Dealing with an injury after an accident is difficult. It can be a scary and stressful time living with the physical pain as well as the emotional distress and financial burden. You need an experienced personal injury attorney who can help you through the process and get you the monetary compensation you deserve. The big insurance companies have teams of attorneys, so shouldn’t you have an attorney on your side too? Contact our office today to let us help you. Let us focus on fighting the insurance company while you focus on your recovery.
Why Choose Us?
When you’ve been injured, you need an experienced attorney who knows the law and knows how to handle injury cases. So why choose us to represent you?
- At Aronberg, Kouser, Snyder & Lindemann, P.A., we focus our practice on helping injured victims get the compensation they deserve.
- We have been helping injury victims for over three decades, and our attention to detail can help you get the maximum recovery in your case.
- Each client at our firm gets personalized attention, so you will never be just another case number with us. We take the time to get to know you and every detail about your case so that we can utilize the best strategy for success.
Contact our office today to put our knowledge and experience to work for you.
Types Of Personal Injury Cases
A personal injury case can be any type of case in which the victim is injured by another party. The injury may occur as a result of negligence, recklessness, or even intentional behavior. Some of the most common types of personal injury cases include the following:
- Car accidents
- Big truck accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Hit and run accidents
- Dog bites
- Workplace injuries
- Wrongful death
Injuries in these types of cases can range from minor injuries to catastrophic, life-changing injuries or even death. The law office of Aronberg, Kouser, Snyder & Lindemann, P.A. has decades of experience representing clients across all types of personal injury cases. Our extensive experience handling these matters can also be put to work for you.
What Steps Should I Take Immediately After a Personal Injury Case?
Personal injuries can come as a surprise. You’re not expecting to be rear-ended or fall in a store. It can be difficult to think clearly after suffering a serious injury. Many personal injury victims are knocked unconscious or unable to do anything but wait for help. However, if you’re able, you can take steps immediately after an accident to strengthen your claim and improve your chances of a successful outcome by:
- Calling 911 to report the accident
- Taking pictures of the accident scene, any factors that contributed to it, and your injuries
- Asking the party responsible for your injuries for their name, contact information, and insurance information
- Collecting contact information from eyewitnesses
- Accepting transport to the emergency room once emergency medical technicians arrive or seeking immediate medical attention
- Requesting a copy of the accident report
- Keeping all of your medical records, medical bills, wage loss statements, communications from the insurance company, and other documents related to your case
- Contacting the Cherry Hill personal injury lawyers at Aronberg, Kouser, Snyder & Lindemann, P.A. for additional help and guidance on next steps
Proving A Personal Injury Case
There are four elements that you must prove to be successful in a personal injury case. First, you must prove that the other party owed you a duty of care. Next, you must show that they breached this duty. Third, you will have to prove that you were injured as a direct result of that breach. Finally, you must prove that you suffered some actual loss as a result. Considering an example can make this a little easier to understand.
Imagine a basic personal injury case involving a car accident. By driving a motor vehicle on the road, drivers owe each other a duty of care to act as a reasonable person while driving. Suppose another driver is speeding and driving recklessly. By doing so, that person has breached their duty. If they hit your vehicle and injure you because of their reckless driving, then you have sustained an injury as a direct result of that breach. Finally, your medical bills will count as an actual loss sustained as a result of the breach. Consulting with a Cherry Hill car accident attorney can help you understand your rights and build a strong case.
There are many different types of evidence you may use to prove each element of your case. This evidence can include medical records, police reports, video footage, eyewitness testimony, expert testimony, and other things. If you are able to prove all four elements, then you have a good chance of being successful with your claim.
Damages In Personal Injury Cases
Damages in a personal injury case are awarded to cover the loss suffered by the victim. While some damages are strictly financial, it can be difficult to place a monetary value on others. For instance, pain and suffering do not have a specific, objective monetary value. But a financial recovery is what the law allows as reimbursement for those types of damages. Here are some examples of the types of damages that might be recovered in a personal injury case.
