This is a common question in all cases. However, every single case is unique and every client’s case has a different timeline. The most important thing you can do if you feel that you may have a claim for a personal injury case is to contact our office as soon as possible so that we may meet with you to speak with you about the details about your case and provide you with support from the beginning stages. This is the best way to ensure that your attorney can assist you in receiving fair compensation for your injuries by gathering all of the necessary information needed to make a successful case. This can include helping in obtaining medical bills, witness interviews and medical records at the earliest stages of your case.

Factors that can determine how long a case will take can include how severe your injuries are, and what types of medical treatment you will need. Typically, cases involving less severe injuries will be resolved more quickly than those involving catastrophic injuries or complicated medical issues. Another factor that will determine how long your case will take is the manner in which you attempt to receive financial compensation for your injuries. One option is to file a personal injury insurance claim and try to negotiate a settlement (the monetary payment an insurance company offers you for the injuries or losses you have incurred as a result of an accident). The second option is to file a personal injury lawsuit against the at-fault party if you cannot come to an agreement with the insurance company. Entering into a settlement will take a shorter amount of time than filing the lawsuit; however, you should meet with our team of professionals to discuss your individual case to make sure you are making a choice that will allow you to receive the fairest compensation for your injuries allowable by law.

Hiring a lawyer is a personal choice. Even if you were not at fault in an accident, it can be beneficial for you to speak with a lawyer about all of your options if you have been injured. In some cases, accident victims will handle their own cases, which can sometimes result in the victim making uninformed decisions that can have disastrous consequences. This can include entering into a settlement too early (before medical treatment is far from done), resulting in not receiving all of the financial compensation that you could be entitled to. We urge you to speak with a lawyer before making any of these important decisions about your case, so you can receive the support you need to make sure your medical bills are paid and that future complications are taken care of.

If you slip, fall or are injured at a store, the store may be responsible for your injuries. Businesses that are open to the public have a responsibility to keep their stores safe for their customers. If it can be shown that the injury occurred due to unsafe conditions at the store, the store can be held responsible for your injuries in some cases. The facts of each case vary, but whether or not the store is responsible will depend on whether it knew (or reasonably should have known) about the unsafe condition that caused the accident, and the store failed to take appropriate action to fix the unsafe condition. Our team of attorneys can assist you in discussing the individual facts of your case to determine whether or not it is reasonable that the business where you were injured would be considered at fault for the accident that occurred.

In a case where you have been injured, defense attorneys have a legal right to bring up items from your past that they will argue are relevant to the case. For example, defense attorneys may ask you for your medical records related to an injury that happened to you 10 years ago, and try to argue that the injury you received from the accident in this case was actually an injury that you received 10 years ago in an unrelated incident. They will do this as a way to support their argument that person or business you feel was at fault in your case is not actually responsible for your injuries. What is most important is that you speak with an attorney that has specialized knowledge in these types of cases, so that your rights are protected and that defense attorneys do not improperly bring up items from your past that are not relevant to the case.

The number of times you have to talk about what happened in your case will depend on how the case unfolds. If a case settles early on, you will not have to talk about what happened as many times as you would have in a case that goes to trial. Either way, you will need to be extremely careful with the information that you give, and who you give it to, to make sure that you are protected and not being taken advantage of. Discuss everything with your attorney first.