Quincy, MA Personal Injury Lawyer
The process of a personal injury lawsuit can be daunting. A serious personal injury caused by negligence can happen to anyone. Furthermore, the consequences of the injury can be severe. For victims, the economic losses are devastating. Furthermore, injured people’s daily routines are disrupted and their simple pleasures become chores. A Quincy, MA personal injury lawyer can help compensate victims for their losses and get their lives back on track.
In Quincy, plaintiffs must prove they were injured because of another’s careless or reckless acts to win a personal injury claim. This process can be lengthy and is not always straightforward. Furthermore, there are several types of personal injury lawsuits plaintiffs can choose from when filing a claim.
If you have been injured in Quincy, MA because of another’s careless or reckless acts, you should seek help from our experienced Quincy personal injury lawyers today by calling the Law Office of John J. Sheehan at (617) 925-6407.
Benefits of Hiring a Quincy, MA, Personal Injury Lawyer
Insurance companies will go to great lengths when trying to minimize the value of a victim’s claim. Fighting insurance companies alone can be difficult without a Quincy, MA personal injury lawyer. Specifically, your attorney can help with the following areas and issues.
Reviewing Your Case
Personal injuries can have serious effects on victims’ lives. However, assessing the impact is not always easy. Furthermore, knowing how to proceed in a personal injury case is not always straightforward. However, our Quincy, MA personal injury lawyers can assist victims by reviewing their cases for free. After reviewing their case with a lawyer, personal injury plaintiffs will better understand their options for pursuing compensation.
Dealing with Insurance Companies
Insurance companies will often hire their own doctors, lawyers, and private investigators to reduce the value of any claims filed against them. Furthermore, insurance adjusters want to have cases settled as quickly as possible. Accordingly, adjusters may make low offers to settle victims’ claims within a day or two of an injury.
Our Quincy, MA personal injury lawyers can ease your stress by immediately taking responsibility for your case. A personal injury lawyer handle communication with the insurance companies and allow you to focus on the important process of recovery.
Referring you to Proper Treatment
Insurance company doctors may diminish the value of your claim by minimizing the extent of your injuries. Our lawyers can refer victims to appropriate physicians so that they can receive proper care for their injuries with full recognition of their severity.
Beginning Discovery
Personal injury cases in Quincy, MA involve a great deal of evidence. Medical records, witness statements, police reports, economic calculations, and other evidence can all be relevant to a personal injury claim. Our Quincy, MA personal injury lawyers will help you gather all pertinent evidence and build a claim.
Negotiating on Your Behalf
The process of negotiating with insurance companies is where the assistance of a Quincy personal injury lawyer will have its greatest impact. Our Quincy personal injury lawyers can use their years of experience to assess when a settlement offer is fair. Insurance companies may think they can take advantage of a personal injury claimant who is not represented by a lawyer. Our injury lawyers will be able to weigh the many factors surrounding your claim in order to demand a fair settlement from an insurance company.
What is Comparative Fault in a Quincy Personal Injury Case?
Courts in Quincy will follow a modified comparative fault rule when awarding damages in personal injury cases. This means that damages will be awarded based on a percentage of fault. For example, if a defendant is considered 70% liable for an accident while you were deemed to be 30% at fault, the defendant will be responsible for 70% of damages caused by an accident while you must pay for the other 30% with out-of-pocket expenses.
However, in Quincy, the plaintiff’s percentage of fault must be 50% or less in order to recover damages in a personal injury case. Therefore, plaintiffs who are over 50% responsible for their injuries will not be able to recover financial compensation. Our experienced Quincy personal injury lawyers can help explain how the doctrine of modified comparative fault may apply to your case during a free case review.
Proving Negligence in a Quincy Personal Injury Case
It can be difficult to prove negligence in Quincy personal injury cases. There are numerous types of evidence that can be used to establish fault on behalf of a careless defendant. However, some forms of evidence are used more frequently than others. The following are common examples of evidence used to prove negligence:
- Witness testimony
- Accident reports
- Physical evidence from the accident scene
- Photo evidence from the accident scene
- Expert witness testimony
- Surveillance footage
Collecting the aforementioned evidence is not always a straightforward process. Some parties in control of relevant evidence may be less than cooperative. Our experienced Quincy personal injury lawyers can help ease victims’ stress by gathering the evidence required to win their case.
Should I Settle or Sue After a Personal Injury in Quincy?
Most personal injury plaintiffs in Quincy will face the difficult decision of settling their case or taking it to trial. A settlement agreement is a type of legal contract where the defendant pays an agreed upon sum to the plaintiff in exchange for a case being voluntarily dismissed. There are many benefits to settling a case early. First, by settling early, parties can save on the high costs associated with going to trial. Furthermore, plaintiffs who settler their case early may receive compensation for their injuries more quickly.
However, not all settlement offers are fair. Many insurers and defense lawyers will attempt to entice inadequate settlement agreements from plaintiffs. By going to trial, victims will have the opportunity to pursue additional monetary damages. The downside is that plaintiffs who are unsuccessful at trial run the risk of receiving nothing for their injuries. Our experienced Quincy personal injury lawyers can help plaintiffs assess the true value of their case, so they may understand if going to trial is the right decision for them.
