Personal Injury Attorney

Getting hurt through no fault of your own can be an incredibly difficult event in your life to process emotionally, financially, and physically. Although filing a personal injury lawsuit and getting money from the person who hurt you will not turn back the hands of time and put your life in order again, it can go a long way to making you whole. Before filing a personal injury lawsuit, however, consider these rapid-fire questions and answers about personal injury lawsuits.

• What kind of injury is personal injury, exactly? Personal injury is injury to your physical body.
• Who can file a personal injury lawsuit? Almost anyone who is hurt by someone else.
• If I am hurt in a car crash, can I file a personal injury lawsuit? Probably, if the accident was not your fault, if you suffered an injury, and if you file your lawsuit relatively soon after the incident. You may be able to file no matter what, but your case may be dismissed by the court if it does not contain all the elements required by law. To find out what elements your lawsuit needs, consult with a qualified personal injury attorney.
• What if I was at fault in an accident, but so was someone else, can I still file a personal injury lawsuit? You can likely file the lawsuit, but whether you will be able to succeed will depend on the facts of your case and the law of your state. Some states say that if you were at fault in any way, you cannot recover anything for your losses. Other states say that you can only recover the percentage of your losses that were caused by someone else.
• What if I was hurt a long time ago, can I still file a lawsuit? Maybe not. Each state sets a deadline for filing lawsuits of all kinds, including those seeking to recover money damages for personal injury. Depending on the facts of your case and the law of your state, you may be required to file your lawsuit within one to five years of the incident. These deadlines are called “statutes of limitation” and are one of the many reasons it is important to consult with an attorney right after you are injured in an accident.
• Do I need an attorney to file a personal injury lawsuit? Technically, no. Plaintiffs are allowed to proceed in a personal injury lawsuit without an attorney, or “pro se.” However, whether you can and whether you should file your own personal injury lawsuit are very different questions. Hiring a competent and experienced attorney to be your advocate in a personal injury lawsuit is the best way to make sure that you get the compensation that you deserve for your loss.
• What’s the best way to find an attorney to help me with my personal injury lawsuit? Search the internet for local law firms, ask friends and family if they have had a good experience with lawyers they could recommend, or ask a lawyer you trust in other matters to recommend someone who specializes in personal injury.

These questions and answers just scratch the surface of all there is to know about personal injury lawsuits before you file. To find out what else you need to know, consult with and hire a qualified and professional Milwaukee personal injury attorney in your area.

Thank you to our friends and contributors at Hickey & Turim, SC for their insight into personal injury cases and common questions about cases.