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If you are injured in an accident, you can sue the person who caused it, even if they did not mean any harm. A lawyer can help you identify how the defendant was negligent and get you fair compensation for your injuries.
People often hear about personal injury cases but are unsure exactly what a personal injury claim is. Personal injury claims must involve some bodily harm. Many cases stem from accidents. Our legal team has experience with a variety of cases, including brain injuries, medical malpractice, defective products, and more. Talk to your lawyer soon, as the deadline to file your case might be approaching. If you are concerned about missing the deadline, there might be ways to have the statute of limitations tolled, buying you more time. Your damages should take your financial losses and painful experiences or emotional distress into account. For some, damages might be very large. Getting a lawyer as quickly as possible is in your best interest.
For a free, confidential review of your claims, call our Dallas personal injury attorneys at The Queenan Law Firm, P.C. at (817) 476-1797.
What is a Personal Injury and What Kind of Claims Has Our Team Handled in Mesquite, TX?
You have likely heard the phrase “personal injury” thrown around on TV shows and in movies and maybe even by people you know personally. However, what does a personal injury case actually involve? You should understand two things about personal injury cases before taking legal action. First, personal injury law is extremely broad and may cover all kinds of accidents and injuries. Second, the common thread in all personal injury cases is that bodily harm must be present. You likely do not have a personal injury case if you were not physically injured.
Brain Injuries
Brain injuries are one example of personal injury that our team has experience with. Brain injuries may range from mild yet painful inconveniences to severely debilitating injuries. One very common kind of brain injury is a concussion. These happen a lot with car accidents and sports injuries. Victims tend to experience headaches and might also have memory problems, sensitivity to light and sound, and some mild confusion.
More serious injuries are often called traumatic brain injuries (TBA) and may leave the victim with cognitive disabilities that make living on their own difficult or even impossible. TBAs can totally upend a person’s life, and damages in these cases tend to be very high.
Medical Malpractice
Some of the worst injuries come from instances of medical malpractice. If you believe you were harmed by your doctor’s negligent treatment, you should seek medical attention from new doctors and talk to an attorney right away. Many people live with the physical and psychological damage of medical malpractice for years, if not for life.
Nursing Home Abuse
Many people are injured when they are at their most vulnerable. People living in nursing homes are often extremely vulnerable, as many are older or in poor health and have trouble caring for themselves. People in these situations rely on nursing home staff to care for them. Unfortunately, people who work in nursing homes might be neglectful or even abusive towards patients and residents. Personal injuries in nursing homes are more common than people think.
Product Liability
Some personal injuries do not come from other people but from dangerous goods or products. For example, perhaps you went to use your new lawnmower only to be badly cut when one of the blades came loose. This is not supposed to happen, and the lawnmower might have been defective or poorly designed. Either way, our personal injury attorneys can sue the manufacturer for damages.
Premises Liability
Personal injuries in premises liability cases stem from accidents caused by hazards or dangerous conditions on someone’s property. This might be private property or a place where the public is allowed, like a store or restaurant. Property owners who fail to remove hazards or make reasonable inspections for hazards might be liable if a guest or customer is injured.
Your Deadline to File a Personal Injury Case in Mesquite, TX
While you should take some time to consider your legal options and make an informed decision about what you want to do, you should not take too much time. Civil claims must be filed with the courts by a specific deadline. For personal injury claims, this deadline can be found under Tex. Civ. Prac. and Rem. Code § 16.003 and gives you 2 years to file your case.
Your deadline begins on the date you are injured. However, certain circumstances might allow you to have extra time. For example, in medical malpractice cases, the discovery rule might change the date of when the deadline begins. Under this rule, the deadline does not start counting down until the plaintiff has actually discovered their injuries or realized that they were the victim of malpractice. This is a common issue, as many victims do not realize their doctor was negligent until they meet with another doctor, which might be weeks, months, or even years later.
You should also talk to your lawyer about the possibility of tolling under Tex. Civ. Prac. and Rem. Code § 16.001. Under this law, you can have the deadline tolled if you were a minor or had a legal disability when the injuries occurred.
If you were a minor, the deadline would not begin until you turn 18. If you had a legal disability at the time of the injury that hindered you from taking legal action or understanding your rights, the deadline is tolled until the disability ceases.
Damages Available in Mesquite, TX Personal Injury Cases
Damages in personal injury claims are as varied as the types of possible injuries. Compensatory damages are aimed at making up for the things that the plaintiff has lost due to the accident and injuries. These may include economic damages based on money and financial costs in addition to non-economic damages based on subjective personal experiences.
Some common economic damages include hospital bills, lost income from missing work, property damage, and psychiatric treatment. Non-economic damages might involve physical pain, emotional distress, humiliation, and even damage to your reputation. These experiences can be difficult to evaluate because they are often unrelated to money. Instead, juries may base non-economic damages on how significantly they impact your daily life.
Speak to Our Mesquite, TX Personal Injury Attorneys for Help Now
For a free, confidential review of your claims, call our personal injury attorneys at The Queenan Law Firm, P.C. at (817) 476-1797.