Personal Injury

Personal injury law involves cases where a person is injured due to the negligent, willful, or intentional acts of another person.  While it is true that accidents happen, negligence should not.  The legal system in the United States imposes a duty of care on every individual to act reasonably.   Occasionally, however, we make mistakes, either by doing things that a reasonable person would not have done or by failing to do things that a reasonable person would have done.  In unfortunate situations, people get hurt.

Strict Liability

A particular area of personal injury law, known as strict liability, holds an individual liable to the party harmed without a showing of fault or negligence.  For example, if a demolition company is using explosives near a school, and they unintentionally blow up the school, it stands to reason that this “inherently dangerous” activity should be punished in some way without having to prove that the demolition company did anything negligent.

Know Your Rights

When we breach the duty of care and someone is harmed, we can be held liable for money damages to the person injured by our negligence.  Not every injury is worthy of legal action however.  If you are injured, you need to understand your rights before deciding whether or not to “do something about it.”  Knowing what your options are and whether or not you have a case are both factors that should go into your decision as to whether to seek legal redress.

An experienced lawyer who is well-versed in the specifics of this area of the law can help evaluate these factors and determine what compensation you may be entitled to.  Compensation can be for the medical bills incurred, medical expenses that reasonably may be incurred in the future, lost income, disfigurement, disability, and loss of a normal life, among other things.

Examples of Personal Injury

Personal injury law encompasses a broad range of areas, from common issues such as automobile accidents and dog bites to exceptional situations like nursing home negligence or abuse.   Attorney Stephen Hoffman is skilled at representing clients in a vast array of personal injury cases, including:

• Motor vehicle collisions
• Slip and fall/premises liability
• Medical malpractice
• Products liability
• Nursing home abuse
• Airplane and boating accidents
• Dangerous products
• Dog bites
• Catastrophic injuries, such as those caused by people who have been over-served at a tavern or bar (dram shop)

What you should know if you have been injured:

• If you are injured and believe it was the result of someone’s negligence, contact an experienced attorney to discuss your case.
• Even if you are not sure if you “have a case,” make certain to contact a lawyer before doing anything else.
• People will often commit various errors that can end their eligibility for compensation simply by talking about their injury to the wrong people.  A statement to an insurance company should never be given before you have spoken with a lawyer.
• A lawyer can evaluate any specific time limitations on when a case must be filed in court in order to recover.
• This area of the law is almost always governed by contingency fee arrangements, where the lawyer is only paid a percentage of the recovery if you win.  In other words, everyone has access to the court system, and there is no fee unless money is recovered for you.