If you have been hurt in an accident, you might be wondering how to proceed. Between unexpected medical bills and time off work, you could be experiencing a financial crunch. If your injury resulted from someone else’s negligence, you might have grounds for civil litigation.
A North Las Vegas personal injury lawyer can help you understand your rights and move forward with a claim. Our experienced attorneys at LVNV Legal | Injury Law Firm can help you pursue the responsible parties for monetary damages and get compensation for all of your injury-related losses.
Anyone whose negligence causes an injury to someone else could be liable to pay damages to the person harmed. Used in this context, “negligence” means someone who failed to exercise a reasonable duty of care to protect others from foreseeable danger.
A range of accidents might occur in North Las Vegas that could lead to a negligence claim. It is wise to consult a local attorney as soon as possible after an accident to evaluate the legal options available in your personal injury case. In general, however, any of the following incidents might be grounds for civil action:
The negligent party often has insurance to cover claims by injured parties. Typically, negotiations between your LVNV Legal | Injury Law Firm representative and the insurer result in a fair settlement before the case goes to trial. However, if insurance coverage is inadequate or negotiations fail, an injured person might have to pursue damages in court.
Damages is a term used to describe money an injured person might win in a successful lawsuit. Compensatory damages provide restitution for documentable losses the injured person (plaintiff) suffered because of the accident. Compensatory damages include economic and non-economic damages. A knowledgeable civil attorney in North Las Vegas could help you document your losses to support a claim for compensatory damages. In some cases, punitive or exemplary damages also might be available.
Economic damages include the injury-related losses that carry a fixed price or are easy to estimate. An economic damages award could include the cost of medical care, travel expenses when seeking treatment, durable medical equipment, necessary home care, and all other expenses associated with recovering from and living with the effects of the injury. If the injury will require future treatment, those projected costs also could be part of an economic damages award.
If you lost income because of the injury, economic damages could reimburse that loss. If your condition will prevent you from returning to your prior employment, economic damages could include a sum to compensate for your diminished future earning opportunities. Property damage, such as the value of a wrecked car, could also be a component of an economic damages award.
Not all losses have a price tag, and non-economic damages compensate individuals for the changes the injury caused to their lifestyle and quality of life. An award of non-economic damages could include sums to compensate for disfigurement, inconvenience, physical disability, mental anguish, and pain.
In cases of severe permanent injury that hinders your ability to maintain relationships or participate in family activities, you could seek damages for loss of companionship, loss of consortium, and lost ability to enjoy life.
Punitive or exemplary damages are different from compensatory damages, as the intent is to punish the defendant, not compensate the plaintiff. Nevada Revised Statute §42.005 allows you to seek punitive damages if the defendant’s behavior was fraudulent, malicious, or recklessly indifferent to others’ safety.
In the confusion after an accident, you might question what your next step should be. Seeking advice from a capable North Las Vegas personal injury lawyer is a good place to start.
The law allows you only two years to file a lawsuit. This may seem like a generous timeframe, but waiting too long to file a claim could result in it being time-barred. To ensure that you are pursuing your claim from a strong position, schedule a case review with LVNV Legal | Injury Law Firm today.
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