An injury could set you back for a long time. Even minor injuries could inconvenience you and become a hassle. You might run up large medical bills for your expenses and have to take time away from your job. If you cannot work as you recover, your costs might pile up. If someone else did something that caused your injury, you might benefit from a seasoned attorney’s assistance. A Hayward personal injury lawyer could help you seek compensation through a lawsuit.
Grounds for Filing a Personal Injury Claim
Anytime a person does something that causes harm to another person, the injured person might have legal grounds to file a claim or lawsuit. To succeed in a claim, a claimant must prove a defendant did something wrong that caused a person to suffer an injury. Personal injury claims frequently follow negligent, reckless, or criminal acts, such as:
- Car crashes
- Bus accidents
- Truck wrecks
- Pedestrian and bike collisions
- Animal Attacks
- Slip and falls
- Wrongful death
If someone has questions about whether they have the legal right to bring a personal injury claim, they should meet with an attorney in Hayward who could help them review their legal rights and options and decide on their next steps.
How to Prove Negligence in Personal Injury Suits
Most commonly, personal injury suits require an individual to demonstrate a defendant was somehow careless or reckless. A diligent legal representative could help establish the following elements of legal negligence.
Duty of Care
A claimant must establish a defendant had a duty of care towards them. For instance, in a vehicle crash case, the at-fault driver has a legal duty to drive safely.
Breach of Duty of Care
A person must show a defendant broke their duty of care by acting negligently. For example, a drunk or distracted driver breaches their obligation to keep others safe.
Causation
A claimant must demonstrate how an at-fault party’s actions led to their injuries. For example, a car crash survivor could prove that they suffered a head injury in a motor vehicle collision caused by a drunk driver.
Damages
Finally, an injured person must show they suffered losses due to the defendant’s careless decisions. A claimant could prove the incident caused them economic and non-economic damages. For economic damages, they could demonstrate their financial losses through medical bills, lost wages, property repair expenses, and home modification costs. For non-economic damages, they could request compensation for their pain and suffering, mental anguish, psychological trauma, and diminished quality of life.
A dedicated team of Hayward attorneys has had extensive experience helping personal injury claimants prove how someone else was legally negligent. They are skilled investigators and negotiators ready to support a suit.
Call a Hayward Personal Injury Lawyer Today
When you suffer an injury, your whole life could change. Sometimes, you can recover quickly, but other times healing can be long and painful. If someone else did something to cause your injury, they should also be responsible for taking care of the cost. Call a Hayward personal injury lawyer to set up a consultation. Let our team take control of the claim process while you focus on healing.