It is almost impossible to get through life totally unscathed, and most people will experience an accident or injury at some point. If you are injured because another person acted recklessly or negligently, you might be entitled to financial compensation to help you pay for things like medical care and other damages.
A lot is going on in Queens at almost any given time, and an accident might happen when you least expect it. If you are unsure whether you have a personal injury claim, consider the factors of your case. Physical injuries, accidents, unintentional harm, and negligent people are just a few common characteristics of personal injuries. Reach out to a lawyer as soon as possible, as you must file your case within a certain period or risk being time-barred from ever filing the case.
Call The Carrion Law Firm at (718) 841-0083 and ask our personal injury lawyers for a free case review to start your claims.
Common Characteristics of Personal Injury Cases
Personal injuries in Queens may span a broad spectrum of legal claims, and many plaintiffs are not sure whether their case constitutes a personal injury. The following are factors commonly considered in personal injury claims. If these factors are present in your case, you should speak to our personal injury lawyers about filing a case.
The hallmark of personal injury claims is the presence of physical injuries. You must have experienced some form of bodily harm to have a valid personal injury claim. If you were almost hurt or your injuries are so minor that you do not have any real damages to speak of, you might not have a personal injury case.
Although personal injury cases may involve various claims, many stem from accidents and unintentional harm. If you were injured in some kind of accident (e.g., car crash, falling accident, work-related incident), you should ask an attorney about filing a potential personal injury case.
Available Damages in Glendale Personal Injury Cases
The damages you may claim in your personal injury case will be unique to your situation. As such, their value and the evidence needed to prove them may be difficult to determine until you have reviewed your situation with a lawyer.
Economic Damages
Economic damages should account for monetary losses and expenses you incurred as a direct result of the accident. For many, the bulk of these damages are medical bills. Even treatment for somewhat minor injuries in the emergency room might cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
Those with severe injuries might need long-term care. If you are catastrophically injured or experience severe complications, you might need medical care forever. In such cases, we can estimate your future needs and costs and add them to your case now.
Many people cannot return to work due to their injuries and lose income and wages. This can be incredibly difficult, especially if your medical costs continue to accumulate. We can determine how much income you have lost and may continue to lose and add it to your damages. Losing income may be critical for people living in Queens where the cost of living is higher.
Non-Economic Damages
Not all damages revolve around money. Some damages may warrant financial compensation but cannot be proven with evidence of costs. These non-economic damages often encompass personal, painful, and subjective injuries, losses, and experiences.
Some common examples of non-economic damages include psychological injuries (e.g., PTSD, depression, panic disorders), physical pain, emotional turmoil, humiliation, the loss of enjoyment of your life, and a reduction in your quality of life.
How Long You Have to Prepare a Personal Injury Case
Our time to prepare your case and file everything with the right court in Queens is limited by law. As such, you should reach out to an attorney for help as soon as possible after being injured.
We must file the case within the time established by the statute of limitations under C.V.P. Law § 214. Generally, personal injury plaintiffs have 3 years from the day they are injured to file their claims. However, the statute may be tolled and our time to file increased under special conditions.
Various tolling options exist, but they may only apply under very limited circumstances. One of the more commonly claimed tolling options is tolling for “infancy and insanity” under § 208(a).
In short, if you are under 18 or have a mental condition that makes it impossible for you to file the case on your own, your time to file does not begin until you are 18 or your mental condition is removed.
Records to Gather or Obtain to Support Your Glendale Personal Injury Case
We must have evidence to prove your claims in court, but evidence can be challenging to obtain in many cases. A great place to find information and evidence may be in certain records surrounding the case.
Many plaintiffs experience catastrophic injuries or medical complications that are difficult for the average person to fully understand. We may need copies of your medical records to prove how badly you were hurt, the nature of your injuries, and how your injuries will likely affect your quality of life moving forward.
If you were injured on the property of a business or by a negligent employee, we may need copies of certain business records to support your case. If the accident was related to dangerous conditions on the business property, records may indicate whether the business owners were aware of the danger and how long the conditions had existed.
Accidents often involve police investigations, especially when the defendant’s actions may result in criminal charges. While police reports are typically inadmissible, they may lead us to admissible evidence that the police found during their investigation.
Call Our Glendale Personal Injury Attorneys to Review Your Claims
Call The Carrion Law Firm at (718) 841-0083 and ask our personal injury lawyers for a free case review to start your claims.
