General Personal Injury FAQ
Q & A with a West Virginia Personal Injury Lawyer
At Hartley Law Group, PLLC, our mission is to ensure that injured victims throughout West Virginia have the experienced legal counsel and support they need to recover their damages. While our efforts are centered around providing the highest quality legal representation possible, we also go to great lengths to provide our clients and their families with the information they need to understand precisely how the personal injury claim process works and what we do to help. The following general questions and answers regarding personal injury can help you get started in your legal journey to fair compensation.
What exactly is personal injury?
Personal injury is a legal term used to describe any injury or illness
that is caused by another party's negligence. Personal injury is a
term that can encompass a wide range of damages, including physical and/or
emotional injuries.
What is a claim?
The American judicial system affords injured victims the opportunity to
pursue legal actions against the person or entity responsible for their
accident. Known as a personal injury claim, these legal actions are essentially
lawsuits that are filed in a civil court. Unlike criminal cases that only
concern guilt in relation to an illegal offense, civil cases are focused
on establishing the liability, or legal obligation, of a party to compensate
any victims that were harmed by their negligence, carelessness, wrongful
act, or by their products.
How do I know if I have a personal injury claim?
There are several circumstances for which you may be able to pursue compensation
by filing a personal injury claim. These can include injuries that were
suffered in accidents that you did not cause, injuries or accidents caused
by exposure to dangerous and hazardous materials, injuries that occurred
on another's property, and others. The most essential element of a
successful personal injury claim is
liability. If it can be shown, conclusively, that another party is responsible for
your injury in any way, you stand a strong chance of being able to recover
your damages. Our West Virginia personal injury attorneys can fully evaluate
your case to determine the potential merits of your claim.
How are victims compensated?
When personal injury claims effectively establish liability, victims can
receive monetary compensation for their physical, emotional, and/or financial
damages. Courts will typically award victims compensation in the form
of economic damages, non-economic damages and, in some cases, punitive damages.
- Economic damages may include the financial expenses you incurred as a direct result of your injury or illness, including medical bills and lost wages or future earnings caused by an inability to work.
- Non-economic damages consist of the emotional damages you and your family may have suffered. While these types of damages are difficult to equate into monetary sums, courts will take into consideration pain and suffering, grief, mental anguish, psychological trauma and other emotional damages when awarding compensation. In cases that involve extreme acts of negligence
- Punitive damages may also be awarded to victims by the courts as a way of punishing the wrongdoer further.
More Questions? Speak with an experienced attorney today!
This general personal injury FAQ is intended to provide victims and their families with a solid foundation to begin the process of navigating the legal system. With more than 40 years of collective experience and a client-focused philosophy, our team of compassionate and experienced West Virginia personal injury lawyers is fully prepared to answer any additional questions you may have. If you would like to speak with a member of our legal team to learn more about your claim, Hartley Law Group, PLLC today.
