Page County Personal Injury Lawyer
Few events that occur in a person’s life will be as damaging as a personal injury. Not only can these events impact a person’s physical health, but they can also jeopardize their ability to earn a living or enjoy life.
Personal injuries can be the result of both accidents and criminal activity. In both situations, an injured party must take the initiative to demand compensation for their losses. A failure to do so can see a person stuck with expensive medical bills and an inability to properly rehabilitate their finances.
A Page County personal injury lawyer is here to help. A professional attorney can work to place blame for an injury on another party and to demand the fair payments that people need to move forward in life.
Helping Injured People After Accidents
Most injuries are the result of accidents. However, this does not mean that another party is not at fault. The law says that every accident is someone’s fault. It is the responsibility of injured people to prove that another party carries this blame.
A Page County personal injury attorney can help to demand fair payments from defendants and insurance companies after accidents. Whether an accident occurred on the road, while riding a bicycle, while visiting another party’s property, or as the result of a consumer product malfunctioning, an attorney can perform a full investigation into the incident.
Attorneys can also help to fight back against allegations of contributory negligence. Under Virginia Civil Model Jury Instruction 6.000, defendants can argue that an injured person did not act reasonably to protect their own wellbeing before an accident. If a jury believes this argument, an injured person cannot collect any payments. Contact an attorney today to let them help you prove a defendant’s fault for an accident.
Victims of Crimes Must Pursue Compensation on Their Own
Less common than accidents are personal injuries that result from intentional acts of violence. Assaults and other attacks are situations where another person intended to cause harm. The victims of these incidents should report the crime to law enforcement.
However, even if law enforcement makes an arrest and a criminal court convicts an attacker, this can never result in the receipt of compensation for one’s losses. To achieve this, parties must sue their attackers in civil court.
Even so, the outcome of a criminal case can be potent evidence in a claim for damages. A concept called res judicata means that a court will not consider the facts of an incident more than once. For example, if a criminal court convicts a defendant of assault, a civil court will not reconsider whether that assault occurred. Despite this concept, an acquittal in criminal court or a prosecutor’s decision not to pursue charges does not mean that a civil claim will not be successful. A Page County personal injury attorney can help explain the complicated relationship between criminal charges and civil demands for compensation.
Contact a Page County Personal Injury Attorney Today
People who suffer personal injuries because of the actions of others need to understand their legal rights. Whether an injury was the result of an accident or an intentional act of violence, the at fault party for the incident has an obligation to provide fair compensation for damages. This often includes payments for medical bills, lost income, and emotional trauma.
Contact a Page County personal injury lawyer today for your free consultation. An attorney can investigate the cause of an injury, place those facts within the framework of the law, and determine how the incident has impacted your life. Armed with this information, a lawyer can make powerful demands during settlement talks or in court.
