Collisions between motor vehicles can be devastating, even when they happen at relatively low speeds in Bloomfield. After a crash, prioritize your recovery and speak to our lawyers about your case.
In the initial stages of your case, we may focus on preserving evidence that could be lost or destroyed. This typically includes eyewitness statements so that we will prioritize scheduling interviews after the crash. We will then determine which experts, such as crash reconstruction or medical experts, would strengthen your case. During this time, we will also assess your damages due to negligence, including medical bills, missed income, and intangible damages. We may negotiate a settlement once your complaint is filed, and the defendant responds. If the liable party refuses to settle fairly, we can proceed with a trial where a jury will decide their fault.
Call our car accident lawyers now at (201) 777-1111 for a free and confidential case assessment from Agrapidis & Maroules, P.C. today.
What Must Happen Before Filing Car Accident Complaints in Bloomfield
Our lawyers must take many important steps before filing car accident complaints in Bloomfield. For example, we must preserve evidence, identify the appropriate experts to involve, and calculate the victim’s recoverable damages. Without doing any of this, your case might not succeed.
Preserve Evidence
Preserving evidence is essential, as it could get lost or destroyed as time passes. This is especially true after car accidents, as first responders may quickly clear scenes to avoid endangering other drivers sharing the road. Preserving evidence is possible by photographing it. If your injuries are too serious and painful to take pictures, you can ask for help from first responders and eyewitnesses. We can combine all photos from the scene to review when determining and proving the collision’s cause.
Preserving evidence also involves speaking to eyewitnesses. Such individuals may stop and offer aid, particularly after a serious crash. If they do, ask for their names and contact details. When victims are unable to obtain this information at the scene, our car accident lawyers may learn it after getting and reviewing the police report from law enforcement in Bloomfield.
Involve Experts
Expert witness testimony may carry weight with juries when lawsuits go to court. Experts’ findings could also convince negligent drivers to settle out of court, so our attorneys will determine which professionals may most benefit your case. For example, having an expert in accident reconstruction review the physical evidence could lead to reports confirming the crash’s cause. Medical experts are also typically useful, as many victims must prove they have suffered a sufficiently serious injury to recover economic and non-economic damages from liable parties in lawsuits. We can get the appropriate medical records and certifications from treating physicians and submit them to the court by the deadline so that it accepts your injury claim. Injuries that pass the threshold include those that end in death, displaced fractures, significant scarring or disfigurement, other permanent injuries, and loss of a fetus.
Calculate Recoverable Damages
We must also collect hospital bills to tally your medical damages before filing your lawsuit. We can do this throughout your physical recovery so these records remain organized, and we can easily calculate your deserved compensation. If doctors anticipate you needing more care after the lawsuit ends, we can also factor those future damages into relief requests.
When calculating your recoverable damages, we will also consider lost wages and if your earning capacity has been temporarily or permanently affected because of injuries due to negligence. Non-economic damages from lawsuits are only recoverable after victims certify that they pass the serious injury threshold, and we can calculate these losses by assessing your pain and suffering since the collision.
Knowing your case’s value before filing it is crucial, as underestimating your deserved recovery could lead to you accepting a lowball settlement. Our attorneys will aim to avoid this by carefully monitoring your compensable losses as you incur them and asserting your warranted damages during settlement negotiations.
What to Expect After You File Your Bloomfield Car Accident Case
Injury lawsuits are complex and involve many complicated procedural elements that victims might struggle to navigate without assistance from our experienced attorneys. We can prepare you for what to expect from your lawsuit so that you feel well-informed and confident throughout the process.
After we file the complaint, the defendant will respond, and we will have 60 days from then to provide certification of your serious injuries so that your lawsuit can proceed. Then comes discovery, which is the time when all parties share information and evidence. This allows our attorneys and the defense to gauge one another’s cases in preparation for a trial or possible settlement negotiations. Settlement talks for car crash lawsuits are common, and many victims want to settle quickly to recover the damages they need as soon as possible. Defendants who sense victims’ wishes for fast settlements could try to use that to their advantage, only offering unfair proposals that do not cover all losses. Our attorneys can identify these tactics and remind you of your case’s value and your choice to go to trial to prove the defendant’s negligence.
Both sides can present their arguments and evidence to the jury when a lawsuit goes to court. The jury will then decide if the plaintiff has proven the defendant’s negligence by a preponderance of the evidence, meaning if they have shown that it is more than likely that the defendant caused the crash and the victim’s injuries. The jury will then award compensation based on the proof of damages our lawyers provide and determine whether the negligent party must give the victim one lump sum payment or cover their damages over several structured payments.
Call Us in Bloomfield to Talk About Your Car Accident Case
Call our car accident lawyers at (201) 777-1111 to discuss your case for free with Agrapidis & Maroules, P.C. today.