People are injured every day in Columbus. Many of those injuries qualify for personal injury compensation. Unfortunately, not everyone realizes they can receive money for their injuries.
Ohio personal injury law can be complicated. The good news is that if you’ve been injured, all you need to do is contact an experienced personal injury lawyer in Columbus. However, before you do that, it helps to understand how personal injury law works and when to call a lawyer.
How Ohio Personal Injury Law Protects You
Ohio personal injury law is meant to ensure that when someone else’s actions leave you injured, you have a way of holding them financially responsible for the losses they caused.
For example, if a drunk driver causes a car accident, they will likely face criminal charges. Criminal consequences for a drunk driving accident might include jail time and legal fees. However, this outcome does little to help the other driver injured in the crash.
In this situation, civil law allows an injured person to seek payment for their accident injuries. The injured individual can work with a personal injury lawyer to recover compensation through the intoxicated driver’s insurance company.
If the insurance company fails to offer a sufficient settlement amount, a lawyer can file a lawsuit and take the case to civil court for a verdict.
Identifying Whether You Have a Personal Injury Case in Columbus
It’s not always easy to identify what constitutes a personal injury claim in Columbus. Car accidents are a common source of injury, and most people are aware that you can recover injury compensation through the other driver’s policy. However, there are many types of accidents that qualify for personal injury compensation under Ohio law.
Some of the most common types of accidents that can give you grounds for a Columbus personal injury claim include:
- Car accidents
- Bus accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Truck accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Boating accidents
- Medical malpractice
- Slip and fall accidents
- Workplace accidents
- Dangerous or defective products
- Dog bites
In addition to injury compensation, Ohio personal injury law also allows you to recover wrongful death compensation when an accident results in the death of a loved one.
When you’re unsure of whether an accident leaves you with grounds to file a Columbus personal injury claim, your first step should be to consult a Columbus personal injury lawyer. Most lawyers offer free consultations, so you can learn more about your options without having to pay anything.
Elements of a Valid Columbus Personal Injury Claim
Successfully proving that you have grounds for a Columbus personal injury claim involves two key tasks: proving negligence and proving injury.
When you first attend a consultation with a lawyer, they’ll look to see whether these tasks can be accomplished. If they can, a lawyer will likely agree to take on your case and fight for the compensation you need.
Negligence
Negligence is one of the most important concepts in personal injury law. Generally speaking, negligence means that someone had an obligation to show a certain level of care and failed to do so. For example, a driver who speeds or drives recklessly acts negligently by failing to follow the rules of the road, because unsafe driving endangers other people.
Once you have proven negligence, you can hold the other person financially responsible, or liable, for the costs associated with your injuries.
Injury
Injury is an important element of negligence. Negligent behavior alone isn’t enough to have grounds for a personal injury claim. You have to prove that the negligence directly caused some type of harm.
In most personal injury cases, the harm in question is usually a physical injury, along with the financial costs that go along with it. Proving injury is usually accomplished by providing medical bills and proof of lost wages.
Your Columbus Personal Injury Case Value
When you’re considering pursuing personal injury compensation in Columbus, one of the first questions that comes up has to do with case value. It’s natural to want to know how much you stand to gain before you hire a lawyer.
On one hand, it’s hard to get an accurate estimate of your case value before you contact a lawyer. On the other hand, allowing a lawyer to handle your claim nearly always leaves you with more money than if you’d handled it yourself or never submitted one.
A personal injury lawyer can help you recover money for costs that include:
- Medical bills
- Therapist and specialist bills
- Ambulance bills
- Prescription medication costs
- Medical device costs
- Lost wages and benefits
- Future medical procedures
- Attendant care costs
- Pain and suffering
- Wrongful death compensation
Columbus personal injury compensation is meant to adequately compensate you for the costs of the injury. This means that a minor injury usually results in a smaller compensation value, while a serious injury can lead to substantial compensation.
The best way to identify how much you stand to recover is to take the time to attend free consultations with personal injury lawyers in Columbus. During a consultation, a lawyer should be able to give you a general idea of your personal injury claim case value.
How a Columbus Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help
Dealing with an injury can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re struggling financially at the same time. A Columbus personal injury lawyer is the one person on your side. A lawyer’s experience goes to work for you as they fight to see you fairly compensated for your injuries.
As a lawyer works on your case, they might:
- Investigate the accident
- Collect proof
- Build a case
- Submit a claim
- Negotiate a settlement
- File a lawsuit
Most personal injury claims don’t require a lawsuit. Insurance companies usually prefer to settle out of court. However, if your lawyer thinks you can recover more money by going to court, they might recommend that path. In this case, you have two years from the date of the accident to file a lawsuit.
If you think you might qualify for personal injury compensation, it’s best to contact a Columbus personal injury lawyer as soon as you can after the accident.
Consult a Columbus Personal Injury Lawyer Today
Schiff & Associates is a leader in Columbus personal injury law. For over four decades, our experienced Columbus personal injury lawyers have successfully helped clients recover the injury compensation they need.
Don’t wait to ask for help. Call Schiff & Associates today to schedule a free consultation with an experienced Columbus personal injury lawyer.