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Are you feeling lost and alone after your accident? Was your accident the result of someone’s incompetence? Are you now experiencing damages such as lost wages, medical bills, and more? If you answer yes to these questions, then you may want a Michigan personal injury lawyer for help recovering compensation for your damages.
To prove an injury claim and receive compensation for your damages, you must prove that someone else was negligent with your safety and that negligence resulted in significant losses for you. Your losses must also have affected your life in some way in order to qualify for compensation. A personal injury lawyer is best equipped to handle such cases and deal with the complexities of tort law.
Did Someone Cause Your Damages and Can You Prove It?
Before you can file an injury claim, you must have someone to file it against. However, knowing who could have caused you harm isn’t enough. You must also prove that they were responsible for your accident-related injuries and damages.
Of course, this is where gathering evidence comes in handy. Witness statements, police reports, and more all help to tie the at-fault party to your injuries. Naturally, the other party will deny and attempt to fight your claims against them, which is why you’ll be prepared with indisputable evidence.
Without having a clear target and evidence, your injury claim is a waste of time. But, if you don’t have experience filing personal injury claims, how will you know where to find evidence? How will you defend your claim against accusations of fault? This is where an experienced lawyer can be crucial.
Potentially Liable Parties in a Michigan Personal Injury Lawsuit
Depending on your accident, there can be many parties responsible for your accident. Some of these parties include but are not limited to:
- Other drivers in car accidents and motorcycle accidents
- Truck drivers and trucking companies if you are in a commercial truck accident
- Property owners, tenants, property managers, and others in charge of maintaining properties in the event of a slip and fall accident or another premises liability incident
- Dog owners if you were in a dog bite accident
Multiple parties could be liable for your harm, depending on the circumstances of your injuries. A personal injury attorney will make sure to identify the correct party to pursue full and fair compensation.
Proving Liability in an Injury Lawsuit
Lawyers in personal injury cases must prove that the other party was negligent or careless. While you may see your injuries and losses and think negligence is clear, the reality is that negligence is a complex topic. When taking on a case, our personal injury team must:
- Show that the party owed you a duty of care
- Demonstrate that this party breached said duty
- Prove that this breach caused your accident or injuries
- Show that you have injuries and losses related to the negligent party’s actions
Can You Receive Compensation for Your Damages in Michigan?
Even if someone is responsible for your accident, you must suffer compensable damages to file a claim against them. Compensable damages can include things such as physical or emotional damages, lost wages, property damage, medical bills, and much more.
For example, older people suffering from a severe fall are highly at risk of suffering physically and financially. Because the healthcare industry can take advantage of their situation, these individuals must receive compensation if their accident was the result of negligence.
If your way of life isn’t severely impacted by the actions of the other party, then you will have a difficult time receiving compensation for your damages. You have to experience some form of loss to have a chance of experiencing a successful injury claim. Otherwise, your injury claim process will be a waste of time and energy for all parties involved.
Types of Damages You Could Pursue for a Personal Injury Lawsuit
A personal injury lawyer can take a hard look at the details of your claim to determine liability and the extent of your damages. They can help figure out the value of some of the more abstract losses that don’t have a direct financial value, making sure every single economic and non-economic loss is accounted for. Some of these damages a personal injury lawyer can help you claim include:
- Current medical expenses
- Future medical expenses
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional anguish
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Household expenses
Deadline for Pursuing a Personal Injury Lawsuit in Michigan
Michigan personal injury victims should act quickly after their accident or injuries. Per Mich. Comp. Laws Ann. § 600.5805, victims only have three years from the date of the incident to file a lawsuit for damages. Many cases do not need to go to court, but it is best to be prepared for this possibility.
If you do not file this lawsuit on time, you could miss the opportunity to pursue a lawsuit and thus your mist-needed compensation. A Michigan personal injury lawyer can see how much time you have left to act and help make sure your case is filed on time. Some exceptions can alter this deadline, and a lawyer can see if any of these exceptions apply to your case.
Can I Still File a Lawsuit if I’m Partly At-Fault for my Personal Injury Accident?
Michigan does have a modified comparative negligence doctrine that allows victims to pursue damages even if they bear partial fault for the accident. If you contributed to the cause of the accident, or you think you did, you still have a chance to seek compensation.
However, the other party may use this to give you a larger percentage of blame, thereby reducing the damages you are trying to pursue. They may even attempt to put all the blame on you, which means you might get nothing.
Without the help of a personal injury lawyer who knows how to protect victims from these tactics, your compensation could be at risk.
Consult a Personal Injury Lawyer with our Firm Now
If you’re hurt and need a personal injury lawyer, call Christensen Law to seek help getting damages. We have over 30 years of experience helping people just like you, and we want to get you the justice you deserve.
