Worcester, MA Personal Injury Lawyer
Personal injury victims can face many hardships. Those hardships can be amplified when injuries are suffered because of another party’s careless or reckless acts. There are countless forms of negligence that can lead to personal injuries.
Fortunately, victims may pursue compensation against the parties that cause their personal injuries. There are several categories of damages available to plaintiffs in personal injury cases. The amount of damages awarded can depend on the severity of injuries suffered.
If you were injured because of another person’s negligent behavior, get help recovering the financial compensation available to you. Contact our experienced Worcester personal injury lawyers by calling the Law Office of John J. Sheehan at (617) 925-6407 for a free case review.
How Our Worcester, MA Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help
Recovering monetary damages in a personal injury lawsuit can be a complex process. Plaintiffs must satisfy several requirements when filing their cases. Furthermore, defendants and their insurance companies can employ various tactics to avoid paying the full value of plaintiffs’ claims. Accordingly, the assistance of our Worcester personal injury lawyers can be very helpful when seeking compensation. Our team can provide support in the following ways:
Filing Your Case
There are numerous conditions that must be satisfied when filing a lawsuit. States’ statutes of limitations establish time limits for filing certain types of cases. Under M.G.L. Chapter 260 § 2A, a plaintiff will have three years from the date of their injury to file a personal injury lawsuit in Worcester, MA. Failing to meet this deadline could cause you to forfeit your case.
Plaintiffs should not wait to file their claims. Important evidence may become difficult to gather over time. For instance, eyewitnesses can become hard to reach and important documents can become lost. Therefore, you should contact our Worcester personal injury lawyers as soon as possible after an accident to begin building your case.
Furthermore, there are numerous other requirements that must be satisfied when filing a personal injury lawsuit in Worcester. Plaintiffs must file their cases in the correct courts, pay any required court fees, attach supporting documents, serve all named defendants, and avoid filing incomplete claims. Our team can help ensure you satisfy the necessary requirements when filing your case.
Gathering Evidence
In order for a personal injury case to succeed in Worcester, MA, a plaintiff must gather evidence to show that the defendant caused or contributed to their injuries. There are numerous types of evidence that may be used to prove a defendant was at fault. The following are common types of evidenced used by our experienced Worcester personal injury lawyers:
- Accident reports
- Expert witness statements
- Eyewitness statements
- Surveillance footage
- Photos from the scene of an accident
- Physical evidence from the scene of an accident
- Personal recollections
However, gathering the aforementioned evidence can be difficult. For example, parties in control of pertinent surveillance footage may not cooperate with plaintiffs. Our team can help ease plaintiffs’ stress by gathering the evidence required to support their claims.
Proving Fault
Furthermore, under M.G.L. Chapter 231 § 85, courts in Worcester will use a modified comparative fault rule when awarding damages. This means that damages will be awarded based on a defendant’s percentage of fault. If a defendant was considered to be 60% at fault for an accident while you were 40% responsible, the defendant will be ordered to pay 60% of damages caused by the accident while you will account for the remaining 40% of damages with out of pocket expenses. However, plaintiffs that are considered to be over 50% at fault for an accident will be unable to recover compensation.
Accordingly, insurance companies will often attempt to shift blame for accidents to avoid paying the full value of plaintiffs’ claims. Our experienced Worcester personal injury lawyers can help plaintiffs by properly utilizing evidence to prove that defendants were at fault.
Negotiating
Our team can also offer assistance when negotiating for fair compensation. Insurance companies wish to settle cases cheaply and quickly. Accordingly, insurance adjusters will often make inadequate settlement offers in the immediate aftermath of an accident. Furthermore, insurance companies will typically hire defense lawyers to represent their interests. These defense attorneys may use several strategies to entice low settlement agreements from plaintiffs.
Our Worcester personal injury lawyers can lean on years of experience when assessing the value of your case. By determining the true value of your case, our lawyers can help avoid inadequate settlement agreements. Furthermore, our team can communicate with insurance companies and negotiate for fair compensation on your behalf.
Trying Your Case
Lastly, our Worcester personal injury lawyers can assist plaintiffs by representing their interests at trial. Some cases are settled before they reach this stage. However, if your case goes to trial, our team can help recover the compensation you deserve.
Common Types of Personal Injuries that Occur in Worcester, MA
Personal injuries can come in many forms. Plaintiffs may be compensated for any type of injury that causes them to incur damages. The following are common types of personal injuries that occur in Worcester, MA:
Broken Bones
Broken bones are a very common type of personal injury. Broken bones are often caused by car accidents and accidents where the victim suffered a slip and fall. Plaintiffs that suffer broken bones often experience physical pain and immobility.
Soft Tissue Injuries
Soft tissue injuries refer to sprains or strains of muscles, tendons, and ligaments anywhere in the body. Such injuries are also a common type of personal injury that occurs in Worcester.
Soft tissue injuries can be physically painful and may force victims to spend time away from work. Our experienced Worcester personal injury lawyers can help victims recover damages related to their soft tissue injuries.
Knee Injuries
Victims of personal injuries in Worcester also regularly suffer knee injuries. Slip and fall accidents are a common cause of knee injuries. When victims’ knees twist or make physical contact with objects during a fall, severe harm can occur.
Head Injuries
Lastly, head injuries are another common type of personal injury that occurs in Worcester. Head injuries can arise in many forms and can occur in nearly any type of accident.
In some cases, victims may suffer harm to their sight or hearing because of damage to the eyes or ears. In more severe cases, victims may suffer traumatic brain injuries such as concussions. Our Worcester personal injury lawyers can help victims with head injuries navigate the road to recovery.
If You Suffered a Personal Injury in Worcester, MA, Our Lawyers Can Help
If you were injured because of another person’s negligent behavior, seek assistance from our experienced Worcester personal injury lawyers by calling the Law Office of John J. Sheehan at (617) 925-6407 for a free case review.
