If you have been injured because of someone else’s bad or reckless behavior, you might have experienced a personal injury. The damages in your case will depend on how you were injured and the extent of your losses and expenses. Injured plaintiffs can recover for damages like medical bills, lost income, pain, and suffering, among others. Proving the defendant is liable for your injuries also depends on your unique circumstances. While many personal injury lawsuits are based on theories of negligence, others are intentional torts that involve different legal elements. To prove liability, you need evidence. Evidence may come directly from the accident scene, or it can be gathered later from other sources.
If you were injured and believe someone else is to blame, you can sue them in a personal injury lawsuit. For a free case evaluation, call our Brentwood personal injury attorneys of The Carrion Law Firm at (631) 910-7493.
Times You Might Need a Personal Injury Attorney in Brentwood
A personal injury is an injury to your body, although people may include other damages in a personal injury lawsuit. Numerous circumstances may lead to personal injuries, and our Brentwood personal injury lawyers have experience with several kinds of cases.
Car accidents are unfortunately common, and many lead to personal injuries. Car accidents may range from small collisions between two or more cars to serious crashes in which multiple vehicles are totaled, and drivers are severely injured. Other accidents involving trucks, bikes, motorcycles, and pedestrians might also lead to personal injury lawsuits.
Construction accidents often involve construction workers and accidents in the workplace. However, people passing by construction sites might also be injured depending on the situation. These accidents may involve any number of personal injuries, like burns, falls, or even being crushed between heavy objects.
Premises liability involves injuries caused by a property owner’s negligence. If you tripped and fell on someone’s property because they failed to maintain and keep it safe, they may be liable for your injuries. Slip and fall accidents are common examples of premises liability lawsuits, although any number of accidents may fall under this category.
Product liability cases involve personal injuries caused by damaged or defective goods and products. For example, suppose you purchased a power drill that was damaged when sold to you or poorly designed to be unsafe. In that case, any injuries caused by the product might be the responsibility of the manufacturing company.
Potential Damages You Can Recover in a Brentwood Personal Injury Lawsuit
Damages in a lawsuit represent the losses, injuries, and expenses you experienced because of your personal injuries. Recoverable damages will vary from case to case, but certain damages tend to crop up more frequently across most personal injury cases. Our Brentwood personal injury lawyers can help you accurately assess your damages.
Economic damages represent the injuries and losses that cost the plaintiff actual money. Common economic damages include medical bills for injuries and lost income from missing work. Although they do not directly relate to your personal injuries, you can still claim property damage and repair costs in a lawsuit.
Non-economic damages are the losses or injuries that did not cost a plaintiff any money but should still be financially compensated. Emotional and physical pain and suffering are common non-economic damages. You might also experience deep humiliation or damage to your reputation in the community. These damages can be assessed by evaluating how they impact your daily life.
How to Prove Liability in a Brentwood Personal Injury Case
Even if the defendant did not mean to cause your personal injuries, they can still be held liable if we can prove they were negligent. Negligence involves establishing four crucial legal elements: duty, breach, causation, and damages.
Duty refers to the legal obligation or duty of care owed to you by the defendant. Exactly what this duty consists of may vary from case to case. For example, in car accident cases, our Brentwood personal injury lawyers can argue that the defendant owed a duty of care to drive with reasonable safety under the circumstances.
The breach is the action or inaction by the defendant that caused the accident and your injuries. Continuing with the car accident example, if the defendant ran a red light and T-boned you in an intersection, running the red light can be considered a breach of the defendant’s duty.
Causation refers to the connection between the breach and your injuries. To satisfy this element, we must show that the defendant’s breach was the direct and proximate cause of the accident. We must also prove that your injuries and damages are real and not just hypothetical injuries or only possibilities.
Intentional torts are lawsuits regarding personal injuries that were caused on purpose. Nothing is negligent about an intentional tort because the defendant intended the harm. Proving the defendant is liable requires proving they committed the action that caused your injuries and that they also intended to cause the harm. More specific legal elements you might have to prove will vary depending on the type of tort.
Important Evidence in Personal Injury Lawsuits in Brentwood
Evidence needed for a personal injury case may be anything and everything that tends to prove one way or the other whether the defendant is liable for your injuries. A lot of important evidence can be taken directly from the scene of the incident. Photos, videos, or physical evidence may be presented in court to support your claims. Our Brentwood personal injury lawyers can help you find the evidence you need for your lawsuit.
In many cases, nearby security cameras caught the entire incident on video. These videos are extremely important and might make or break a lawsuit. Even without evidence like photos and videos, we can gather witnesses who saw the accident or have information about the case. The more witnesses whose stories align with yours, the better.
We will need to show the court your medical records to prove your injuries. These records will help us establish the severity of your injuries and treatment costs. The sooner you get treated for your injuries, and the more often you visit your doctor for follow-ups, the more accurate your medical records will be.
Call Our Brentwood Personal Injury Lawyers for Help
If you were injured because of someone else’s negligence or intentional conduct, call our Brentwood personal injury lawyers for help now. Call The Carrion Law Firm for a free case assessment at (631) 910-7493.