PERSONAL INJURY & ACCIDENT CASES

Personal injury and auto accident cases involve a private plaintiff seeking compensation (money) for the harm caused by the defendant's actions. Most of the time, a plaintiff’s damages will be paid for by car insurance. A personal injury usually must demonstrate that the defendant was negligent in some way and that negligence causes the injuries suffered by the plaintiff. I only represent plaintiffs in personal injury cases. To establish liability, the plaintiff must show that a reasonably prudent person in the defendant's position would have acted differently under the circumstances.

Examples of negligence include car accidents, drunk drivers, medical complications resulting from a physician's carelessness, slip and fall accidents, and dog bites accidents. In these examples, a party ignored the risk posed to others, and as a result, a victim/plaintiff was injured. Once negligence has been established in a personal injury case, the defendant must pay the plaintiff for all injuries caused by the defendant's actions. Certain types of damages are easy to calculate, such as property damage and medical bills. For other types, such as emotional distress and loss of earning capacity, expert testimony may be required. Punitive damages, meant to punish and deter particularly egregious conduct, may also be available.