Many questions arise after you have been hurt in a serious accident – especially in situations where the injury was caused by another person’s careless or negligent actions. For example, who will pay for your medical bills? What happens if you are too severely disabled to return to your old job? Our lawyers can answer any questions you might have regarding your recovery.
Filing a lawsuit with help from our attorneys means that you will have assistance navigating your claim, gathering evidence, determining the value of your case, and proving a defendant’s fault. Our attorneys can determine, based on the circumstances of your accident, whether or not you have reason to file a personal injury lawsuit in Stroudsburg. We can also help you submit your complaint to the court before the deadline, which is two years in Pennsylvania. Furthermore, our attorneys can determine when it is time to proceed with a trial if and when settlement negotiations stall. All of these efforts can lead to you recovering compensation for your personal injury in Stroudsburg.
Call The Reiff Law Firm’s Stroudsburg, PA personal injury lawyers at (215) 709-6940 to set up a free and confidential case review.
Benefits of Hiring a Lawyer for Your Personal Injury Lawsuit in Stroudsburg, PA
If you were injured due to another person’s negligent actions, you have a few options to seek compensation for your injuries. For example, you could file a claim with the negligent person’s insurance or attempt to make an agreement with the negligent person directly. However, if you do not believe these options will provide you with adequate compensation, you should consider filing a personal injury lawsuit.
Experience Navigating Claims
Victims of an accident may be hesitant to pursue a lawsuit because they may be concerned about hiring a personal injury attorney. For example, a victim could be worried about the percentage a lawyer may be owed from their case or may feel that hiring a lawyer is excessive for their case. This could cause a person to abandon their potential claim or to attempt to litigate the claim without an attorney, which could seriously harm the case. The experience that our lawyers can bring to your case can result in a strong claim, supported by evidence that enables you to prove a defendant’s fault and recover damages for all losses related to your injuries. We can also assist during negotiations with a negligent party to ensure you do not accept a low-ball offer. Having someone in your corner who is familiar with handling your type of case can make all the difference to your claim in Stroudsburg.
Support While Physically Recovering
There are various benefits to hiring an attorney to handle your personal injury lawsuit. Personal injury lawsuits often require a person to devote a substantial amount of their time. For example, a plaintiff may have to deal with the discovery of evidence, various pre-trial and trial procedures, and many other legal issues. This can be difficult to perform while recovering from a severe injury or while working. Our experienced attorneys can handle all aspects of your personal injury case and keep you apprised of all developments, which will allow you to focus on other matters, like healing from your injuries.
Gathering Evidence
Another way in which our lawyers can assist you during the course of your case is by gathering evidence. In some instances, obtaining evidence requires various investigation tactics that victims might be unfamiliar with or unable to engage in themselves. For example, our lawyers might have to subpoena certain evidence, like incident reports and security camera footage, to obtain it from the other party. We can also interview eyewitnesses to get their statements, which can be used as evidence in your case. Other witnesses, like experts, can also give statements that support your compensation claim in Stroudsburg. While you are physically recovering from your injuries, our attorneys can focus on gathering evidence that is pertinent to your case and enables you to meet the burden of proof against the defendant.
Determining the Value of Your Case
Our attorneys also have experience with estimating the worth of personal injury cases. If a victim is unaware of the true worth of their case, they could ask for damages that may not be enough to handle all the issues caused by the accident. Our personal injury lawyers will be able to help you calculate damages based on your injuries and many other factors, like pain and suffering caused by the accident. Our firm can help you avoid scenarios where a defendant attempts to offer you a settlement in order to diminish the true value of your case.
In addition to determining the value of your case, there are many other advantages to hiring a lawyer to litigate your claim. Our lawyers would welcome the opportunity to speak with you about how we can provide you with the legal representation that you deserve.
Do You Have Reason to File a Personal Injury Lawsuit in Stroudsburg, PA?
