Valley Stream Personal Injury Lawyer
While most of us go through our day-to-day lives doing our best to avoid hurting others, this cannot be said of everyone. Fortunately, when someone else’s careless or reckless conduct causes another person to suffer harm, the wronged individual has the right to pursue a legal claim against the at-fault party. Filing this type of claim can, however, be a complicated endeavor, so if you were hurt because of someone else’s negligence, you should consider speaking with an experienced Valley Stream personal injury lawyer about seeking compensation for your accident-related losses.
Types of Personal Injury Cases
A personal injury case is a type of lawsuit where an individual who was injured by someone else’s negligence, whether it be a person, company, or government agency, attempts to recoup compensation for his or her losses from the at-fault party. Car accidents, for example, provide the basis for many personal injury claims. These are by no means, however, the only types of accidents that can give rise to a personal injury lawsuit, which can also stem from the following:
- Auto Accidents
- Construction Accidents
- Dog Bites
- Motorcycle Accidents
- Pedestrian Accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Accidents involving defective consumer products
- Medical malpractice
- Nursing home negligence
- Slip and fall accidents
How a claimant goes about pursuing a personal injury case will depend on a number of factors, including the specific facts of his or her case, the type of accident in question, and the degree of negligence exhibited by the defendant. For help determining the strength of your own claim, please call our office today.
Recovering Compensation
There are two main routes for accident victims who are attempting to recover compensation for their losses: settlement proceedings and litigation. The former involves out-of-court negotiations with the parties involved, as well as their insurers, who will attempt to reach an agreed upon sum that a claimant agrees to accept in exchange for not going to trial. The latter, on the other hand, is the option for those whose negotiations have failed and involves asking a judge or jury to apportion fault and award damages based on the facts of their case. In both scenarios, injured parties could be eligible for damages, or compensation, for costs related to the accident, including medical expenses, lost wages, property damage, lost earning capacity, and even pain and suffering and emotional distress.
Filing Deadlines
Personal injury plaintiffs will only have the chance to recoup their accident-related losses if they file a claim before the expiration of the statute of limitations. Generally, accident victims have three years from the date of their injury to file a lawsuit against the at-fault party. These deadlines can, however, change depending on the circumstances. If, for instance, a person’s claim involves a municipal agency in New York, then the plaintiff will actually only have 90 days to file what is known as a Notice of Claim with the proper authorities. Medical malpractice claims, on the other hand, have a two and a half year statute of limitations, while wrongful death claimants have two years from the date of the victim’s death to file a claim.
Help with Personal Injury Claims in Valley Stream
If you were injured in an accident through no fault of your own and have questions about the process of filing a personal injury claim, please call Giuffre Law Offices, P.C. at 516-802-9912 for a free consultation.
