about your injury either. If they ask you something you don’t know the answer to, don’t guess. Don’t make assumptions in the least. Sometimes, the most accurate answer you can give is simply, “I don’t remember.” That’s fine.
Sometimes, you may feel a bit silly about not knowing an answer. Again, just be honest. If you don’t remember who was around when the injury happened or why you were in a certain area of your workplace, that’s the truth. Leave it at that.
Relax
This may not be easy advice for many of us. After all, most of us don’t associate being asked questions by a lawyer with a relaxing experience.
Just keep reminding yourself that, under the law, you’re entitled to the compensation you’ve filed for and that this is just a formality. Take deep breaths whenever you can and don’t be afraid to say you’re nervous if you need a break. No one expects anything else. Your lawyer will be there to help you as well.
Speaking of which, if you have an injury or workers’ compensation claim in Baltimore, you’d be wise to hire an attorney ASAP. They’ll help you get through the all-important deposition.
