Injuries due to negligence are often costly, and victims can make at-fault parties cover their damages by filing personal injury lawsuits for compensation.
Many personal injuries are relatively serious, such as head, back, and internal injuries. Some of the most severe injuries are sustained during car accidents, though falls are also dangerous for victims. After incurring damages due to negligence, focus on preparing your case so that you do not miss the two-year statute of limitations, which would bar you from recovery. We can fight for you by preserving the necessary evidence (e.g., witness statements) and organizing medical records and other proof of damages. Without proof of specific medical expenses, exact lost wages, and intangible damages, victims may not get the compensation they need, whether from settlements or jury awards.
For a free case analysis from Agrapidis & Maroules, call our personal injury lawyers now at (201) 656-7828.
Serious Personal Injuries in East Orange
Any injury that requires medical treatment might be compensable, especially those with long-term economic and non-economic consequences for victims. These include traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), spinal cord injuries, and internal organ damage, among others.
TBIs are common during severe accidents, such as car crashes and falls. Head injuries range in severity, with concussions typically being milder. Still, concussions might prevent victims from returning to work temporarily, leading to compensable lost wages.
Skull fractures increase the risk of brain damage, as bone fragments could penetrate the brain, leading to permanent injuries. Victims might need immediate surgery upon arriving at emergency rooms, including additional treatments from neurologists as they recover.
Back, neck, and spinal cord injuries are also exceptionally harmful for victims. Again, these injuries might occur during motor vehicle collisions, falls, and other accidents due to negligence. Spinal cord injuries might cause paralysis, requiring victims to undergo extensive physical therapy if regaining mobility is a possibility.
Internal organ damage, also common during serious car accidents, is not always immediately recognizable. Because they have few visible signs, victims might unintentionally ignore internal injuries and delay medical treatment. This is inadvisable for several reasons, namely that your eventual medical records might not align with the incident’s date, making it harder to prove causation. Unaddressed internal injuries, like bleeding, might worsen substantially, leading to more damages for which the defendant might not be liable if you failed to seek immediate medical treatment when appropriate.
The severity of their injuries could determine whether victims can file lawsuits in New Jersey, and our lawyers can immediately compare victims’ diagnoses to the serious injury threshold under N.J.S.A. § 39:6A-8(a).
How to File Your Personal Injury Case on Time in East Orange
Focusing on preparing and filing your case soon after an accident is important for several reasons, the first being the statute of limitations. This restricts how long victims have to sue negligent parties for their injuries.
According to N.J.S.A. § 2A:14-2(a), New Jersey’s filing deadline is two years from the date of injury. Generally speaking, two years is a substantial amount of time. However, victims might have other priorities, especially if they need regular medical treatment to aid their physical recovery. To ensure your case is not delayed, our personal injury lawyers can prioritize preserving evidence, such as eyewitness statements. If you identified witnesses at the scene and got their contact information, you can give those details to our lawyers at this time. Some victims might be unable to talk to witnesses because of their injuries, and we can use other tactics to identify witnesses after the fact, like reviewing the police report. Regardless, interviewing witnesses immediately is vital, as they might have difficulty recalling important details as time goes on.
We can also focus on other aspects of case preparation, like organizing proof of your injuries and real damages, so we can file your case before the statute of limitations runs out. Missing it would bar you from recovering any damages from the at-fault party, even if they caused your injuries.
Proving Economic and Non-Economic Losses from Personal Injuries in East Orange
You must prove your damages to get compensation for them, and our lawyers can help track economic losses and quantify non-economic losses before filing your claim. New Jersey does not limit compensation in personal injury claims, and our lawyers can work to maximize your recovery, whether you settle or go to court.
Proving Economic Losses
To prove economic losses from personal injuries, our lawyers will track and organize bills from the accident, namely hospital bills. All necessary medical care, including ambulance transportation to the emergency room, surgery, prescription medications, and rehabilitative therapy, is compensable, and we can monitor medical bills as you incur them.
Medical experts can also give statements supporting compensation requests for future hospital expenses and lost wages. Doctors can confirm your injuries prevent you from working and for how long. To calculate your lost wages, we may refer to your recent tax returns and paychecks, and we can also consider your potential reduction in earning capacity and how that will affect you financially in the long run.
Proving Non-Economic Losses
Proving you deserve non-economic damages differs slightly. Instead of bills proving your intangible damages, we may use medical records, like test results and X-rays, to show the severity of your injuries and how they affect your current quality of life. Giving a personal statement may convey this, particularly when cases go to trial and juries award non-economic damages. Underestimating victims’ non-economic losses could make them accept bad settlements that benefit defendants over them. New Jersey does not limit compensation for pain and suffering at trial, and our lawyers can take your case to court if settlement negotiations do not yield fair compensatory damages.
Call Our East Orange Attorneys for Help with Your Injury Case
For a free case assessment from Agrapidis & Maroules, call our personal injury lawyers at (201) 656-7828.