- Medical bills (past and future)
- Lost wages (past and future)
- Pain and suffering
- PTSD or anxiety resulting from the accident
In some cases, punitive damages may be allowed. New Jersey law allows for punitive damages when the defendant’s conduct was “actuated by actual malice or accompanied by a wanton and willful disregard of persons who foreseeably might be harmed” by the conduct (NJ Rev Stat § 2A:15-5.12). Punitive damages are meant to punish the wrongdoer and prevent that type of behavior in the future. Punitive damages can sometimes exceed the amount of actual damages awarded in the case.
Economic Damages
Serious injuries can quickly result in significant financial losses. Between medical treatments, time away from work, and property repairs, you may be out thousands of dollars you weren’t anticipating. Fortunately, you can seek compensation for all your economic losses stemming from the accident, including for the following:
- Medical expenses, including hospital stays, emergency treatment, ambulance charges, surgeries,
- Ongoing medical treatment, including rehabilitation, therapy, and in-home nursing care
- Anticipated future medical expenses
- Lost wages for time you missed from work while recovering or seeking treatment for your injuries
- Reduced earning capacity if the injury caused a permanent disability or impairment that affects your ability to earn a living
- Costs to repair or replace your damaged vehicle
An experienced attorney can gather receipts, invoices, estimates, and other documentation to establish the value of these losses you incurred.
Noneconomic Damages
In addition to the economic harm that an accident can cause, personal injury victims may also be subjected to physical and emotional pain and suffering and other adverse consequences that cannot be easily quantified. You can seek compensation for the noneconomic damages you suffered as a result of an accident, including:
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Emotional distress
- Disfigurement
- Scarring
- Loss of enjoyment of life
While financial compensation cannot eliminate your pain, it can help minimize the ongoing harm someone else’s negligence caused you.
How Long Does A Personal Injury Case Take?
The amount of time it takes to resolve a personal injury case varies. Typically, this amount of time is related to the severity of the accident or injury as well as how long it takes for the victim to complete their medical treatments. The other big factor that affects how long it takes to resolve the case is whether or not the case goes to court. Cases that are settled out of court are usually resolved much quicker than those cases that end up going to trial.
Cases involving minor or less severe injuries can usually be settled out of court in around 3 to 6 months. Severe injury cases that require a longer treatment period can take anywhere from 6 to 12 months, on average. Catastrophic injury cases and those that go to trial usually take the longest to resolve. Consulting with a Cherry Hill catastrophic injury lawyer can provide you with the expertise needed to navigate these complex cases. Catastrophic injuries can require lifetime medical care, so it can take some time to appropriately value those types of cases. Similarly, if the case goes to trial, that can be a long process. These types of cases can take anywhere from 12 to 24 months to complete, and a small percentage of those may go on beyond 24 months.
How Long Do I Have to File a Personal Injury Case in New Jersey?
Every state has different time periods by which a person must take certain legal action to avoid having their case dismissed as untimely. These laws are called statutes of limitations and apply to various types of cases. For personal injury lawsuits, New Jersey generally provides a two-year statute of limitations. This typically means an accident victim has two years from the date of the accident to file a lawsuit.
These laws aim to ensure that witnesses’ memories remain fresh and evidence is more reliable because plaintiffs bring the cases when they have occurred recently. However, they serve as a strict rule because if a plaintiff files a lawsuit after this deadline has passed, the court can dismiss the case as untimely, and the plaintiff can lose their right to recover compensation through the court system.
Talk To A Cherry Hill Personal Injury Lawyer Today
If you’ve been injured in an accident that was not your fault, you need an experienced personal injury attorney on your side. Our caring attorneys will give you the personal attention you deserve, and we will be there to help you through this difficult time. Experience matters, and we have over 40 years of experience helping injured clients in the Cherry Hill area. Contact our office online or call (856) 429-1700 today to learn how we can help you.
