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Why would an accident victim in Baton Rouge need to obtain legal representation?

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Baton Rouge, LA – When someone is involved in a car accident, they should contact the police and their insurance company. However, some collisions result in losses and damage that cannot be settled with the insurance process alone. The reason victims get help from accident lawyers is to fight for compensation from the person responsible for the collision or their insurance provider. This is usually necessary if there are serious costs tied to medical treatment and lost income because the victim cannot work and requires long term healthcare. 

Significant costs of an accident

Many insurance policies for auto accidents will cover somewhere between ten and fifty thousand dollars worth of property damage and medical treatment. There are also certain types of losses that are not covered at all, depending on the terms of the specific policy in question. If someone is seriously hurt, their costs of medical treatment and missing wages can easily reach into the hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars. Lawsuits are the only way to recover such large amounts. There is also the possibility of payment for non-economic losses tied to pain, suffering, and trauma that are available through lawsuits but not insurance claims. 

What is personal injury law?

Some lawyers focus their entire career on people who were hurt in accidents and need help paying for their injuries. Most personal injury lawyers spend a majority of their time filing negligence cases. This means that a driver, business, or other party did not exercise the appropriate level of care and caused the plaintiff’s injuries. Negligence cases also allow the victim to summarize all of their losses when arguing for damages. Most personal injury cases will end with a settlement that compensates the victim with a fair amount based on their damages, but a trial is also possible. Accident victims can schedule an initial meeting with a firm to see if this process is necessary in their situation. 

What the lawyer will do to start the case

After the client agrees to representation, the attorney will draft a complaint that outlines some important facts. This includes the time and place of the crash, the other parties involved, a summary of losses, and basic legal arguments regarding fault. This complaint is filed with the local civil court and the defendant is also served with a copy. The defense has a chance to answer and either admit or deny the information in this complaint. 

Personal injury cases in Baton Rouge

Miller, Hampton, and Hilgendorf assist accident victims with various matters in the Baton Rouge area. Their attorneys are licensed and in good standing in Louisiana, and they have significant experience in all aspects of personal injury law. 

Firm contact info:

Miller, Hampton, and Hilgendorf

3960 Government St., Baton Rouge, LA 70806

225-343-2205

www.mlhlaw.com

How is the concept of fault for an accident treated under Iowa law?

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Iowa City, IA – Most states have some fairly complex rules that come into play after a car accident. Concepts such as fault, negligence, and damages can all be crucial in determining both if an accident victim will be compensated at all, as well as their level of compensation that is available. For specific advice about how any of these principles apply to any accident lawsuit, a lawyer who focuses on accident law in Iowa should be consulted. 

Iowa laws regarding fault

The state of Iowa is called an at fault state for the purposes of motor vehicle accidents. Accident victims have a chance to bring a lawsuit and try to prove another driver involved in the crash was at fault for their injuries and losses. Drivers also have the right to contact their insurance provider and file a claim to see what losses will be covered under their policy after a collision. 

Negligence principles and fault

Negligence is the term for a type of civil lawsuit that says a person or business did not exercise the proper level of care and caused injuries. Each state has a different way of handling these kinds of cases, but there must be some evidence that the defendant actually caused an accident and injuries after they deviated from the proper standard of care. 

Fault is also divided in an accident case in Iowa based on the principles of comparative negligence during a lawsuit. This means that fault can be divided between all of the drivers involved to equal one hundred percent. A driver who is partially at fault can still collect damages, however their damage award is reduced based on their level of fault. If they are more at fault than the defendant they are suing, then they will not be able to collect anything. This formula can be applied regardless of how many vehicles were involved in the collision. 

Damages and compensation

The amount of compensation that any accident victim will receive is always relative to their losses. For example, this means that most minor accidents will not result in large amounts of compensation for anyone involved. Damages are tied to things like lost income and wages, medical bills and the costs of healthcare, or property repairs. There is also the opportunity for the plaintiff’s attorney to argue for non-economic damages that are related to their client’s pain and suffering.

Iowa City injury and accident attorneys

Eells and Tronvold Law Offices is available to assist clients with their civil lawsuits in the Iowa City area. Potential clients can contact the firm to learn more about their qualifications and services during representation. 

Firm contact info:

Eells and Tronvold Law Offices 

1921 51st Street NE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402-2400  

319-393-1020 

www.eellsandtronvold.com

Work injuries in South Carolina create a number of different legal issues

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Charleston, SC – When someone is hurt while working, they may be required to go through certain procedures mandated by their employer. However, they are also entitled to various forms of compensation, even if the employer tries to dissuade the worker from utilizing these remedies. Workers compensation claims and personal injury lawsuits are the two most common ways that the victim can try to receive financial assistance after they are hurt and must stop working for a given period of time. 

How a work injury happens

Workers who are in fields that involve manual labor, hazardous materials, construction, and driving tend to be at the highest risk for injuries. However, it is possible that anyone can be injured on the job. If someone is hurt by equipment that they need to utilize, another employee, or from a simple error, they may be able to make some kind of claim for compensation. The employer will investigate to see if the worker was engaged in their normal job duties when the incident happened. In most cases, if someone was not doing their normal work and engaged in some other activity while they were hurt, the employer will not be responsible.  

Workers compensation claims

Workers compensation is one of the most important forms of relief for injured workers. This is essentially a form of insurance purchased by the employer to pay for a worker’s lost wages and some basic medical expenses while they recover from an injury. Most employers of a certain size are required by law to carry some kind of workers compensation insurance.  

Personal injury lawsuits

Whether a worker’s employer or another entity is responsible for their injuries, the victim can bring a civil injury case to be compensated for things like medical treatment, lost income and wages, and emotional pain and trauma caused by the incident. This is done through a negligence case, which essentially says that the defendant breached their duty of care and caused various forms of harm. The element of damages is when the victim is able to add up all of these losses and argue that the defendant needs to provide compensation for the problems that they caused. Most injury lawsuits will end with a settlement agreement between the victim and the defendant, but it is possible that a full trial will be necessary. 

Speaking with a firm that handles work injury cases

Anyone who has been recently hurt at work can contact a lawyer to review their situation and recommend a course of action. The Clekis Law Firm handles workers compensation issues, personal injury cases, and related matters for clients in the Charleston area. 

Firm contact info:

The Clekis Law Firm

171 Church St., Charleston SC, 29401

[email protected]

843-900-0000

clekis.com