FAQS

Get Quick Answers From Your Personal Injury Attorney

Below, you can find simple answers to common personal injury questions.

If you have more questions or concerns, remember that you can always reach out to Palma Law for more help.

A personal injury is pretty much exactly what it sounds like: harm done to a person. The less obvious part is that personal injuries can also cover harm that we can’t see with our eyes, like emotional injuries. Still, those types of personal injuries aren’t as common, and most people who make a personal injury claim will do so because of injuries suffered in one of the following types of accidents:
  • Car accidents
  • Truck accidents
  • Motorcycle accidents
  • Dog bites
  • Slip-and-falls
  • Workplace injuries
In other cases, victims may need to file a claim after an explosion, oil refinery injury, catastrophic injury, or wrongful death. These types of injuries aren’t as common as those in the list above, meaning it may be even more important for you to get help from a personal injury attorney with experience.

As we mentioned above, personal injuries often involve a lot more than bruises or broken bones: being injured can be traumatic, and that trauma can sometimes affect us for the rest of our lives. To make sure that your rights to financial assistance include those invisible sorts of harm, personal injury damages are split into two main categories: economic, and non-economic. Economic damages are relatively straightforward because they are usually associated with some sort of receipt or income statement. Broadly speaking, economic damages include any type of loss with an exact monetary cost:
  • Medical bills
  • Future medical expenses
  • Lost income
  • Reduced ability to earn a future income
  • Disability expenses
  • Funeral costs
On the other hand, non-economic damages cover the more complicated types of harm that can sometimes come as a result of an injury. This includes any type of harm that doesn’t have an exact monetary cost:
  • Lost loved ones
  • Lower quality of life
  • Scars and disfigurement
  • Pain and suffering
  • Mental health conditions, including PTSD
Keep in mind that fighting for non-economic damages can sometimes be more difficult than fighting for economic losses. If you’re considering making an injury claim for damages, consider consulting with an attorney who can help you navigate the process.

If you don’t need an attorney, Laiza won't waste your time or money by taking your case. After simple auto accidents, for instance, you may be able to make a claim with an insurance company without much difficulty. However, the more serious or complicated your case, the more you should consider hiring an experienced personal injury attorney:
  • Accidents involving injuries
  • Insurance claim denials or delays
  • Trucking accidents
  • Mutli-vehicle crashes
  • Accidents caused by non-drivers

In order to qualify for insurance coverage after an injury, you will need to report the injury to your insurance adjuster within the time frame laid out in your policy. In other words, the amount of time you have could vary from 24 hours to 90 days, depending on your provider and the type of claim. If you’re unsure about whether or not to call your insurance adjuster, or what to say when you do, you can always request a consultation with a personal injury attorney. On the other hand, if you plan on filing a lawsuit to get the personal injury compensation that you need, then you will need to complete the lawsuit filing process within two years of the date of the accident. Because the lawsuit filing, negotiation, and settlement process tend to be more complex than insurance claims, we recommend contacting an attorney before moving forward.

Every accident and injury is different, so the process that you will need to follow to prove your claims may vary. Still, in general, you have a strong case if you have reliable evidence that shows who was liable for your injury. To prove liability, you’ll need to have evidence supporting each of these claims:
  1. The at-fault person had a legal obligation.
  2. The at-fault person failed in that obligation.
  3. As a result of that failure, you were injured.
This might sound complicated, but it’s simpler than you would expect. For instance, everyone has a “legal obligation” to drive responsibly. If we injure someone because we failed to drive responsibly, then we have to pay for their losses. In the same way, a shop owner has an obligation to maintain a reasonably safe shop, an employer has an obligation to provide reasonably safe working conditions, and a dog owner has an obligation to keep their pet from injuring other people.

After an injury, you might be swamped under bills for everything from medical care and treatment to car repairs and transportation costs, all while missing out on shifts at work. You shouldn’t have to struggle through all of that stress while also trying to get the compensation you’re owed to make up for your losses. You need a personal injury attorney with compassion and open communication who also knows how to handle your specific type of case. That might sound like an impossible task, but you can use a few simple methods to get the information that you need to make a decision that helps you feel confident:
  • Get referrals from friends and family
  • Look online for positively reviewed attorneys
  • Check for reliable credentials and testimonials
  • Ask about prior experience with your type of accident
  • Ask about payment expectations
  • Get a sense of how well you will communicate
  • Make sure you’re comfortable confiding in your attorney
Finding the right attorney might not be easy, but you can call and consult with as many attorneys as you need to find one who makes you feel confident and protected.

You might not find all of the answers that you need in the list above, but you can rely on Palma Law to address all of your concerns and protect your rights.