At My Workers’ Compensation Deposition, What Questions Will I Be Asked?

Preparing for your deposition may seem like an overwhelming task. However, we will provide you with the necessary information before your deposition so that you are well prepared.

If you are involved in a work-related accident, and you are asked to give a deposition as part of your workers’ compensation case, it is because the opposing counsel wants to find out what you know regarding the issues in your lawsuit. This is so they can prepare for your testimony before the trial begins.

Preparing for your deposition may seem like an overwhelming task. You undoubtedly may wonder what type of questions you will be asked. Our Missouri Workers’ Compensation Attorneys will provide you with the necessary information before your deposition so that you are well prepared. We have a strong history of helping injured workers get medical attention and the financial compensation that they need.

How Depositions Work

The deposition will begin with the swearing-in of the deponent (you). The court reporter will administer the affirmation or oath that you will tell the truth. Then the defense attorney will ask you to introduce yourself for the record and to spell your name. Then they will try to convince you that they are not there to trap or trick you but that they only want the truth regarding the facts as you know them.

What Questions Will They Ask?

Before they ask you questions concerning your work injury, they will ask you personal questions about your education and where you grew up, such as:

• When and where did you graduate high school?
• Did you go to college?
• Do you have a degree? In what?
• What was your major?

Next, they will focus on questions regarding where you presently live and your personal life. Some of these questions include:

• Are you married?
• Do you have children?
• Have you been married before?
• How long have you lived in your present house?
• Do you rent or own?
• Where did you live in the past?

Then, they will likely move into questions concerning your employment history. They may ask you these questions repeatedly until you cannot remember any further employment history details. Common questions they will ask include:

• Where were you working when you were injured?
• When were you hired?
• Was this your only injury with this employer where you had a work comp case?
• Where did you work previously, and for how long? Why did you leave that job?
• Did you get hurt working for your other job?
• Have you ever filed a workers’ comp claim before?

The next set of questions will deal with how your injury occurred. You will be asked to give a detailed description of how it happened, what parts of your body were injured, were there any witnesses, how the injury was reported, and when. Some of the questions you will be asked are:

• Were you given an incident report or claim form to fill out immediately?
• Were you offered medical treatment? When?
• What medical facility did you go to?
• How long were you there, and what did they do?
• Did you go back to work right away? If not, for how long?

The questions will then address the nature of your medical care, such as:

• What doctor are you seeing?
• When did you first see them? Who referred you to this doctor?
• What treatment plan has been proposed? Is it helping?
• What type of diagnostic testing has been performed? What are your test results?
• What is your current work status?

Finally, they will ask questions about each body part that was injured, have you rate the pain on a scale from 1 to 10, and describe what your pain feels like. These questions will be detailed and extensive. They will also be interested in previous injuries, perhaps on another job. They will want to know if you’ve spent time in the military or prison and whether or not you suffered injuries there.

The Law Office of James M. Hoffmann

Our attorneys will work with you, regardless of where you are in the process. Attorney James M. Hoffmann has spent a majority of his more than 25-year legal career dedicated to protecting the rights of injured workers. We will make sure that you are prepared for your deposition should your case go to trial. We will strive to resolve your claim quickly.