Injuries are expectedly life-changing and at times, almost impossible to escape regardless of caution. You can call yourself lucky if you haven’t had a serious accident, but certainly, you’ve heard of someone in the news or a friend of a friend who has suffered physically and financially because of an unfortunate event. Regardless, injuries are part of human life, and it’s a must to learn a few things that may make a difference not only for you but for your loved ones as well. Here are five quick facts:
There are different types of personal injury cases
Personal Injury comes in many shapes and forms: from dog bites, product defects, to wrongful death claim. However, the most common claims are car accidents, workplace accidents, and public accidents from slip and falls and falling objects.
There is a time limit to when a plaintiff can file a claim
Saying you should file a claim as soon as possible is easier said than done, but note that in Philadelphia, you have a period of 24 months since the date of the incident. Unless your case fits the Discovery Rule as per Pennsylvania Supreme Court, your claim might get thrown out of court. The Discovery Rule applies when the statute of limitations (the 2-year limit) starts only at the date of “discovery” of the injury due to delayed or unseen cause of the incident.
The worse a personal injury case is, the longer it may take
While each case is different and some special cases take only a few months to settle, there will be cases that could drag out for a year or two –– or more, depending on the complexity of the incident.
Track all accident-related evidence and records
If you’re set on helping your lawyer build a strong case for your claim, you must also do the work by securing all expenses, medical records, and pictures of the injury and of the incident. It helps if you can also find witnesses via an official police report when the injury happened.
You can still seek a claim even if it was partly your fault
There will come a time when the victim is also at fault in an accident. Thanks to something called Comparative Negligence, you can seek a claim according to the percentage of damage received. For instance, if you caused 60% of the damages, you can only recover 40% of the claim.
Considering the many aspects of a personal injury case, it’s best to hire a lawyer who specializes in this field. To get more specifics, call us at 610-658-0500 and book your consultation for free.
