Brockton, MA Personal Injury Lawyer
Personal injury law is a broad legal field that might encompass numerous injuries and claims. If you were injured because of someone else’s negligent actions, an attorney can help you get compensation.
There are many possible claims an injured plaintiff might make in a personal injury lawsuit. Although personal injury cases tend to include a variety of damages, the main focus is bodily harm or injuries suffered by the plaintiff. Common examples include car accidents, slips and falls, and construction accidents. Generally, a personal injury plaintiff has 2 years to file their case, although the deadline can be extended under specific circumstances. You might recover various damages related to both economic losses and non-economic injuries. Many personal injury lawsuits involve very high damages, and a lot is at stake. To win your case, you need strong evidence to back up your claims, much of which might come directly from the scene of your accident.
If another person’s negligence caused you to become injured, our Brockton, MA personal injury attorneys can help you hold them accountable. For a free evaluation of your case, call the Law Office of John J. Sheehan at (617) 925-6407.
Possible Personal Injury Claims in Brockton, MA
Personal injury cases can sometimes feel overwhelming. This particular field of law is so vast that most people do not know where to begin. There are numerous possible cases that all fall under the personal injury umbrella. Our Brockton, MA personal injury attorneys have experience with the following kinds of cases:
- Bike accidents
- Brain injuries
- Auto accidents (including cars, trucks, motorcycles, and more)
- Construction accidents
- Workplace injuries
- Product liability cases
- Medical malpractice
- Pedestrian accidents
- Uber and Lyft crashes
- Premises liability cases
At the heart of any personal injury case is bodily harm. An accident might lead to multiple losses or injuries, but at least one of those injuries must consist of physical or bodily harm to be considered a personal injury case. Even so, you can claim various other damages along with your claims of bodily injury.
Realizing you have a personal injury case on your hands is not always easy or obvious. People often shrug off their injuries as “just an accident” and mistakenly believe that nobody can be held responsible. In reality, most accidents result from someone’s bad behavior or negligence, and a lawyer can help you hold them accountable.
When You Should File Your Personal Injury Lawsuit in Brockton, MA
Filing a lawsuit requires understanding and following a lot of rules and procedures. One of the most important rules you must be aware of when filing a personal injury lawsuit is the statute of limitations. These statutes impose filing deadlines on plaintiffs who want to submit their injury claims to the courts. Once the deadline passes, it becomes very difficult, although not necessarily impossible, to file a case.
In Massachusetts, according to Mass. Gen. Law Ch. 260 § 2A, the statute of limitations on personal injury cases is 3 years. This means you have 3 years from the day your injury or accident occurred to submit your case to the courts. Although 3 years might sound like plenty of time to file your case, the deadline is tighter than most people realize.
Many people cannot file a lawsuit until they recover from their injuries. In cases where plaintiffs are very badly injured, like in car accidents or cases involving brain injuries, a long recovery period might be necessary before the plaintiff even speaks to a lawyer.
Once the plaintiff is ready to get their case started, a lot of work must happen before a formal complaint is ready. Evidence must be gathered, and your damages need to be evaluated. By the time many plaintiffs are finally ready to submit their filings, the deadline is very close. Our Brockton, MA personal injury attorneys can work quickly to help you file your lawsuit before the deadline passes.
Recoverable Damages in Brockton, MA Personal Injury Lawsuits
Your damages are all the losses, injuries, and expenses you incurred. Damages are often economic in nature and encompass monetary losses like medical bills. They can also be non-economic and stem from your painful personal experiences with the accident and your injury. Talk to our Brockton, MA personal injury attorneys about accurately calculating the damages in your lawsuit.
Economic damages are related to monetary losses and expenses directly resulting from your accident and injuries. Medical costs are one of the most important forms of economic damages in most personal injury cases. Medical treatment is never cheap, even if you have health insurance. Plaintiffs with severe injuries might be able to claim future medical costs if they need long-term care.
Non-economic damages are more complicated because they are not directly related to an exact amount of money or cost. In fact, most non-economic damages do not actually cost plaintiffs any money, but they may still be financially compensated. Emotional and physical pain and suffering, humiliation, damage to your reputation, and other negative or painful experiences might be grounds for significant non-economic damages.
Evidence You Might Need for a Brockton, MA Personal Injury Case
Evidence is the backbone of your lawsuit. Without evidence, your claims will likely be rejected before they reach a courtroom. Evidence might come from almost anywhere and may be useful if it tends to show that the defendant was negligent, even just a little bit. Some plaintiffs are fortunate enough to have a plethora of evidence to draw upon. Others are not so lucky, and evidence might be hard to come by. Our Brockton, MA personal injury attorneys can help you find the evidence you need to get compensation for your injuries.
A lot of important evidence might come directly from the accident scene. For example, if you were injured in a car accident, you can take pictures of the scene to preserve important details for court. We should also check if your accident was captured on a nearby security camera. Video footage of your injuries as they occurred might be some of the strongest evidence possible.
Witnesses may also be an incredibly important source of evidence in the form of testimony. If a person has direct, first-hand knowledge relevant to your case, they can testify in court about what they know. Even though witnesses do not present tangible evidence, testimony can be very persuasive and powerful.
Call Our Brockton, MA Personal Injury Attorneys for Help
If you believe someone else’s negligence caused your injuries, our Brockton, MA personal injury attorneys can help you get justice. For a free case review, call the Law Office of John J. Sheehan at (617) 925-6407.
