Motor vehicle accidents frequently injure victims, as do slip and fall accidents. Healing from injuries might take most of your attention, leaving little time for you to devote to your lawsuit. Our attorneys can take on that task, letting you focus on your physical health while we handle your financial recovery.
Case preparation starts with preserving evidence. We can contact eyewitnesses, get accident reports, and compile your medical records. We will also tabulate your damages so we know your deserved compensation. Next, we will file your complaint, which must happen within two years of the accident. Settlement talks may follow. Our lawyers will review all settlement offers, counseling against any unfair offers. Trials may happen when defendants do not increase offers, and we will prepare your case for this possibility.
Call Agrapidis & Maroules, P.C. at (201) 777-1111 for a free case discussion with our personal injury lawyers.
Common Injury Causes in Cliffside Park
Negligence often causes accidents and injuries. When someone else is to blame, you may file a lawsuit against them.
For example, say you were dining at a restaurant, and, on your way to the restroom, you slipped on a loose rug. At first, you might think no one is to blame. However, the restaurant owner might be. Property owners need to make sure areas are safe for visitors. Loose rugs pose a slipping hazard to patrons. Unsecured furniture falling over and injuring visitors may also lead to personal injury lawsuits.
Additionally, motor vehicle accidents cause many injuries. Crashes involving passenger cars are bad enough. When trucks and larger vehicles are involved, victims’ cars might roll over or flip. This also happens in high-speed accidents, like on Routes 9 or 46 near Cliffside Park.
Negligent drivers striking pedestrians, bicyclists, or motorcyclists also produce bad injuries. Without the protection of a car, the risk of fatal or life-altering injuries increases.
After sustaining noticeable injuries, document them. Get the appropriate medical care for your injuries, and call 911 if you need emergency attention.
Stages of Personal Injury Lawsuits in Cliffside Park
We can explain the main stages of personal injury lawsuits you need to be aware of before filing. This gives you an idea of the general timeline and what to expect from a lawsuit.
Case Preparation
We begin with preparing cases. After we review yours, we can start investigating the accident, like a car crash. Police reports detail accidents, so we will get yours if you called 911. The report may have eyewitnesses’ names and phone numbers. Prioritizing interviewing eyewitnesses lets us preserve their memories.
Then, our personal injury lawyers can contact providers for medical records. Records detail your diagnoses, treatments, and procedures. They contain physicians’ notes, information on prescription medications, and more.
Preparing your case means calculating your damages. Medical bills prove hospital expenses exactly. If you cannot work, we will use income records to calculate your lost wages.
We need to know your non-economic damages, too. These are subjective harms, like the physical pain and mental suffering you have endured. To help us quantify these damages, explain your reduced quality of life since the accident and consider confiding in a mental health professional.
These experts can testify in your case, giving additional evidence that supports your recovery.
Case Filing
We then need to file the complaint in court. This document outlines why you are suing the defendant, who the defendant is, and how much money in damages you are seeking.
Under N.J.S.A. § 2A:14-2(a), we usually have just two years to file the complaint. New Jersey provides several exceptions to this rule, but they do not apply to every case.
Courts strictly enforce the statute of limitations. If you miss it, you also miss your chance to get compensation.
Settlement Talks
The next stage is settlement talks. They usually start with defendants sending low offers. We will prepare for this ahead of time. We can identify the best evidence to use as leverage during settlement talks and use it when we respond with counters.
Eyewitnesses who can testify they saw the defendant speed and rear-end you and security camera footage showing you tripping over a hazard are examples of strong evidence we can use to get better offers.
We will not let settlement talks drag on too long. Defendants might intentionally stall negotiations, hoping they will force plaintiffs to settle. We can identify these tactics and address them.
To ensure an offer is fair, we will compare it to your total damages. We will also see if it covers any future damages, like upcoming medical expenses. Settlements often leave out large amounts for non-economic damages, too.
In addition to ensuring the amount is fair, we will also ensure the payment structure is fair. Not all settlements are “lump-sum” settlements, meaning the defendant pays the full amount at one time. “Structured” settlements are more common, wherein defendants pay installments over months or years.
Agreeing to an unfair structured settlement has drawbacks. You might struggle to pay medical bills or other expenses based on the payment structure. We can ensure this does not happen when we review settlements in your case.
Trial
After filing your case, we can go to trial. We can also go to court after entertaining settlement proposals. Trials give us the chance to prove liability. The jury will hear our evidence and arguments from the defense. It will then decide if the defendant more than likely caused your injuries. If so, it will award damages.
Juries base awards on compensation requests we make in complaints. Sometimes, juries will give extra amounts known as “punitive damages.” Courts use punitive damages to punish egregious conduct, so they are unavailable in most personal injury cases brought for regular negligence.
Call Our Cliffside Park Attorneys About Your Lawsuit Today
Call Agrapidis & Maroules, P.C. at (201) 777-1111 for help with your case from our personal injury lawyers.