At The Foley Law Firm, our personal injury clients often have many questions, with good reason. Personal injury cases can be overwhelming and confusing, especially for injured people dealing with severe pain, emotional distress, lost wages, and an inability to work or enjoy their usual activities before the accident.
To help with the uncertainty, we’ve gathered the answers to some queries our Colorado Springs personal injury attorneys often hear in their practice. For specific questions about your case, call us at (719) 757-1182 to schedule a consultation with a personal injury lawyer.
What Qualifies as a Personal Injury?
Legally, “personal injury” is an umbrella term for various types of physical and emotional harm you may suffer due to the negligence or recklessness of another party. Situations that often result in personal injury include:
- Auto accidents
- Medical malpractice
- Use of defective products
- Slip and fall accidents
- Workplace and industrial accidents
- Nursing home abuse
- Wrongful death
What Compensation Is Available in Personal Injury Cases?
The compensation or damages for which you may be eligible depend on the type and extent of your injuries and related losses. In general, the following compensation is available in personal injury claims:
- Past and future medical bills
- Past and future lost income
- Property damage
- Physical pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Loss of intimacy with loved ones
- Wrongful death
An experienced Colorado Springs personal injury attorney can review your case and advise you about the compensation you may be able to claim from the negligent party or their insurance company.
How Much Is My Claim Worth?
Each case is different. The value of your claim will depend on multiple factors, including:
- Your past and future medical bills, including related expenses like transport costs
- The cost to repair or replace any damaged property
- Any lost past and future income, including work-related benefits such as paid time off, vacation time, or bonuses
- Other financial losses resulting from your injuries
You may also be able to seek compensation for subjective experiences such as pain and suffering or loss of enjoyment of life. It can be hard to put a dollar value on such losses, but our experienced Colorado Springs personal injury attorneys know how to evaluate your claim.
What Do I Need To Know When Negotiating With the Insurance Company?
The first thing we say to all our personal injury clients is that insurance companies are not their friends. The insurer’s goal is to protect their bottom line, not pay you fair compensation. So, they will often do everything in their power to reduce your payout or avoid making one altogether. Some of the tricks that insurers resort to include:
- Delaying the processing of your claim
- Making a low-ball settlement offer
- Disputing liability by trying to blame you for the accident
- Denying your claim outright
For these reasons, you shouldn’t face the insurance company alone. Our experienced Colorado Springs personal injury lawyers know all the tricks in the insurers’ playbook. We can negotiate with the adjusters on your behalf and protect your rights throughout the process. If they refuse to settle or make an inadequate offer, we’re not afraid to take your case to court.
When Should I Contact a Personal Injury Lawyer?
You should contact a personal injury attorney as soon as possible after the accident to give them time to build your case by investigating, gathering evidence, and talking to witnesses. The longer you wait to hire an attorney, the likelier it is that crucial evidence will go missing. You’ll also be giving the other side a strategic head start.
There are also critical legal deadlines to keep in mind. Under Colorado state law, you only have two years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit. The deadline to file an insurance claim is often significantly shorter.
What Personal Injury Cases Do You Take?
At The Foley Law Firm, our experienced personal injury lawyers in Colorado Springs handle the following personal injury and wrongful death cases:
- Traffic accidents, including bus, car, truck, motorcycle, and ATV accidents
- Slip and falls and other accidents due to unsafe premises
- Medical negligence cases, including medication and surgical errors and birth injuries
Don’t Let a Personal Injury Ruin Your Life. Talk to an Experienced Colorado Springs Personal Injury Attorney
A personal injury case can be stressful, but you don’t have to go through the process alone. Our experienced Colorado Springs personal injury attorneys at The Foley Law Firm can support you at every step.
As your neighbors in Colorado Springs, CO, we serve El Paso County and the Pikes Peak region. Call (719) 757-1182 or contact us online for a free consultation.
Copyright© 2023. The Foley Law Firm. All Rights Reserved.
The information in this blog post (“post”) is provided for general informational purposes only and may not reflect the current law in your jurisdiction. No information contained in this post should be construed as legal advice from the individual author or the law firm, nor is it intended to be a substitute for legal counsel on any subject matter. No reader of this post should act or refrain from acting on the basis of any information included in, or accessible through, this post without seeking the appropriate legal or other professional advice on the particular facts and circumstances at issue from a lawyer licensed in the recipient’s state, country or other appropriate licensing jurisdiction.
The Foley Law Firm
222 East Costilla Street
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
(719) 757-1182
http://davidfoley.net/
