GIVING A VOICE TO THE INJURED

 In most personal injury cases arising from motor vehicle accidents, you will need to establish the negligence of a defendant driver. This means that you will need to show that the defendant owed the plaintiff a duty of care, failed to abide by that duty, and thereby caused injuries to the plaintiff. Many drivers behave carelessly behind the wheel, such as by texting while driving, driving while intoxicated, speeding excessively, or failing to yield at intersections. These actions likely would support a negligence claim. A victim may be able to obtain compensation for medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, and other costs and losses. After an accident, you may be contacted by an insurance adjustor for an at-fault person or entity. The purpose of the call may be to elicit information about the accident in order to show that you are responsible for it. You should consult your own personal injury lawyer as soon as possible, rather than giving a statement to an insurance adjustor or attorney.  

If you have been injured on someone else’s property, you may be able to hold the owner responsible through a premises liability claim. These cases often arise from accidents caused by dangerous and defective conditions at the premises. You will need to establish the negligence of the property owner, which essentially means showing that the owner knew or reasonably should have known about the dangerous condition, and the owner failed to repair it or warn visitors about it.