Personal Injury Lawyer in Thornton Helping Victims of Negligence Seek Justice

A serious accident can change the entire course of your life in a few seconds. Whether you’ve been involved in a motor vehicle accident or were injured in a slip and fall accident, there are legal options that can help you hold the negligent party accountable and get the compensation you need to pay for your medical expenses. Personal injury cases are unfortunately very common in Thornton and throughout the rest of Colorado, and victims who don’t understand their rights could end up settling for far less than they deserve.

Learn how Thornton personal injury lawyers can help you navigate the legal system in Adams County and get back to living your life. Contact Flanagan Law to schedule a meeting with a personal injury lawyer to discuss your case and options.

What Is Personal Injury Law?

The legal system is divided into two main categories: criminal and civil. Personal injury law falls into the civil category and deals with cases where one party has been injured due to the negligence of another. Personal injury cases can be very different depending on the type of accident, whether it was a single person or a company who was negligent, and the type of injuries sustained. In some cases, personal injury cases can even be brought for wrongful death if the accident was so serious that it caused a fatality.

Personal injury lawyers are attorneys who work with the victims — or the victims’ families in wrongful death cases — to pursue legal remedy. This could include settling with the at-fault party, or their insurance company, or taking the case to trial and arguing it before a jury. Personal injury cases are complex and emotionally charged, and an attorney can help by dealing with the legal aspects so you can focus on recovery and healing.

What Are Some Common Types of Personal Injury Cases?

A personal injury case is any situation where someone was injured due to the fault of another party, and this means there’s a wide range of scenarios that can be dealt with in the civil courts. Here are some of the most common types of personal injury cases:

Bike accident: Bicyclists are at an increased risk of serious injury when sharing the road with motor vehicles. Potential accidents include a motorist failing to stay out of the bike lane or hitting a bicyclist as the car attempts to go around them.
Bus accident: When you use public transportation, you are trusting in the driver to get you where you need to go safely. If the driver causes an accident and you’re injured, they could be held liable.
Car accident: Car accidents are extremely common and range from minor fender-benders to catastrophic head-on crashes.
Slip and fall accidents: If you slip and fall in a public place because the owner didn’t take necessary safety precautions or label the area as slippery, you could be able to file a lawsuit.
Truck accidents: Tractor-trailers carry extremely heavy weights and are much larger than the average car, which means that accidents involving these vehicles can be especially serious.
Premises liability: The owner of a premises has the responsibility to keep it safe in certain places and under certain conditions. For example, if someone doesn’t clear their front walk of ice and you slip, this could be a premises liability case.
Dog bites: Dog owners have the responsibility to keep their animals under control at all times. If you were injured after an animal attack, you may have grounds to hold the owner liable.
Workplace injuries: Workplace injuries fall under the umbrella of workers’ compensation, but these cases can still benefit from the experience of a personal injury attorney.
Medical malpractice: Doctors are human, and sometimes, they make mistakes. But they are also held to a higher standard. If you were misdiagnosed or the victim of a medical error, you could have a medical malpractice case.
Product liability: Product liability claims involve situations where a manufacturer was negligent in ensuring the safe use of their product before distributing it for sale.
Wrongful death: Any personal injury case that involves a fatality may qualify for a wrongful death lawsuit.

Each of these accident types can have different injuries, but some of the most serious are traumatic brain injuries and spinal cord injuries. If you have suffered either of these, it’s important to speak with a personal injury lawyer about your options and ensure that you understand how long you have to file a claim and what’s involved.

What Do You Need to Prove a Personal Injury Claim?

Personal injury claims require you to prove specific points. These include that the other party had some duty of care and that they breached that duty through a specific action or nonaction. You must also prove that you suffered some type of damages as a result of that breach.

It helps to look at an example. Consider a car accident where the other driver pulled out in front of you, causing you to hit them. You suffered a broken leg that required surgery, and you were unable to work for 3 months while you recovered. In this case, the other driver had a duty of care to safely operate their vehicle according to the rules of the road, which includes following the rules for who has the right of way. They breached that duty of care by pulling out in front of you. You suffered damages in the form of medical bills and potentially lost wages from time off work. There’s also the potential of pain and suffering. You can then file a personal injury lawsuit against the other driver and seek compensation for those damages.

Personal injury lawyers help you understand whether your case meets all of these required points and whether there is enough evidence to prove the other party acted negligently.

What Should You Do After You’ve Been Injured?

When you’re injured in an accident, the first priority is your health. It’s important to take the time you need to deal with your immediate injuries and follow any and all advice from your health care team. Once your health is stable, you can start considering if you want to pursue a personal injury lawsuit. Talking with a few personal injury attorneys can help you get a better understanding of what the issues with your case may be and what you will need to do if you want to pursue a suit.

While you consider this option, remember to keep close records on everything that happens and who you talk to. This documentation can help you when it’s time to present evidence for your case. Don’t discuss anything with the other party or their insurance company without an attorney present.

What Kind of Compensation Is Possible?

One of the most common questions personal injury lawyers get is, “How much money can I expect?” Unfortunately, this isn’t an easy one to answer. How much a personal injury claim may be worth depends on many factors. These include the percentage of fault, the amount of lost wages and medical bills you’ve incurred, and how much the injury has affected your ongoing quality of life. For example, an accident that caused a traumatic brain injury that is expected to leave lifelong cognitive deficits is going to have a higher claim than someone who had whiplash.

If you are found partially at fault for the accident, any compensation you’re awarded can be reduced by your percentage of fault. For example, if you are awarded $100,000 but you were also found to be 20% at fault for an accident, you would only get $80,000.

How Long Does a Personal Injury Case Take?

A personal injury case can take months and sometimes even years to come to an end, especially if it was a high-value case. Settling with an insurance company out of court can speed up this process, but it’s important to only consider a settlement with the advice of an attorney. Insurance companies are known for throwing out low-ball numbers in the hopes that someone will sign and save their company thousands.

It’s also important to factor in how much time there is between the date of the accident and the settlement. The statute of limitations for most personal injury cases in Colorado is 2 years — car accidents are 3 years — so this can add significant time to how long you have to wait for a resolution if you wait until the end of this period to file.

If you’re an accident victim in Thornton, personal injury lawyers can help you make your case and seek the compensation you deserve. Call Flanagan Law at 720-707-0870 to set up your consultation.