What is a personal injury case?
Many people hear the term Personal Injury, but aren’t sure what exactly it means and how it relates to the law. The term personal injury is when there is an injury to a persons mind, body or emotions. This differs from property damage where the damage is not to the person, but a thing, such as a home, car, or other item of worth considered one’s property. When a personal injury is the result of another person or entity’s negligence, that person or entity is considered to be liable (responsible).
The most common types of Personal injury cases are bodily injury in the event of a motor vehicle accident. This can also involve boats, tractor trailers and other motor equipment. Dog bites, slips and falls, and even some assaults result in civil cases where there is personal injury involved.
Medical malpractice is another form of personal injury. This is the case when a person suffers personal injury due to the negligence of a medical professional while receiving care. Wrongful death is a type of personal injury when a persons negligence causes the death of another. Product liability is yet another form of a personal injury in where a products defect caused injury or harm to a person.
Most attorneys represent clients personal injury cases on a contingency basis, meaning the attorneys fees are paid based on a percentage of the amount of damages awarded. The standard percentage is 33.3% and the attorney will also recover any case costs incurred through the award. In a contingency fee case, if there is no award, the client doesn’t pay anything- the attorney absorbs the case costs.
There is a time limit on which one has to make a claim for personal injury and these vary by state and the type of case. If you feel like you may have a personal injury case, its important that you contact a knowledgeable Personal Injury Attorney as soon as possible so that they may review your case, and if a claim is to be made, do so within a timely manner. Insurance companies will often attempt to get a person with a personal injury case to settle as quickly as possible before they contact an attorney and often times, those people may have underestimated the true value of their case without proper and experienced legal counsel. Our office reviews all personal injury cases for free, and our personal injury attorneys all work on a contingency basis. If you are in the State of New York and have further questions about Personal injury or feel you have a personal injury case, please CONTACT OUR OFFICE through our website or call our office at 315-701-2939
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