North Reading Personal Injury Lawyer
After being injured, you might be dealing with severe physical pain, psychological trauma, and expensive damages. The person who caused your injuries should be held liable for their actions.
You should file a personal injury lawsuit if another person’s negligence caused an accident leading to bodily injuries. Not all acts of negligence are criminal offenses, but that does not mean you cannot seek justice. You can file a civil lawsuit to hold the other person liable and make them cover your expenses. Our team has handled various personal injury cases, including car accidents, wrongful deaths, slip and falls, and more. Damages in these cases are often economic and non-economic in nature, although punitive damages might be available in rare cases.
For a free case assessment, call the personal injury lawyers at the Law Office of John J. Sheehan at (617) 925-6407.
Why File a Personal injury Lawsuit in North Reading, MA?
A personal injury lawsuit must involve bodily harm. For example, if a person caused an accident and you broke your leg, your broken leg would be considered a personal injury, and you can file a lawsuit. There are numerous reasons why injured people should consider filing lawsuits. Ultimately, a personal injury lawsuit comes down to financial compensation, although you do not necessarily have to be motivated by money.
First, you should file a personal injury lawsuit if you lose money because of your injuries. Personal injuries often land people in the hospital, and medical bills are never cheap, even with health insurance. Medical treatment might be ongoing or even life-long for those with serious injuries, and the expenses pile up very quickly. By filing a lawsuit, you can make the person who caused your injuries pay for these and other expenses related to your injuries, and our personal injury attorneys can help you get started.
Even if the money does not matter to you, you might want to sue because you want a sense of closure and justice. Personal injury cases are often more traumatic than people realize. Not only are they in physical pain, but they are often psychologically rattled, and their sense of safety and security shattered. Holding the person who hurt you liable can help bring a much-needed sense of closure.
Personal Injury Cases Our Office Has Handled in North Reading, MA
Personal injury law tends to cover a broad spectrum of cases. If you know you have been injured but are unsure what kind of lawsuit you should file, our attorneys can help you figure out your next step. Our office handles a variety of cases like these, including the following:
- Bike Accidents
- Car Accidents
- Truck Accidents
- Motorcycle Accidents
- Pedestrian Accidents
- Defective Products and Goods
- Slip and Fall Cases
- Brain Injuries
- Wrongful Death
Understanding how your accident happened and what kind of case you have is the first step toward securing justice for yourself and getting compensation. You should speak to a lawyer about your case as soon as possible.
Damages Recoverable in North Reading, MA Personal Injury Lawsuits
Damages refer to losses and injuries an injured plaintiff experiences because of a negligent defendant. Damages are at the center of a personal injury lawsuit and often represent a large sum of money. Plaintiffs often need this compensation because, without it, they cannot afford to pay for medical bills, food, their home, and other important things in daily life.
Economic Damages
Economic damages represent injuries and losses that cost you money. To put it more simply, any bills you had to pay because of the accident and your injuries may be added to your economic damages calculations. Predominant among these damages are medical bills. Even plaintiffs who visit a doctor only once after being injured tend to be hit with costly medical bills. Medical care costs always seem to be rising, and many people are unprepared to handle medical expenses after an accident. These expenses should be passed along to liable defendants.
On top of medical expenses, you might lose income because of missed time from work. You might have to call out of your job for a few weeks, months, or indefinitely depending on your injuries. Without work, you lose income and cannot pay for your medical expenses or other needs. You can add any income you have lost and future income you anticipate losing to your economic damages.
Non-economic Damages
Non-economic damages are different because they do not relate to any money you might have lost or spent after being injured. In fact, non-economic damages reflect injuries that often do not cost plaintiffs any money. Instead, these damages represent the plaintiff’s subjective experiences surrounding the accident.
Non-economic damages often include physical pain and emotional suffering or trauma. Naturally, physical injuries can be very painful, and particularly serious injuries might leave plaintiffs with excruciating long-term pain. Courts are willing to compensate plaintiffs for having endured such suffering. They are also willing to compensate psychological damage, as accidents and serious injuries tend to leave people emotionally scarred.
Other forms of non-economic damages can include damage to your reputation. For example, after being injured in a slip and fall accident because your neighbor did not clear their icy walkway, you might become known as a klutz, damaging your reputation as an athlete. You might also sue for non-economic damages related to humiliation and embarrassment.
Punitive Damages
Punitive damages are not meant to compensate injured plaintiffs for their expenses and suffering. Instead, punitive damages are meant to punish defendants for their egregious behavior. Under Massachusetts law, punitive damages are prohibited in nearly all personal injury cases other than wrongful death. Even in wrongful death cases, punitive damages are rarely awarded and may only be considered in cases of extreme negligence. If punitive damages are available in your case, they may be quite high as Massachusetts does not impose punitive damages caps.
Contact Our North Reading, MA Personal Injury Attorneys About Your Case Today
For a free case review, call the Law Office of John J. Sheehan at (617) 925-6407 to speak with our personal injury lawyers.
