An opening statement is made by both the prosecution and defense in a car accident case at the beginning of the personal injury case after the jury is selected. The plaintiff's attorney will begin first. The goal of the opening statement is to tell the jurors about the plaintiff's evidence for their case. The opening statement should have several sections including:

• Introduction
• An explanation of what the defendant did
• An explanation of the immediate harms
• Who the plaintiff is suing and why
• What is wrong with the defense
• Conclusion