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Personal Injury Lawyer in Rising Sun, MD; Media, PA or Brooklyn or Staten Island, NY.
People who have been injured in an accident or suffered property loss due to an accident can file a personal injury lawsuit to receive compensation for their loss. Depending on the type of accident that occurred, a claim might be filed with the responsible party's insurance company before filing a lawsuit. Personal injury lawsuits can be filed in either small claims or civil court.
Personal Injury Law
Personal injury law covers a wide variety of situations that typically fall into one of four main categories: accidents, intentional acts, defective products, or defamation. Personal injury laws are governed by the state, and in many cases, include laws dating back to old common law rules, as well as statute of limitation laws. While personal injury law isn't uniform across the country, most of the old common law rules have been compiled into the Restatement of Torts, which many states use as a guideline for personal injury laws.
Personal Injury and Compromise Act
Before a personal injury lawsuit reaches open court, settlement talks occur between the plaintiff's personal injury attorney and the attorney for the defense. If the parties can't reach a fair settlement, the plaintiff's attorney files for formal litigation, and the case is heard by a judge. In some cases, especially those where it's difficult to prove fault, the defendant can offer a compromised settlement in order avoid further legal proceedings. However, whether or not the compromised offer is accepted is up to the plaintiff and his or her attorney. It's important to take several things into consideration before accepting any type of settlement, including:
- The odds of winning the lawsuit.
- The least amount the plaintiff is willing to accept to settle the case.
- Ways other than a monetary settlement that the defendant can remedy the situation.
- The amount of time the plaintiff is willing to spend negotiating a settlement.
Claiming Personal Injury
When a person files a personal injury claim, that person is required to prove that the person or business that he or she is suing was negligent, and that negligence resulted in injury or property damage. To prove that the defendant was at fault the plaintiff must provide proof that the defendant:
Caused the injury or owed the plaintiff a duty.
Was negligent, and the carelessness resulted in the plaintiff suffering damages.
Breached or broke the duty owed.
Failed to do something that resulted in the plaintiff's injury.
People can also file personal injury lawsuits in the event that a defective or dangerous product caused an injury or property damage. During a product liability case, the plaintiff must prove that:
The product purchased was defective, and the defect made the product dangerous.
The plaintiff suffered damages.
The plaintiff used the product the way it was intended to be used.
The product's defect caused the plaintiff's injury.
Most states' personal liability laws follow the rule of contributory negligence, which means that if the plaintiff's carelessness contributed to the cause of the injury, the plaintiff cannot recover damages from the defendant. In some cases, responsibility is split between multiple parties based on the percentage of fault each party had in the event.
Personal Injury Attorney
Personal injury attorneys can help you through multiple types of lawsuits, including but not limited to lawsuits and/or claims resulting from:
- Car accidents
- Slip and fall accidents
- Medical malpractice
- Dog bites
- Assault
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT Personal Injury, CONTACT ONE OF OUR ATTORNEYS TODAY
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- Copyright © 2019 The Law Offices of Michael Alan Siddons, Esquire, all rights reserved.
