What's wrong with this lawyer?!

Chapter 283: Chapter 124 Translation translation, what is the right to an independent defense!_3

Old Tang listened and took notes as he heard three different versions of the incident from three different people, but what Li Huaiqing said should be more or less accurate.

The car was initially parked across from their destination, and when the other party refused to pay, Li Huaiqing said he would take them back to where they boarded.

That would certainly require a U-turn, and after making the turn, they reached the young men's destination, where the victim started yelling to stop the car, wanting to get off.

Otherwise, Old Tang was very curious about why they would insist on getting out when they hadn't paid yet.

"I knew about his first attempt to jump out of the car. He kept saying he'd jump if I didn't stop the car, and when I looked back, the door was open, being held by his friend," Li Huaiqing explained.

"After that, I didn't pay attention; after all, you said you wouldn't pay me, so I figured I'd just drive back, better to not earn the fare than this, then he just jumped..." Li Huaiqing's face turned pale as he said this.

"Lawyer Tang, I had no idea when he jumped. You said the doors were locked, who would've thought he'd squeeze out the window and jump, especially with his friend still in the back?"

Li Huaiqing truly felt aggrieved, as a taxi driver, he couldn't possibly watch the back all the time.

How was he supposed to drive like that?

"Then why didn't you stop the car when you heard the victim's friend mention jumping?" Old Tang continued, "Besides, you just drove off after letting them out."

"They were drunk, arguing earlier about beating me up, which is why I was scared. After letting them out, I didn't even take the money," Li Huaiqing said helplessly.

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Again, he could never have anticipated that something like this would happen.

"All right, I've got a general sense of the case now and have applied for your bail pending trial; let's see if the public security authorities will approve it," Old Tang remarked.

Bail pending trial was crucial; without being an old hand, staying in detention was torturous.

After asking a few more questions and noticing that time was almost up, Old Tang prepared to leave.

Before leaving, he said, "Now, I'm going to tell you, when you are being questioned for the record, for any questions that are ambiguous, be sure to ask for clarification, understand?"

"Don't rush to answer. If it's yes, say yes; if it's no, say no. Like you didn't expect the other person to jump out of the car, that's something you didn't anticipate, and no matter what, that's an impossibility for you to have foreseen, okay?"

"Also, when you're asked to sign the record, make sure you've read it thoroughly. If it includes something you didn't say, don't sign it, understand?"

"And one last thing..."

Old Tang gave a final word of advice, and although such cases are rare now, it never hurts to be cautious, just as he had warned Zhao Lixiang during his case.

Nowadays, even if someone disavows the record, there is video evidence, but it's better to avoid complications altogether, just to be safe.

Li Huaiqing took note of each point.

When time was up, Old Tang stood up to leave, leaving Li Huaiqing to follow the correctional officer back to his room, but now with a much-improved state of mind.

Was it just a coincidence that Lawyer Tang's law firm was currently running a promotion?

...

In the hotel room, Old Tang was engrossed in organizing the case files on the table, work he did himself.

The rest, such as litigation materials and technical appraisal evidence, can only be accessed and photocopied during the review and prosecution stage.

All materials are only available for review and copying after the court accepts the case.

"Right now, the key issue is the act of jumping out of the car. Li Huaiqing claims he was unaware since the victim had threatened to jump if he didn't stop," Old Tang muttered to himself.

"However, that threat alone isn't sufficient, and since the passenger hadn't paid the fare, there's reason to believe they might just leave or another conflict could arise once the car stopped."

"It is also unpredictable they would jump through the car window; it defies common sense..."

After brainstorming all the situations, Old Tang shook his head; the specifics he held were still not favorable; he would have to wait and see.

The next step was to communicate effectively with the public security authorities and strive to secure bail pending trial.

As days passed, Old Tang visited the Baishan Branch almost daily, inquiring about the bail status, until finally, on the third day, the branch gave a response.

The case still required further investigation and therefore did not qualify for bail pending trial at the moment.

"What? Lawyer Tang, what do we do now?" Feng Caixia asked over the phone.

"For now, don't worry about it. The public security authorities said the case needs further investigation, so be patient, we can reapply after some time," Old Tang replied with a smile.

The refusal for bail was due to the short duration of the detention and an incomplete investigation.

That meant there was still a chance for a successful application later on.

Meanwhile, in the hospital in Dongfang city, 25-year-old Fang Pinghui lay on a hospital bed, already awake, but in very poor condition.

A head injury is always serious, and jumping from a car while drunk greatly increases the likelihood of sustaining a head injury.

"Old Fang, what happened to the driver now?" Dong Liping asked as she looked at her son on the hospital bed.

Beside her, Fang Pinghui's father shook his head, "I'm not sure, didn't they say he was arrested last time? I don't know the specifics."

With a stoic expression, Dong Liping said, "The driver better get sentenced to death."

"What are you talking about? Talking like that doesn't help, you know. His wife has been very cooperative; she even came here, gave us money, and apologized," Fang Pinghui's father replied.