After being hurt in an accident, a victim may be unsure whether or not they can file a personal injury claim against the at-fault party. Our personal injury lawyers can determine if the party who caused your injuries owed you a duty of care and breached it, entitling you to compensation in Stroudsburg.
If you were owed a duty of care by the person who caused your injuries, you can likely bring a claim for personal injury in Stroudsburg. Duties of care exist within many types of relationships to varying degrees. For example, a doctor has a higher duty of care to their patient than a restaurant owner does to their patrons, yet the duty still exists. Pinpointing the duty of care and defining the relationship between involved parties will be important to your case.
The crux of the matter is whether or not another person breached the duty of care owed to you by acting negligently. It will be important to establish in your case that you were injured because of the defendant’s negligent act. For example, suppose you were hurt in a car accident because another driver sped through an intersection, T-boning your car. In that case, it can be established that you were physically harmed because the driver ran a stoplight and went into the intersection, breaching their duty of care and injuring you as a result.
Another way to tell if you have reason to file a personal injury claim in Stroudsburg is if you incurred real damages as a result of an incident. For example, if your injuries have caused you to incur expensive medical bills or made you unable to go to work, resulting in lost wages, you have incurred damages because of your injuries and thus may be entitled to file a lawsuit in Stroudsburg.
When to Pursue a Personal Injury Lawsuit in Stroudsburg, PA
A victim of an accident should be aware that they do not have an extensive amount of time to file their case. The reason for this is the statute of limitations. The statute of limitations determines the length of time that a person has to file a case with a court of law. The amount of time provided by the statute of limitations is subject to change depending on the circumstances of the plaintiff’s case.
In Pennsylvania, personal injury claims have a statute of limitations of two years from the date of the injury, according to 42 Pa.C.S. § 5524(2). As a result, a plaintiff must file their claim within two years, or risk the possibility of having their claim barred by a court of law. This may occur if the defendant submits a motion to dismiss due to the violation of the statute of limitations, which could leave the plaintiff without a way to seek compensation for their injuries.
Note, however, there are some circumstances where a plaintiff may be able to delay the statute of limitations. A victim should not assume they have the ability to delay the statute of limitations without first speak with our attorneys. Failure to understand the filing deadline for your case could cause a number of problems. For example, an attorney may hesitate to take your case if you the filing deadline is quickly approaching. It is best to consult with our lawyers immediately after you are injured because of negligence so that we have to most amount of time possible to investigate your accident, uncover evidence of fault, and file a claim against the negligent party.
When to Take Your Personal Injury Claim to Court in Stroudsburg, PA
While wanting to entertain some settlement negotiations is understandable, victims should not allow a defendant to string them along with false promises of an appropriate settlement offer. If we feel as though you can claim greater damages by going to court, we may advise you to do so.
Before or after you officially file your complaint with the court, you might be approached by the at-fault party who has hopes of settling without going to trial. Sometimes, this is used to prevent victims from filing, delaying the case until the statute of limitations runs out. Because of this, filing your claim and then possibly entertaining negotiations will be prudent. If you do not submit your complaint to the court within two years of your accident, you will be barred from recovery in Stroudsburg.
Once you have filed your claim, you will not need to worry about the statute of limitations. Even if we negotiate with a defendant for years before going to court, you can still do so because you have already brought your case before the two-year filing deadline in Pennsylvania.
That said, negotiating for too long will mean you are without compensation for longer than is necessary. Because of that, our attorneys often advise victims to sue and go to court instead of settling without a trial. This is because going to trial allows you to present your evidence in front of a jury, who can collectively award you compensation for your injuries, more than what a settlement might provide. Furthermore, going to court means you could possibly recover non-economic and punitive damages against the defendant in Stroudsburg.
Consult with Our Experienced Stroudsburg, PA Lawyers Today
To schedule a free case evaluation to discuss your legal options with our personal injury lawyers, contact The Reiff Law Firm at (215) 709-6940.