Common Types of Personal Injuries in Quincy, MA
Personal injuries can come in many forms. Victims can seek financial compensation for damages related to any injury caused by another person’s negligent actions. However, some injuries arise more frequently than others. The following are common types of personal injuries that occur in Quincy:
Soft Tissue Injuries
Soft tissue injuries are a very common type of injury suffered by persona injury plaintiffs in Quincy. Soft tissue injuries refer to strains or sprains to muscles, tendons, and ligaments. These injuries can occur almost anywhere in the body. Soft tissue injuries can produce intense pain and may force victims to take time off of work.
Broken Bones
Broken bones are another common type of personal injury that arises in Quincy. Broken bones are often suffered by victims of car crashes and victims of slip and fall accidents. In more serious cases, victims with broken bones may require surgical procedures. Our Quincy personal injury lawyers can help recover monetary damages related to victims’ broken bones.
Burn Injuries
Burn injuries are also a common type of personal injury in Quincy. Burn injuries can be caused by contact with fire, hot surfaces, hot liquids, or dangerous chemicals. Such injuries can be caused by many types of accidents.
Traumatic Brain Injuries
Furthermore, traumatic brain injuries are also a common type of personal injury suffered by victims in Quincy. Traumatic brain injuries like concussions can produce permanent and severe symptoms. Those who incur traumatic brain injuries may experience detrimental effects on their quality of life. Our experienced Quincy personal injury lawyers can help pursue compensation for the physical pain and emotional distress caused by traumatic brain injuries.
Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal cord injuries are another type of severe injury regularly suffered by personal injury plaintiffs in Quincy. Spinal cord injuries are often related to slip and fall accidents and car crashes. Such injuries may be accompanied by devastating symptoms like paralysis. Accordingly, victims of spinal cord injuries can incur a wide array of damages.
Internal Injuries
Additionally, internal injuries are a common type of injury that arises in Quincy. Internal injuries can occur in the form of internal bleeding or in the form of damage to internal organs. Such injuries may not be noticeable right away. However, internal injuries can produce potentially fatal effects. If you suspect you may have sustained an internal injury, you should seek medical treatment right away. Our Quincy personal injury lawyers can help refer the appropriate physicians for treatment of your internal injuries.
Knee Injuries
Personal injury victims often suffer knee injuries. Knee injuries can be caused by violent twisting motions or forceful impacts to the knee. Senior citizens and those with pre-existing injuries are prone to suffering knee injuries.
The most severe types of knee injuries involve damage to cartilage in the knee. Such injuries can cause immense pain and long-lasting immobility.
Mental Health Injuries
Lastly, personal injury victims in Quincy often suffer from mental health issues. Many types of accidents can produce severe psychological distress. For example, people who experience car crashes or pedestrian accidents may develop post-traumatic stress disorder.
Quantifying such injuries can be difficult. However, mental health injuries can seriously impact victims’ lives. Our Quincy personal injury lawyers can help plaintiffs fight for damages caused by mental health injuries.
Damages Available for Personal Injury Plaintiffs in Quincy, MA
There are three main types of damages plaintiffs can recover in a Quincy, MA personal injury case. Knowing which types of damages apply to your case is important to a plaintiff’s claim. Our Quincy personal injury lawyer can help victims understand the differences between the following categories of damages.
Economic Damages
Economic damages are readily accessible financial damages. Economic damages are the most straightforward category of damages to calculate, although that does not mean the calculations are always easy. Economic damages for personal injury plaintiffs in Quincy can include any lost wages, medical expenses, and property damages suffered because of another’s negligent acts.
Non-Economic Damages
There are some damages that may be difficult to put a price on. These damages are severe yet difficult to determine. Compensating a victim for non-economic damages may involve putting a value on their pain and emotional distress. Our Quincy, MA personal injury lawyers can help plaintiffs recover the full extent of their non-economic damages.
Punitive Damages
The final category of damages to consider is punitive damages. Punitive damages are intended to punish a defendant for grossly negligent conduct. Punitive damages are harder to get, but they serve to discourage more reckless actions in the future.
Statute of Limitations for Personal Injury Cases in Quincy, MA
An important factor to keep in mind when attempting to file a personal injury case in Quincy, MA is the statute of limitations. The statute of limitations governs time limits to file a claim. In Quincy, plaintiffs have three years from the time of their injury to file a claim.
The statute of limitations regarding child plaintiffs has a different set of rules. Children are deemed to lack the capacity to file a claim on their own. Accordingly, parents can bring suit on behalf of their children.
However, children may also wait until they reach the age of 18 to bring suit on their own behalf. The three-year countdown for filing a claim on their own behalf will begin when a minor turns 18. Therefore, individuals between the ages of 18 and 21 can file personal injury lawsuits in Quincy, MA for injuries suffered while they were a minor.
If You Want to File a Personal Injury Claim in Quincy, MA, Our Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help
If you were injured because of another party’s negligence in Quincy, MA, seek assistance from our Quincy personal injury lawyers by calling he Law Office of John J. Sheehan at (617) 925-6407 for a free case review.
