If you have been injured in an accident, you know difficult dealing with the aftermath can become. Personal injury lawyers represent the interests of the victims involved hurt due to others’ careless actions.
They do so with the aim of getting compensation for the plaintiff. They gather the relevant documents which act as proof of the other party is at fault. Handling a personal injury case can be complicated and overwhelming if you try to file it on your own. Thankfully, with the help of an attorney, the process is simpler.
At Injured CT, our experienced Waterbury personal injury lawyers guide clients throughout the entire process. We understand how to handle your case successfully and help you get the compensation you deserve. Contact us today for a free consultation.
What Should I Do After an Injury?
Accidents can be disorienting. It’s important to follow these steps:
Report the Incident
Be sure to involve the police if it’s a vehicle accident, you can call them and direct them to the location where the incident occurred. If you were injured in the store, notify the property manager.
Seek Medical Attention
If you get involved in an accident where you suffer injuries, seek medical attention from a nearby medical facility. Getting medical attention as soon as possible after an accident ensures that all the injuries are identified and treated. Additionally, you should keep proper medical records of your treatment.
Take Photos and Video
Apart from maintaining the medical records, it is advisable to take photos or a video showing what cause the accident. These resources are vital as they are used as a source of evidence providing proof that the accident occurred.
They provide additional details that would otherwise have been difficult to tell without them. But when you have them at hand then you are in a better position since the evidence becomes clearly visible from the record regarding the injuries.
Get Contact Information of Witnesses
If there were witnesses when the accident occurred, it is advisable to write down their names and phone numbers so that you can easily reach them if necessary. When filing an injury claim a witness provides additional information on how the accident occurred.
Therefore, it is essential to get the contact information of anyone who witnessed the accident. You can then proceed and report the matter to your supervisor if the accident is work-related.
Why do I Need a Lawyer?
Seeking legal advice from a recognized lawyer is essential because it is not that easy to show a court that you got injured due to the negligence of another person. Furthermore, the trauma associated with personal injuries like emotional upheaval and pain can make it daunting to make objective decisions as far as your injury or accident is concerned.
An attorney can file the personal injury claims on your behalf. The professional will also bring skill, experience, and knowledge into your case. This can enable you to get the settlement you deserve. The benefits of working with a lawyer include:
Case Preparation
When you get into an accident, medicals bills and other expenses may be a burden to you. Moreover, you may feel a lot of pain as a result of the injuries. With all this, it can be difficult for you to make informed decisions.
Therefore, there is a need to hire a personal injury lawyer who has the relevant knowledge regarding the state laws to help you in preparing your case.
Settlement Negotiation
Once an accident has occurred and a personal injury claim is filed, the insurance representative of the offending party handles the case daily and can be persuasive in terms of bargaining for lower compensation. It is challenging to negotiate with insurance firms.
Insurers have techniques for persuading plaintiffs to accept their offers. For this reason, you need an experienced attorney to help you through this step. The professional can negotiate with the insurance firm of the person responsible to ensure that you get a fair settlement.
Working with an attorney after one is injured usually leads to better compensation.
Trial Preparation & Representation
Having received the relevant training and possessing the appropriate skills, a personal injury lawyer represents a client during the litigation process. The lawyer gathers the necessary documents from the client, analyzes them, and then goes ahead to represent a client’s case in court.
Thereafter, the lawyer goes ahead and gives out the available options giving counsel on the appropriate action to take. This is beneficial as it simplifies the decision-making process.
What Type of Damages Can I Recover?
You can receive three types of damages:
- Economic damages are awarded as compensation for monetary losses incurred after getting injured. They include medical expenses, property replacement, lost wages, funeral and burial expenses, and loss of employment.
- Non-economic damages are awarded to the plaintiff for non-monetary losses which are incurred as a result of injuries. These damages are usually difficult to calculate. They include physical pain and suffering, mental distress, permanent impairment, loss of consortium, and disfigurement.
- Punitive damages are awarded when the wrongful behavior of the defendant was reprehensible or despicable. They are meant to punish those responsible for the negligence with the aim of preventing such behaviors in the future.
How Is Liability Determined?
Your attorney must prove the four elements of negligence to recover compensation for you:
- Duty of Care: Legal duty to the plaintiff by the defendant must exist. This includes obeying all traffic laws. For example, if a car accident occurs, a driver has a duty to follow all the traffic laws and drive safely to avoid damage on the road.
- Breach of Duty of Care: It occurs when the plaintiff proves that the defendant breached a legal duty thereby putting the plaintiff at risk of injury.
- Causation: The negligence of the defendant must be the main cause of the injuries. Proof that the defendant was actually the one who caused the plaintiff’s injury at the time of the accident must exist.
- Damages: There must be actual damages or losses suffered as a result of the injury. The damages include lost wages. This can allow you to get compensation for the said damages in a lawsuit.
How Much Time do I Have to File a Personal Injury Claim in Connecticut?
Personal injury claims in Connecticut have a statute of limitations of two years from the time the accident took place. You should therefore get in touch with a Waterbury, CT personal injury attorney as soon as possible for you to stand a better chance of filling a claim and receive your compensation.
How Much Will a Waterbury Personal Injury Lawyer Cost?
Our Waterbury personal injury lawyers at Injured CT work on a contingency fee basis. This means that you are only required to pay if you win your case. If the lawyer recovers the compensation on your behalf, they are entitled to charging a percentage of your settlement amount.
The Types of Personal Injury Cases that We Handle
We handle a variety of personal injury cases at Injured CT, including:
Car Accidents
At Injured CT, our personal injury lawyers can help you get compensation for injuries or damages resulting from car accidents. Since the damages caused may be a burden to you and your family, compensation is necessary. This makes sure that reckless drivers on the road are made accountable for their mistakes. A Waterbury car accident lawyer helps the injury victims get the compensation they deserve.
Truck Accidents
A truck accident can cause a lot of damage, injuries, or even lead to death. It is for this reason that our personal injury lawyers come in handy to offer legal guidance to truck accident victims. If you or a loved one gets injured in an accident involving a truck, our Waterbury truck accident lawyers can handle the case.
Motorcycle Accidents
Personal injury attorneys play a vital role in representing motorcycle accident victims. They do so to ensure that the victim gets full compensation for the injuries. If you or a loved one gets injured in a motorcycle accident, our Waterbury motorcycle accident lawyers can handle the case for you and can help you get the compensation you deserve.
Slip and Fall
Property owners are responsible for dealing with any hazardous conditions that could cause an accident. The owner will be liable if, for example, someone slips on a wet floor or trips on uneven stairs because there was no sign warning of the danger. Proving a premises liability case can be difficult, so you need an experienced slip-and-fall lawyer.
Wrongful Death
If your loved one died as a result of the careless, reckless, or deliberate actions of another, our Waterbury wrongful death lawyers can help you get justice. You can recover compensation for funeral expenses, the loss of your loved one’s income, and the fact your loved one can no longer enjoy their life.
Contact a Waterbury Personal Injury Lawyer for a Free Consultation
When an accident happens on the road, at a store, or elsewhere, victims are often left dealing with financial stress from medical bills and other expenses. Accidents may also cause emotional trauma and post-traumatic stress. It can be stressful to follow up on your personal injury claim at such a time.
If you are injured in an accident caused by someone else’s negligence, you need to seek legal help promptly to receive compensation. A personal injury lawyer at Injured CT can assist you to make better decisions, file the claims on your behalf, give you peace of mind and help you get faster compensation.
Call or contact us online for a free consultation.