Which Personal Injury Claims Are Most Common?
Personal injury is a broad area of law, and at present there are over 90,000 personal injury lawyers practicing in the United States. Most personal injury lawyers can handle a wide range of tort cases, but a lot of personal injury lawyers specialize in just a handful of cases.
For example, a personal injury lawyer may specialize in both motorcycle and car accidents, whereas another lawyer specializes in slip and fall, sidewalk, and construction site accidents. Certain personal injury claims are more common than others, and these common claims are detailed in this blog. Some frequently asked questions about personal injury lawyers are also answered here.
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What Are the Common Personal Injury Claims?
Car Accident Claims
Car accident claims are a very common kind of personal injury claim. Around 6 million car accidents happen each year in the United States, and many of these result in significant injuries, extensive property damage, and even fatalities. A personal injury lawyer in Ozone Park will help their client file a claim with their insurance provider in the wake of an accident, as New York is a no-fault state.
Truck & Bus Accident Claims
Truck and bus accident claims are similar to car accident claims in some respects. However, truck and bus accidents typically involve more parties, and usually determining where fault lies in these cases is quite difficult. Truck and bus accident lawyers specialize in cases that involve commercial trucks and buses, as well as cases which involve trucks and buses that are owned and operated by government entities.
Bike Accident Claims
Bicycle and motorcycle accident claims are common as well, so there are personal injury attorneys that specialize in just these cases. These cases are often associated with severe injuries, as motorcyclists and bicyclists have little protection when a collision happens.
Pedestrian Accident Claims
Pedestrian accidents are more common in cities than anywhere else. Usually, a pedestrian accident involves a motor vehicle, a motorcycle, or another kind of vehicle. Like motorcycle and bike accidents, these are associated with significant injuries as well, for pedestrians are virtually defenseless when a collision happens.
Slip & Fall Accident Claims
Slip and fall accident claims are quite common too, and these claims deal with the principle of premises liability. Under this principle, property owners are supposed to keep their properties in good condition, especially when individuals other than themselves are frequently at or near the property. One doesn’t have to just slip and fall to file a premises liability claim; premises liability covers a range of other property-related accidents as well.
Construction Site Accident Claims
Construction site accident claims are also related to premises liability. However, if a worker is hurt on the job at a construction site, it’s likely they’ll seek workers’ comp benefits after, meaning they won’t need a lawyer. However, someone who’s hit by a falling piece of building material while walking by will need a personal injury lawyer to bring a lawsuit on their behalf.
Defective Product Claims
Defective product claims are filed all the time, which makes sense considering new products are hitting the market nearly every day. If you use a product as intended, and you get injured because of this, you may be able to sue the product manufacturer. These claims are often filed in conjunction with other claims, such as when a product malfunction leads to a multi-vehicle truck accident.
Medical Malpractice Claims
Medical malpractice claims are often complex, and one can be filed against a medical care provider for a variety of reasons. Because these are often associated with severe injuries, damages figures for medical malpractice claims are often high.
Dog Bite Claims
Dog bite claims are common as well, especially in suburban and urban areas. If you were bitten by somebody else’s dog, you can sue for damages related to medical expenses, pain and suffering, lost wages, etc.
What Must Be Done to Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer?
Hiring a personal injury lawyer is one of the first things you should do following an accident. That being said, hiring a high-quality lawyer isn’t always easy street. You should reach out to friends and family first to see if they’ve had any good experiences. After you get recommendations, you should conduct some research online to see which lawyers in the area have received high marks.
Create a list of qualities that you want your lawyer to possess, and create a list of deal-breakers as well. Once you have enough background information, you should start reaching out to lawyers who seem promising, as initial consultations are free. After you’ve gone through several consultations, select the best personal injury lawyer of the available options.
How Are Personal Injury Lawyers Paid?
The vast majority of personal injury lawyers work on contingency. That is, a personal injury lawyer will only get paid if they win your case. Usually, a personal injury lawyer will take between 33 and 40% of an award as compensation. In New York, there are laws, regulations, and ethical standards that govern how much a personal injury lawyer can claim as compensation from their client’s award. You won’t have to pay any costs up front, as the lawyer covers these with part of the compensation they take.
How Long Do You Have to File a Personal Injury Claim?
The window of time for filing a claim depends on what kind of claim it is as well as other factors. In general, NY accident victims have three years to file a claim after an accident. However, if you’re filing a wrongful death suit on behalf of someone else, you’ll only have two years to file; medical malpractice claims must be filed sooner as well. Moreover, if you’re filing a claim against a government agency, this needs to be done within 30 days.
Which Personal Injury Law Firm in Queens Is Best?
Unfortunately, finding a good personal injury lawyer on your own is not always easy. But this is where 1-800-HURT-511 can help you immensely. When you call, we’ll connect you with lawyers who’ve recovered over $1 billion for their clients. You won’t have to pay unless you win. Plus, the lawyers we partner with speak your language, and they know cases like the one you intend to bring inside and out.
Call 1-800-HURT-511 now! You may only have so long to bring a case.
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