Know Your Rights if You’ve Been Injured
There are a lot of ways a person can be hurt and need to file a personal injury claim. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that every year 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs. The Consumer Products Safety Commission has found that floors contribute to slip and fall injuries at a rate of approximately 2,000,000 a year. The Journal of the American Medical Association reports that 225,000 people die from medical malpractice in a given year, and every year three million people are injured in motor vehicle accidents. Many of these car accidents are the result of distracted driving or other negligence. These are just a few of the reasons why someone might need to hire an accident law firm or injury lawyer. You want to know what your rights are after you’ve been injured by someone else. Read on to learn more about three common types of accidents.
After a Car Accident
The word accident describes an event that is no one’s fault. However, not every car accident is a true accident. Sometimes, an accident it is caused by someone else. In that case, you have the right to compensation for injuries to yourself for property damage. You also have the right to call the police and file an official report about the accident, which can be used as evidence in a personal injury settlement. You also have the right to take pictures of the accident scene, and should do so. You should also take photos of your own injuries or the injuries of anyone else in your vehicle. You have the right to talk to any witnesses and ask them to tell their story to the police. You have the right to medical attention, and you also have the right to stay silent if for any reason you prefer not to discuss the accident with any other party. Although you should always tell the police precisely what happened, you’re not required to talk to the other party or to their insurance company.
After a Work Injury
Another reason people call an accident law firm is when they have been hurt at work. While the specifics will vary by state, there are some rights that apply to almost every situation. You have the right to file a claim for your injury in worker’s compensation court. You have the right to medical help, and the right to go back to your job if your doctor says you’re healthy. If you’re not able to work because of an injury, either permanently or temporarily, you have the right to get compensation for this. You have a right to be represented by a lawyer or an accident law firm if you have been hurt because of negligence on the part of the company. Finally, if you don’t agree with the decision made by your employer or their insurance company, you have the right to appeal this.
After a Slip and Fall Injury
Before you get a slip and fall lawyer or an accident law firm involved, there are some things you should know. A business is only liable for an accident you have on their property if they were negligent in some way, and if that negligence was the reason for your accident. Just because a person falls does not mean that someone else was at fault. There must have been an unsafe condition that caused the fall, and there are some important issues to consider in this type of accident. The floor had to be unreasonably slippery, for example, and the reason for that slipperiness must be some failure on the part of the business to maintain the floor. Things to consider include whether or not there was a warning about slippery conditions, whether or not the person knew the floor was slippery, and whether or not the manager or owner knew the floor was slippery or should reasonably be expected to have known.
No one wants to have an accident, but if you have been hurt because another person was negligent, don’t hesitate to call an accident law firm and find out more about how to safeguard your rights.
