Getting the compensation you need to cover medical expenses, lost earnings, and pain and suffering can save you from financial disaster after an injury. One disaster is enough, and our lawyers can help you get compensation for much of the harm you faced in that accident to keep you and your family covered for as long as you face effects of the injury.
We can fight for damages from at-fault parties, whether they are individuals or large corporations. We are not afraid to take defendants to court when necessary.
For a free evaluation of your claim, contact The Reiff Law Firm’s personal injury attorneys at (215) 709-6940.
The Process of a Personal Injury Case in Haverford
Personal injury cases are filed in the county courthouse for the county where the accident happened. Haverford is split between Haverford Township in Delaware County and Lower Merion Township in Montgomery County. Which side of the county line you are on will usually change whether you file in Media (Delco) or Norristown (Montco).
Once your case is filed, it goes through multiple legal issues:
- Service of process on the defendant
- Responses from defendant
- Defendant’s motion to dismiss
- Our responses
- Initial challenges and stipulations narrowing legal issues.
From there, the case moves to discovery, where both sides exchange evidence and take depositions. The case will likely be set for pretrial conferences where the judge will try to push the parties to settle the case, but we do not have to settle.
If we go on, the case goes to trial. We present our evidence and witnesses first, then the defense goes. At the beginning, both sides make opening statements; at the end, we each make closing arguments to the jury.
Once the jury decides in your favor, it usually takes around 30 days for payment to issue.
What About Insurance Claims?
Many injury victims try to go through insurance to get compensation, but there is little to hold insurance carriers responsible. In car accident cases where you might use your own insurance, you have a contract with them, and they must act in good faith to pay claims. However, when you are filing a claim with the defendant’s insurance, they will usually deny the claim or offer a very small settlement to end the case quickly.
Do not accept any money from insurance, and do not talk to any insurance representatives before speaking with our personal injury lawyers about your case. If you do, they could try to use your statements as admissions of fault or as inconsistent prior statements to try to trip you up at trial.
If you accept money from the defendant or their insurance company, your case is over and cannot be reopened or filed in court. Do not settle until you know what your case is truly worth and have gotten our advice.
Is My Case Worth Filing?
If your injury was serious enough to consider going to a personal injury lawyer over it, it likely is serious enough. If you faced time in the hospital, if you missed work, and if you faced serious pain or other mental effects, there are almost definitely damages there to claim.
The deeper issues we need to look into involve the following issues:
- Do you have evidence to prove your case?
- Was there an at-fault party who can pay for your damages?
- Do they have insurance?
- Did you contribute to the accident or was it all their fault?
- Are there other legal issues that would hurt your case?
If we can find strong evidence, if the defendant was wholly at fault, and if we will be able to recover damages from them or their insurance policy, then your case is likely worth filing, and you should work with us immediately to get started.
How Long Can I Wait to File?
Injury cases should be filed as soon as you can. Any delay in calling a lawyer delays your case – which ultimately delays its resolution.
If your case is not filed within 2 years, then you cannot file it. Some cases have exceptions, such as additional time if you could not discover the injury, but most claims are dead on arrival if you file them longer than 2 years after the injury.
In any case, call us to check on your right to file and to get started on your case as soon as possible. While you may legally have more time than you need, we should not delay in collecting evidence, as witnesses may forget what happened and evidence may be lost or destroyed.
What Kinds of Personal Injuries Can You Sue for?
Our lawyers can help you file a lawsuit for any injuries you faced. Most cases are based on car accidents or slip and falls, but our attorneys can also help with more complex cases like products liability claims and medical negligence cases. Whether the defendant is a person or company, we can help.
We also help with wrongful death claims, where we can represent the family of the victim and fight to get them compensation for their loved one’s loss.
Who is at Fault in an Injury Case?
Many people think they “hurt themselves” when it comes to a slip and fall or other property accident, but this is not truly how the law works. Many injury cases are caused by a property owner or operator who created unsafe conditions.
The same is true with defective product injuries: the company might have produced a dangerous product that put you at risk. You did not “hurt yourself.”
In some cases, the victim is partially liable for their own accident, but the law still allows you to sue other at-fault parties in most cases.
In other cases, the at-fault party is more obvious. Drivers, negligent doctors, and other parties can be held liable for the harm they directly caused.
Call Our Injury Attorneys in Haverford Today
For a free analysis of your case, reach out to The Reiff Law Firm’s personal injury attorneys today at (215) 709-6940.
