Have you been involved in a serious accident recently? If you were injured and are now wondering just how much it is going to affect you financially, it may be advisable to seek the opinion of an accident attorney. If you were injured as a result of someone else’s careless behavior, you may be entitled to claim compensation.
Even if your injury didn’t need extensive medical treatment, it might still mean you are unable to go back to work in a hurry.
Injuries can be expensive and there is no reason why you, as an accident victim, should have to cope with financial stress just because you happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
A Dislocation of a Major Joint Needs Lengthy Recovery
You can easily dislocate a major joint if you slip or trip over and fall down awkwardly. Dislocations also frequently occur in workplace injuries when working at a height or with heavy machinery. Dislocations can also occur as a result of a sports accident.
A typical hip or shoulder dislocation could easily take place in such an ordinary location as your local grocery store or supermarket.
You may have fallen over on a slippery surface, such as on spilled produce, which had been left without being cleaned up by the staff employed there.
Dislocations usually mean that the ligaments at a joint such as the shoulder, knee or elbow joint have been torn or damaged and the ends of the adjoining bones do not fit together in the normal way.
Dislocations are not only potentially extremely painful, they may have happened at the same time as a bone was broken and may take a long time to heal properly. If you think that someone’s negligence was responsible for your injury, you are strongly advised to consider the possibility of taking legal action to claim back the cost of recovery.
A Personal Injury Settlement May be Your Best Option
If negligence can be proved, then you may be able to file a personal injury lawsuit against whoever was at fault. If you slipped over in a grocery store and dislocated your knee or ankle, for example, you may be able to make a claim against one or more of the employees, the store manager or owner of the store.
Personal injury lawsuits are rarely successful unless the evidence available to show who was at fault is sufficient proof.
Most states require you, as the plaintiff, to show that the accident was linked to your injury and that it could have been avoided. For example, in the grocery store accident example, was the hazard that caused your injury left unnoticed or not dealt with in a reasonable time?
If the spillage had just happened and you slipped over on it, this may not be sufficient to prove that the store was liable.
If in Doubt, Seek Professional Legal Help
It’s bad enough being injured as a result of someone else’s negligence, but trying to convince the person or people who were responsible that they should compensate you can be a daunting task.
Liability law can be hard to interpret unless you have a legal background. Defendants in a personal injury lawsuit and particularly their insurers are usually reluctant to admit liability unless they are convinced they have no choice.
It is usually preferable to seek the help of an experienced personal injury attorney if you are considering making a claim. An attorney will have dealt with many cases like yours before and will help you prepare a more effective basis for compensation.
