If you or someone you love has been injured, or even killed, due to the negligent, reckless, or malicious actions of another, you may be overwhelmed trying to cope with your new reality—doctors’ appointments, medical treatments, funeral expenses, lost job or wages, physical and emotional harm, are just a handful of the possible challenges you might be facing. It may feel like the best thing you can do is just focus on what’s in front of you: damage control. However, the damage isn’t your fault, and you don’t have to cope with it all on your own. Personal injury law can provide a means for restoring you financially to the position you would have been in had the injury never occurred, by reimbursing expenses incurred as a result of the accident.
Do I Have a Claim?
If you or a loved one has experienced financial damage as a result of unnecessary physical (or in some cases, emotional) harm, you may have a personal injury claim. Common personal injury claims filed in the Kingston, Pennsylvania area include:
- Vehicle Collisions
- Trucking Accidents
- Pedestrians injured by cars
- Medical malpractice and misdiagnosis
- Accidents in the workplace
- Products liability (injured by malfunctioning, improperly designed, or poorly labeled product)
- Wrongful death (death caused by the negligent, wrongful, or illegal act of another)
This list is not by any means exhaustive, but is merely intended to help you recognize some of the most common causes of action in case they apply to you.
Time Limit on Filing
If you believe that you may have a personal injury claim, it’s important to speak with an experienced Pennsylvania personal injury lawyer as soon as possible. Although it’s understandable that legal repercussions may be the last thing on your mind when dealing with the fallout of an unexpected accident, it’s important to act quickly because Pennsylvania has a two-year statute of limitations. This means you must file your claim in the Pennsylvania civil court system within two years of the date on which the injury occurred. (42 Pa. Con. Stat. Ann. section 5524)
Another benefit to speaking with a lawyer sooner rather than later, is that you won’t delay financial assistance unnecessarily and you’ll be well informed on your options as well as what to keep records of. The longer people wait to file, the harder it can be to recall and find records for all medical treatments and expenses related to the incident. It can be better to experience everything at once with an experienced lawyer to guide the process, rather than having to go back and relive it as a detective later, hunting for receipts and medical records months after the fact. Additionally, in many personal injury cases witness statements are necessary, and the witness statements made in court are more likely to be accurate and consistent the more closely they are timed to the incident.
Next Steps
If you think you might have a personal injury claim, it’s important to take action now to right that wrong. Schedule a free initial consultation with the personal injury attorneys at the O’Donnell Law Offices serving clients in Kingston, Wilkes Barre, Hazleton and Pittston at 570-821-5717 or online today. There is no fee or costs until we win your case.