Court phobia and want others thoughts

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cruzJD

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I got a subpoena for a school bus rear ending another school bus in a parting lot (low speed). It was 98* out side and the students just came back form a sports game. I ended up the as triage officer. FD first on scene grouped PT’s into 3 groups; injuries, any medical history, and every else that had no issues.

The injuries group consisted of…
Bus driver in denial, hit her head, and neck pain.
Student fell off of bus with deep leg lack.
Student fell in bus possible broken arm.
Student fell and there jammed thumb.

Pt’s with medical histories were…
Student diabetic felt dehydrated.
Bus driver with history of heart problems felt fine.
3 students with asthma.

We had 45 that felt fine, no injuries, and no medical history. We did B/P, pulse, breath rate, and lung sounds. They all had a PT report done and all singed saying there was no need for treatment per SOP. This group had 6 that clamed not to be on either bus but some how ended up getting triaged.

I handed down 5 PT’s down to 3 units for transport. Bottled water was handed out a few times and Gatorade was offered on the way out of triage. Yes I did triage a few people more then once because they wanted a second Gatorade.

I have talked to our department’s layer that’s going with me to court. The lawsuit is the schools insurance vs contracted bus transportation insurance on who is liable for part of the medical expenses. I have gone over copies of all the reports with my lawyer and our EMD. Monday morning I meat with my layer and will go over all the original paper work and go to court starting on Tuesday. I have been told that I will need to be there 2 to 3 days.

For some reason this morning I got that uneasy feeling about having to go to court. This will be my second time I will have had to go to court for EMS stuff. Dose anyone have any tips for long days in court?
 
Tips for long days in court? Bring a newspaper. Find the location of the bathroom and the nearest coffee shop. Make sure the attorney who subpoenaed you has your cell phone number so that you don't feel like you have to remain chained to a bench in the hallway all day. Don't bring anything that will cause trouble getting through security...

Seriously (not that the above isn't good advice, IMHO), it sounds as if you don't have a proverbial "dog in the fight." So, you have nothing to worry about. I'm sure you lawyer has prepped you. Good luck.
 
From what I have been told I will be there for 2 to 3 full days. There will be 4 large desks; one for the 3 judge panel, one for each of the other parties (insurance), and one for me and my layer. I will be present the entire time. We go over each PT as they presented at the time and then the 2 insurance companies duke it out till the judge drops his hammer. This is one of them closed doors things.

I don’t think pulling out the newspaper or laptop between PT’s would work. We should get a 15 minute break every hour and a half and will have an hour lunch break. Bottled sodas are fine.

I think my biggest issue will be that I’m ADHD and can’t sit still for 30 minutes at a time as it is.
 
cruzJD said:
From what I have been told I will be there for 2 to 3 full days. There will be 4 large desks; one for the 3 judge panel, one for each of the other parties (insurance), and one for me and my layer. I will be present the entire time. We go over each PT as they presented at the time and then the 2 insurance companies duke it out till the judge drops his hammer. This is one of them closed doors things.

I don’t think pulling out the newspaper or laptop between PT’s would work. We should get a 15 minute break every hour and a half and will have an hour lunch break. Bottled sodas are fine.

I think my biggest issue will be that I’m ADHD and can’t sit still for 30 minutes at a time as it is.
Click to expand...

Ah, see, I was envisioning the situation where you were sitting around waiting to be called as a witness, testified, and then that was that.

I've never seen anything like you described - especially not with three judges - but I can't claim to be familiar with the procedures of every court in every state. I suppose the best advice is just do the best you can to remain attentive and respectful.
 
There doing 54 hearings back to back to decide witch company is responsible for witch PT’s medical expenses. This is not a common practice in our court system but I’m sure it’s cheaper for everyone then having 54 normal hearings. If they did do normal hearings I would spend 2 to 3 months in and out of court and not 2 to 3 days.
 
cruzJD said:
I got a subpoena for a school bus rear ending another school bus in a parting lot (low speed). It was 98* out side and the students just came back form a sports game. I ended up the as triage officer. FD first on scene grouped PT’s into 3 groups; injuries, any medical history, and every else that had no issues.

The injuries group consisted of…
Bus driver in denial, hit her head, and neck pain.
Student fell off of bus with deep leg lack.
Student fell in bus possible broken arm.
Student fell and there jammed thumb.

Pt’s with medical histories were…
Student diabetic felt dehydrated.
Bus driver with history of heart problems felt fine.
3 students with asthma.

We had 45 that felt fine, no injuries, and no medical history. We did B/P, pulse, breath rate, and lung sounds. They all had a PT report done and all singed saying there was no need for treatment per SOP. This group had 6 that clamed not to be on either bus but some how ended up getting triaged.

I handed down 5 PT’s down to 3 units for transport. Bottled water was handed out a few times and Gatorade was offered on the way out of triage. Yes I did triage a few people more then once because they wanted a second Gatorade.

I have talked to our department’s layer that’s going with me to court. The lawsuit is the schools insurance vs contracted bus transportation insurance on who is liable for part of the medical expenses. I have gone over copies of all the reports with my lawyer and our EMD. Monday morning I meat with my layer and will go over all the original paper work and go to court starting on Tuesday. I have been told that I will need to be there 2 to 3 days.

For some reason this morning I got that uneasy feeling about having to go to court. This will be my second time I will have had to go to court for EMS stuff. Dose anyone have any tips for long days in court?
Click to expand...

OK. All you got was a subpeona. They are only asking you for is to tell the court the facts in your own words. You're going to be fine as I am sure your company lawyer also told you you were going to be fine. You only need to start worrying if you're one of the ones named in the law suit.

Getting subpeonaed does not mean getting in trouble. Getting a court summons because you're named does. Getting in trouble does not necessarily mean you're getting punished. You only get punished when you get convicted.

So I'm going to tell you what I think your company's lawyer probably told you. Breathe. You're going to be fine.
 
This is probably just a formality between the insurance companies.

However, be careful what you discuss even if this is an anonymous internet forum. Your best friend could disclose your identity and give this link to any of the attorneys. Thus, your statements and assessments would be further scrutinized. It is, unfortunately, a common practice by insurance reps and attorneys to get someone with loose lips to chat it up to see if anything can be introduced to help their case.
 
VentMedic
I have been very care full about what I post with anything that has to do with PT rights. All the information that I posted has been in the local news papers at least once, but they gave more information then I did.

I understand that people have asked about PT care in the past and the person posts they could admit to doing something wrong and could be used against the person in court.
 
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