It is widely estimated that approximately three million people are injured in auto accidents on American roads every year. It is also widely estimated that of these three million people, two million suffer injuries that are permanent in nature. This means that if you’ve recently suffered serious injury as a result of a car crash, you are – unquestionably – not alone.
Depending on the circumstances surrounding your accident, you may be entitled to one or more kinds of compensation at this time. As a result, exploring your rights and options with the assistance of an experienced attorney is a worthy investment of your time.
When Others Are to Blame
As an experienced Medford, OR serious injury lawyer – including those who practice at Andersen Morse & Linthorst – can confirm, it isn’t always easy to know why accidents happen in their immediate aftermath. While those involved, and any witnesses to the crash, may have a strong sense of what caused any given accident, it is usually a good idea to avoid making any assumptions whatsoever about causation and fault until a crash has been thoroughly and objectively investigated. Otherwise, those who – perhaps, mistakenly – believe that they may be at fault could admit blame and compromise their ability to hold others responsible when it is (potentially) uncovered that the injury victim’s initial impression was incorrect and they weren’t to blame at all.
It is important to note that in virtually every state in the U.S., victims may hold others responsible for their share of harm, even if those victims were partially to blame for their circumstances too. Some states only allow for recovery if a victim was less than 50% to blame, but others allow recovery even when a victim was 99% at fault.
Special Considerations for Work Accident Injuries
Make sure to alert a lawyer if your crash was work-related. If you’re eligible for workers’ compensation benefits, you may be in a position to file both a personal injury lawsuit and a workers’ compensation benefits claim.
Connect with an Experienced Personal Injury Attorney to Learn More
Regardless of how sure you are about what caused your accident and who is responsible for what happened to you, if you’ve been seriously injured in a car crash, it’s time to speak with an experienced personal injury lawyer about your situation.
All too often, injury victims don’t seek legal guidance in the wake of an auto accident because they are convinced that they have no grounds upon which to file legal action or they’re scared that speaking with a professional will be a waste of time and money. In reality, most attorneys offer no-cost, risk-free case evaluations for injury victims so that they can ask questions and explore their legal options with no strings attached. Investing an hour or so of your time now may keep you from wondering “What if?” forever. Also, you just might discover that you’re entitled to considerable compensation as a result of your wreck.