People all over the world are seriously injured every day. Although some injuries may be more severe than others, an injury is an injury and they can be difficult to both heal and cope with. Injuries are especially frustrating when they weren’t your fault. Personal injury lawyers work with clients to help them receive compensation for injuries that were caused by another person or could have been prevented.
Some people think “I was once injured by someone, I could sue them for personal injury and get some money!” However, that’s not quite how it works. There are certain requirements that need to be met in order for a person to file a personal injury claim. Before contacting a personal injury lawyer, make sure the following three requirements apply to you and your situation.
The Responsible Party is Negligent
The first step in figuring out if you have grounds for a case is deciding if the person at fault was acting carelessly or not being responsible. When people act negligent, they are at risk for not only injuring themselves but also those around them.
A good example of someone acting negligently is drunk driving or not clearing ice off a high-traffic pedestrian area. These careless actions can lead to serious injuries and potentially long-term effects.
The Injured Person’s Own Negligence
It is not just enough for a person to act negligently. The responsible person’s negligence has to have caused your injury. If someone was acting careless but you were also acting negligent and caused your own injury, then you can’t file a lawsuit against the other person for your reckless behavior.
Your Injury Results in Compensatory Damages
The last requirement for a personal injury case is your injury resulted in lost wages from medical bills or time off work. Pain and suffering can also be included in this. These are what personal injury lawyers call compensatory damages, meaning that if you file a lawsuit, you can be compensated for these charges.
Compensatory damages usually come from more serious injuries, so if you experienced minor injuries, you might not have a case. However, you can always contact a personal injury lawyer to see if you have a case or not.
If all three of these requirements apply to your personal injury situation, then it is in your best interest to contact a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible to get started on a claim. Reliable attorneys at Robert J. DeBry and Associates can help protect you and work hard to get you the compensation you deserve.