Personal Injury Law

“Personal injury” cases are legal disputes that arise when one person suffers harm from an accident or injury, and someone else might be legally responsible for that harm.

Lawsuit

A formal personal injury case typically starts when a private individual files a civil complaint against another person, business, corporation, or government agency , alleging that they acted carelessly or irresponsibly in connection with an accident or injury that caused harm.

Settlement

Most disputes over fault for an accident or injury are resolved through informal early settlement, usually among those personally involved in the dispute, their insurers, and attorneys representing both sides. A settlement commonly takes the form of negotiation, followed by a written agreement in which both sides forgo any further action, choosing instead to resolve the matter through payment of an agreeable amount of money.

Statute of Limitations

Statute of Limitations puts a limit on the time a plaintiff has to file a lawsuit. Generally speaking, the period of time dictated by a statute of limitations begins when the plaintiff is injured or discovers the injury. Statutes of limitations are established by state law and often vary by type of injury.

Changes may occur in this area of law. The information provided is brought to you as a public service, and is intended to help you better understand the law in general. It is not intended to be legal advice regarding your particular problem or substitute for the advice of a lawyer.