Areas of Philadelphia Personal Injury Law
- Philadelphia Auto Accident Lawyer
- Philadelphia Dog Bite Lawyer
- Philadelphia Product Liability Lawyer
- Philadelphia Spinal Cord lawyer
- Philadelphia Whiplash Lawyer
- Philadelphia Medical Malpractice Lawyer
It may be hard to chose Philadelphia personal injury lawyer as Philadelphia is the largest city in the state of Pennsylvania, so there are many to chose from.
In a city that size, there is a good chance that a personal injury may affect your life or the life of someone you know. It may have already happened. If you are injured or have been wronged in any way, that was not your fault, you may be entitled to file a Philadelphia personal injury claim.
So, what is a Philadelphia personal injury claim?
In short, it is a process by which you assess the compensation you deserve as a result of your injury, contact those responsible for your injury, file a claim and hopefully be compensated for the injury. There are several steps to this process. If you have been injured it is important to take the right steps. A Philadelphia personal injury lawyer will be able to guide you through the entire personal injury claim process.
Step 1: Organize yourself and file a claim Getting organized means obtaining any evidence of your injury/accident, writing statements about what took place, and notifying the other party(s) of your intentions to file a claim. Contacting a Philadelphia personal injury lawyer is important if you are unsure of how to file a complaint any part of the claim process. Even if you are familiar with the process, it is still advised to seek the assistance of a Philadelphia personal injury lawyer, as their skill, experience and expertise will be an invaluable assit to the success of your personal injury claim.
Step 2: Lawsuit and Depositions If your initial claim is not accepted by the defendant, a lawsuit must be filed if you wish to be awarded compensation for your injuries. When this happens understanding the specifics of Pennsylvania State personal injury law is essential. A Philadelphia personal injury lawyer will help you understand these specific laws, some of which are:
- The Statue of Limitations is 2 years in Philadelphia, meaning you have 2 years to file a personal injury claim in Philadelphia
- They use Comparative Negligence Theory for deciding who is at fault. This means that if you were careless and this carelessness attributed to your injury, your awards will be lowered accordingly. In cases where you were more careless than the defendant, you will not be able to recover damages.
- Strict Liability applies to those who sell consumer products. Proving that you were using the product correctly and that the defect in the product caused the injury are all parts of this theory of liability.
A Philadelphia personal injury lawyer knows these laws best. Once evidence and paperwork has passed back and forth between both sides, they will meet and discuss the information and the personal injury claim. This is called the deposition. Your Philadelphia personal injury lawyer will be able to help make clear what has happened, as well as communicate your desired outcome to the other party. If no resolution can be found both you and your personal injury lawyer will move to step three.
Step 3: The Trial The last stage in the Philadelphia personal injury claim process is going to trial. The decision about damages paid will be decided by a jury, who will consider both the seriousness of the injury and carelessness of both parties. Only a Philadelphia personal injury lawyer is qualified to see you through a trial.