If you suffer injury in an accident caused by someone else’s careless or negligent actions or behavior, you could be entitled to compensation in a personal injury claim or lawsuit. For instance, you may be able to recover the financial losses attributed to your accident and injuries such as lost wage, medical expenses, pain and suffering, and property damage. Furthermore, a personal injury lawyer from the RPC Law firm might recommend filing a lawsuit against the at-fault party in order to recover those damages.
Although the claims or lawsuit process may seem to be complex and confusing, here are the steps that need to be taken:
• Talk to a personal injury lawyer – before filing your claim, you should have a personal injury lawyer in Richmond Hill evaluate your case to determine if it’s economically feasible to hire legal representation. In some cases, the injury victim or plaintiff may be able to negotiate a settlement with the at-fault party or their insurer. This means you won’t have to pay the lawyer a contingency fee.
• Gather evidence and prepare your claim – evidence in a personal injury claim includes a variety of documents including eyewitness statements, medical records, police reports, and so on. All of these documents are required when it comes to proving negligence in your case.
• Prepare as if you’re going to file a lawsuit – other than medical malpractice and wrongful death cases, roughly 95% of all personal injury claims settle out of court. However, the personal injury lawyer handling your claim should prepare your case as though you are taking it to trial.
• Substantiate your personal injury claim – as your case proceeds, you’ll have to prove damages (see “Gathering evidence and preparing your claim” above). This means that at some point, money will need to be spent on medical legal experts such as physicians, specialists, rehab therapists, surgeons, etc.
It’s also important that you understand the statute of limitations in a personal injury case of in other words, how long you have to file your claim or a lawsuit if you can’t settle out of court. The statute of limitations in Ontario Province is usually two years on personal injury claims unless it’s a wrongful death claim in which case you have one year to file. Keep in mind that it can take months or even years for you to realize the extent and impact of your injuries. That is why it is important to let a lawyer handle your case from the start.
For more information regarding how to file a personal injury claim call the RPC Law firm at (416) 477-6840 and speak with an experienced personal injury lawyer today.