If an injury is caused due to someone’s negligence or careless behaviour, you have the right to file a claim and ask for compensation to make up for the medical costs, your lost income, and other damages you faced because of the accident. To file this claim, you need to have a proper understanding of the whole legal procedure. This guide will explain what you need to know before you can file a personal injury claim.
Understand the Legal Process
Having a comprehensive understanding of a legal process can help prevent costly mistakes. It involves:
- Knowing your rights is an important step for filing a claim, as it helps you understand what you’re entitled to and what you can seek compensation for under the law.
- Build your case and collect evidence such as photos, witness statements, medical records, and any documents that support what happened and how it affected you.
- Talk to a legal professional and get their insights on your case. For instance, if you’re filing a claim in Minneapolis, you can consult Minneapolis PI attorneys on how to navigate this complicated process and get fair compensation.
- Another important step is to handle negotiations smartly, because insurance companies often try to resolve claims quickly and set lowball offers.
Understand Statute of Limitations in Minneapolis
In legal terms, “statutes of limitations’ means the timeframe you have to file a claim. This time period varies depending on the jurisdiction and the kind of injury you suffered. Failing to file your claim before the deadline means you forfeit your right to seek compensation for the damages. Filing a personal injury claim in Minneapolis comes under Minnesota law, which gives you the deadline of two years from the date you got injured to file that claim.
Types of Injury Claims
Personal injury cases can cover different situations, and you need to know which category your injury falls into so you can get properly compensated for that. Some common examples of cases where you can make claims include:
- Slip and fall accidents: These are when someone’s unsafe property conditions make you trip, fall, or slip, causing an injury.
- Car crashes: Includes injuries caused by another driver’s carelessness or reckless behavior.
- Medical negligence: Harm caused by a healthcare provider when they don’t follow proper procedures, which can be considered medical malpractice.
Types of Damages and Compensation
For calculating compensation, you need to have a comprehensive understanding of the types of damages faced in different personal injury cases. Damages are the financial compensation you receive for the harm and losses from the injuries you suffered. There are two categories of damages:
- Compensatory damages: These are the financial compensation to restore the injured person’s condition to what it was before the accident happened. These include economic (quantifiable costs, like medical bills, property damage, etc.) and non-economic damages (intangible losses, such as pain and suffering).
- Punitive damages: These are awarded in cases where the offender’s behaviour was reckless or malicious towards the injured party, and aim to punish the wrongdoers to deter such behaviour in the future.
Endnote
Recovering from an accident while juggling medical bills, lost income, and increasing finances can really be stressful on its own. On top of that, dealing with all the legal procedures and paperwork can become overwhelming. That’s why it’s important to consult and seek advice from a legal professional so they can make navigating the process easier.
Our dedicated team gathers information from all the reliable sources to make the law accessible and understandable for everyone. We provide the latest legal news stories from across the country, delivered straight to you.