If you or a loved one has been injured due to another person’s negligence or wrongdoing, you may be entitled to receive legal compensation from the person who caused your injuries. Personal injury lawsuits arise every day from all types of circumstances, including car accidents, slips and falls, dog bites, defective products, and medical malpractice. Our team of attorneys routinely assists accident victims in all types of cases, and we’re ready to assist you and your family today.
What is a Personal Injury Lawsuit?
A personal injury lawsuit is a legal action that seeks compensation for the costs associated with injuries caused by another person’s negligence or wrongdoing. Personal injury lawsuits not only provide compensation, but they also provide justice and can serve as a punitive measure in cases that involve severely wrongful actions.
In the days and weeks after an accident occurs, many accident victims realize very quickly how expensive an accident can become. Medical treatment is becoming more and more expensive by the day in our country, and hospital bills, insurance copays, medication costs, rehabilitation expenses, and other healthcare costs can be simply astronomical after an accident occurs. Additionally, accident victims may accrue expenses that are not related to healthcare, including lost wages from time off work, property damage, and costs associated with long-term disabilities.
In short, accidents are extremely expensive for victims, and in multiple respects. A personal injury lawsuit can assist victims in recovering these costs so an accident does not have a devastating effect on a victim’s livelihood.
Types of Personal Injury Lawsuits
Personal injury lawsuits arise in any situation where injuries are caused by another person or entity. In short, the law provides that a victim can and should recover costs from any person who causes them to become injured. Lawsuits arising from accidents vary in size and scope, as some lawsuits are brought on behalf of single victims with relatively minor injuries, and other lawsuits are brought on behalf of large groups of victims with complicated injuries.
Some of the most common types of personal injury lawsuits include the following:
- Car and motorcycle accidents
- Trucking accidents
- Workplace injuries
- Slip and fall accidents
- Dog bites and animal-related injuries
- Pedestrian and bicycle accidents
- Medical malpractice, including birth injuries
- Wrongful death incidents
- Products-related injuries
Wrongful Death Lawsuits
Wrongful death cases are specific type of personal injury case that arises when an accident victim dies in an accident. These cases are brought by the victim’s family, and instead of receiving damages for the victim’s injuries, the family seeks its own damages for the loss of their loved one. In terms of gathering evidence, though, a wrongful death case is largely the same as an ordinary personal injury suit. A plaintiff’s family still has to prove that another person or entity acted wrongfully and caused their loved one’s death.
Winning a Personal Injury Lawsuit
To succeed in a personal injury lawsuit, an injured plaintiff has to show that another person (or entity) acted in a negligent manner that caused the plaintiff’s injuries to occur. The law defines negligence as any act (or failure to act) that a reasonable person would not take – and so generally, to win a personal injury lawsuit, a plaintiff must prove that the defendant did not act reasonably given the circumstances. These inquiries can quickly become complex even in simple cases, and trusting an experienced personal injury attorney with your case is essential for ensuring success.
Common Examples of Negligence
Negligent behavior varies depending on a wide variety of factors, and each specific case will have its own set of facts that an attorney can assist you in parsing through. But in the most common types of personal injury cases, examples of negligence include the following:
- Dangerous driving behavior, such as speeding, failure to yield, failure to use turn signals, or failure to follow traffic laws
- Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol
- Failing to clean up a spill or hazard on the floor of a business
- A company manufacturing a product with known defects
- Failure to leash a dangerous dog or other animals
- A truck driver failing to follow safety protocols
If you or a loved one have been injured in any set of circumstances that you believe may point to another person’s negligence or wrongdoing, you should contact an attorney as soon as possible. The only way to determine whether you may be eligible to receive legal compensation for your injuries is to consult with an attorney about your prospective case. Our office offers free consultations to prospective personal injury clients.
Compensation From Personal Injury Lawsuits
You may be surprised to learn that the vast majority of personal injury lawsuits do not actually go to trial. Instead, almost all cases settle ahead of trial, which allows for faster compensation for accident victims. Sometimes, obtaining a settlement offer does not even require the filing of a lawsuit, as some defendants are eager to avoid the negative publicity associated with a public lawsuit being filed against them. These settlements can sometimes be obtained within weeks of initial contact with a defendant.
Personal Injury Settlements and Trials
However, some defendants attempt to settle cases without offering fair amounts to the injured party. For that reason, when deciding where to take your case, you should ensure that you’re working with a lawyer who will fight to obtain the maximum amount of compensation that you may be entitled to receive.
Our track record shows that we’re not afraid to take on insurance companies, corporations, large defense law firms, and anyone else who attempts to stand in the way of justice for our clients. While our past cases cannot guarantee success in your case, if we are able to take your case, we will fight for your interests to the fullest extent allowed by the law. If a defendant cannot fully and fairly compensate you for your injuries, we’re not afraid to take cases to trial, and we do it routinely.
Contact a Personal Injury Attorney Today
The first step in seeking compensation for your injuries is to reach out to an experienced and capable personal injury attorney. Our team offers free consultations to prospective clients, and during your consultation, you can expect to tell your story and get a better idea of what options you may have moving forward. If we’re able to take your case, we’ll fight to create the best possible outcome for you and your family.
Contact us today to set up an appointment about your prospective personal injury lawsuit.