Vienna Personal Injury Lawyer
If you recently were involved in an accident that left you with a serious injury, you likely need no imagining of how comprehensive an effect this kind of incident can have on your life. If you want to recover financially for the immense physical, personal, and psychological consequences that someone else inflicted on you, though, you may need to prove through extensive evidence and testimony exactly how impactful their actions were, which can be nearly impossible to do effectively without professional legal help.
Before trying to pursue any kind of personal injury litigation on your own, you should consider contacting a Vienna personal injury lawyer to discuss your unique situation. Guidance from an attorney who has helped people like you through situations like yours in the past could turn out to be essential when it comes to protecting your rights and furthering your best interests in the wake of an unfortunate accident.
Proving that Negligence Caused Compensable Losses
While there are some exceptions for injuries that occur under specific circumstances, experienced legal professionals generally build personal injury cases around a theory of legal negligence. In short, a person is negligent—and therefore holds financial liability for an injured person’s damages—if they directly caused an injury to occur by violating a duty they had to act like a reasonable person would under specific circumstances.
A plaintiff who can prove through a preponderance of evidence that another person’s negligence was the source of their compensable losses can demand financial restitution for the full value of those losses. Recoverable damages in a typical claim can be economic or non-economic in nature, and may include but are not limited to:
- Medical expenses, including bills for future rehabilitative care and prescription medications
- Past or future income losses due to a disability
- Damage to personal property
- Physical pain from an injury or series of injuries
- Emotional pain and suffering due to trauma sustained during an accident
- Lost enjoyment of personal opportunities and hobbies
- Lost consortium with a spouse
Importantly, prospective plaintiffs only have two years to get their cases started in most situations, thanks to the civil statute of limitations codified in Code of Virginia §8.01-243. Assistance from a seasoned Vienna personal injury attorney is often crucial to constructing a strong claim for damages within the time limits set by state law.
How Contributory Fault Could Sidetrack Recovery Efforts
In most states, an accident victim found partially responsible for the circumstances leading up to their accident may still recover for at least a portion of their total damages. In Virginia, however, courts follow a much harsher “pure contributory negligence” system, under which plaintiffs who are partly to blame for their own damages cannot recover any compensation whatsoever.
Because a plaintiff being found even one percent at fault for their injuries can be devastating to their case, legal representation is especially important for personal injury victims in Virginia trying to maximize recovery. If opposing counsel or insurance companies try to accuse an accident victim of negligence in the course of their accident, help from a skilled personal injury lawyer in Vienna may be the only way for that plaintiff to preserve their right to recovery.
Get in Touch with a Vienna Personal Injury Attorney Today
The prospect of engaging in a legal battle over financial compensation for your accident can seem understandably intimidating at first, even if you have dealt with civil litigation before. Fortunately, help is available from dedicated legal professionals who know how to handle these sorts of situations and could work tirelessly on your behalf to pursue a favorable outcome to yours.
A Vienna personal injury lawyer could answer questions and assuage any concerns you have during a confidential consultation. Schedule yours by calling today.
