If you or a family member is involved in a serious accident, you may wonder if you are entitled to financial compensation for your injuries. If you suffer a personal injury due to the negligence of another person or entity that can be remedied by monetary damages, the answer is likely yes.
A personal injury can be physical or psychological and can include injuries to your body, mind or emotions. Say, for example, you are involved in a car accident with another driver and suffer a neck Injury. If the other driver is found negligent, they, and by extension, their insurance company, may be responsible for any medical bills or other expenses you incur as a result of that injury.
Defining Negligence in an Injury Accident
Negligence is determined by looking at four elements: duty, breach of duty, causation and damages. In our car accident scenario, a driver has a legal duty to drive with care and abide by traffic laws. If a driver breaches their duty of care by driving recklessly and causes an injury to another driver, they may be liable for damages.
Negligent driving may include acts of breaking the law by speeding, running a stop light or a failure to yield, which can easily cause an accident. It may also boil down to distracted driving or not adjusting for icy conditions like any reasonable person would do. Not only is a person required to obey traffic laws, but also exercise common sense when driving.
What are Damages in a Personal Injury Claim or Lawsuit?
If you can establish that another party acted negligently, a court may award you, or an insurance company may voluntarily agree to pay you for medical bills and lost wages caused by your injury for starters, otherwise referred to as damages.
When you go beyond these more obvious economic damages, payment for non-economic damages such as pain and suffering, diminished quality of life, and loss of companionship or support, are more difficult to put your finger on, but should not be overlooked.
Because of the complexity involved in evaluating a personal injury, it is in your best to enlist the help of an experienced personal injury lawyer to take a look at the unique circumstances of your case following an injury accident. Contact our Quad Cities law offices if you have concerns or questions about how to proceed if you have been injured.
Should I Accept the Insurance Company’s Settlement Offer?
Insurance companies are for profit businesses and they naturally want to reduce their losses. Because it is difficult to determine how far reaching a serious injury can be at the outset, it is better to work with an attorney before taking a settlement to ensure you are getting the full measure of compensation for your injury that you deserve. If you take a settlement, there is no turning back, even if you later realize that your injuries are worse or more life-altering than you initially thought. Take your time and get the information you need before making any decisions.
Contact Our Quad Cities Personal Injury Lawyers
If you or a family member has been injured, call our experienced personal injury lawyers today at 563-355-6478. Our Quad Cities personal injury attorneys have decades of experience with hundreds of personal injury cases in Iowa and in Illinois. We are not a high volume settlement law firm – If we represent you in a personal injury case, we will vigorously represent your claim.