Green Bay residents, workers, and visitors suffer accidental injuries every day. But that doesn’t mean those injuries are inevitable. More often than not, people get hurt in crashes on I-43, falls at Adams Street businesses, and mishaps on the Fox River, because of someone else’s careless, reckless, or intentional actions.
Wisconsin law entitles Green Bay personal injury victims to take legal action seeking compensation for the harm they suffered through another party’s misconduct. Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers can help. Our team of skilled, experienced Green Bay personal injury lawyers fights to secure maximum compensation in personal injury cases. Contact us today to learn how we can help you.
Injured in Green Bay? Get Nicolet.
A Team That Gets Results
Founded in a small, one-room office in 2007, Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers has grown into one of Wisconsin’s most well-regarded and successful personal injury law firms. Every day, our lawyers help injured clients achieve successful financial outcomes in their personal injury cases. We take pride in being a client and community-centered law firm.
Our recent results in personal injury cases include:
- $1.2 million settlement for a child victim in a motor vehicle accident
- $1.05 million settlement for a pedestrian struck by a vehicle
- $700,000 for the victim of a semi-truck accident
- $335,000 for the victim of a slip and fall
We cannot guarantee that every personal injury case we handle will end as successfully as these examples. But our track record does demonstrate that clients can trust us to handle even the most complicated and emotionally difficult personal injury cases in Green Bay.
Green Bay Personal Injury Sections
Your Risk of Accidental Injury in Green Bay
Few people give much thought to the risks they run in their everyday lives of suffering a severe injury in an accident. But that doesn’t mean the risks aren’t there. The truth is, every single day the average Green Bay resident encounters multiple risks that put them in danger of an injury.
Personal injuries happen when you least expect them, and they can throw your health and life into turmoil. Accidental injuries account for nearly 97.9 million emergency room visits each year in the United States. Granted, not all of these accidents happen because of someone else’s misconduct, but many do.
At Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers in Green Bay, our job is to determine how preventable accidents happened, identify who caused them, and fight to hold those at-fault parties financially accountable to our clients.
Types of Personal Injury Cases We Handle
People get hurt in Green Bay in a virtually infinite variety of ways. Any preventable accident or incident that leads to injury can form the basis for a personal injury lawsuit.
At Nicolet Law Accident and Injury Lawyers, we have the skill, know-how, and resources to represent victims of personal injuries no matter how they occur.
Our team routinely represents clients who have suffered injuries in:
- Car accidents—Car accidents are one of the most common causes of personal injuries in Green Bay and throughout Wisconsin. Vehicle accidents regularly inflict significant injuries to vehicle occupants and bystanders. We represent car accident victims in cases against anyone whose careless or reckless actions led to a crash.
- Truck accidents—Large trucks, including tractor-trailers and construction vehicles, can cause devastation when they crash into a passenger vehicle. Truck crashes commonly result in fatalities. Our team holds truckers, trucking companies, and others accountable for misconduct that leads to catastrophic truck accidents in Green Bay.
- Motorcycle accidents—Green Bay motorcyclists have the same right to use the road as anyone else. In an accident, they also face high risks of serious injuries. We fight to get injured bikers the compensation they deserve from anyone who fails to take their safety seriously.
- Boating accidents—The Fox River and Green Bay play central roles in the Green Bay community. Recreational and commercial boaters must act reasonably to enjoy our water bodies safely. We fight to make sure victims of boating accidents get paid what they need to heal and return to the water.
- Defective products—Consumers have the right to expect that products they use in their daily lives, from cars to kitchen appliances, will function as intended. Defective products can destroy lives when they break, explode, or catch fire. We fight to make sure manufacturers pay for the harm their defective products cause.
- Slip and fall cases—Falls constitute a leading cause of unintentional injury in Green Bay, especially among elderly residents, children, and construction workers. Green Bay property owners must keep their premises free of unreasonable hazards. If they fail in that duty, we fight to make sure they pay anyone injured as a result.
- Dog bites—A dog bite is not always a minor inconvenience or injury. Some victims of dog bites in Green Bay suffer devastating trauma and will carry disfiguring scars for the rest of their lives. We hold dog owners and others accountable under Wisconsin law for the harm their dogs caused innocent victims.
- Workplace accidents/workers’ compensation—Many preventable injuries happen on the job in Green Bay. Workers who suffer work-related injuries and illnesses have rights to workers’ comp benefits and, potentially, to additional compensation from at-fault parties. We fight to get them all the money they need to heal and rebuild.
- Wrongful death—In the worst cases, a preventable accident takes the life of an innocent victim. What that happens, surviving family members may have the right to seek compensation from the at-fault party. Our compassionate team represents those families in seeking justice for a senseless loss.
Negligence: The Most Common Cause of a Personal Injury
The vast majority of personal injuries are preventable. Most of them happen because someone other than the injured victim made unreasonably dangerous decisions, or engaged in unreasonably dangerous actions. Attorneys broadly refer to those unreasonably dangerous decisions and actions as “negligence.”
At Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers, a significant portion of our time and effort on behalf of a client goes into gathering and presenting evidence to prove that negligence led to our client’s injuries.
In a nutshell, that means we aim to prove that:
- Someone owed our client a duty of care to act reasonably
- That someone violated the duty of care by acting in an unreasonably dangerous manner (or by making an unreasonably dangerous decision)
- Those actions or decisions caused an accident or incident that harmed our client
- Our client suffered damages—both economic and non-economic—as a result.
If that sounds complicated to you, don’t worry. Our team of attorneys and legal professionals has years of experience handling the process of proving negligence and damages on behalf of our clients. We handle the complexities of your personal injury case so that you can focus your energies on healing and rebuilding.
Common Injuries our Clients Face
Every accident and mishap in Green Bay occurs under a unique set of circumstances that will influence the type and severity of a victim’s injuries. At Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers, we take the time to understand the particular circumstances of our client’s injuries and losses. Every client receives personalized attention from our team. We never treat you as just another claim to process.
Over our years of law practice, we have accumulated a deep and broad body of knowledge about the physical and emotional challenges our clients commonly face.
We can help individuals recover compensation for the costs, losses, and difficulties inflicted by:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Neck, back, or shoulder injuries
- Broken hips
- Broken bones or other orthopedic injuries
- Amputations or the loss of limb function
- Burns and other disfiguring injuries
- Torn muscles, ligaments, and tendons
- Nerve damage
- Lacerations and puncture wounds
- Injuries to vital organs
- Chronic and acute illnesses
When necessary, our team also works with a network of skilled medical experts to help diagnose, evaluate, and prove our clients’ injuries and illnesses.
Who Might Owe You Damages?
If someone’s negligence or intentional misconduct harmed you, chances are you have the right to receive compensation from them. But that’s often easier said than done. Sometimes, you may not know who harmed you, and sometimes the party you think is at-fault might not be the only party who should pay you for your trouble.
As skilled, experienced personal injury lawyers, we understand that one of our most important jobs in Green Bay personal injury cases is to dig into the facts to identify all parties who may owe damages to our injured clients. We take pride in looking beyond the obvious to uncover unseen misconduct and hidden connections that could make multiple parties legally liable for an injury or illness our client suffered.
For example:
- In motor vehicle accident cases, we examine the conduct of not just the drivers involved, but also employers, automotive manufactures, and government agencies.
- In slip and fall cases, we often determine the potential liability of property owners, tenants, and contractors.
- In workplace injury cases, we fight to get our clients workers’ compensation benefits, and we also investigate to determine if a third party may owe them additional money damages.
You deserve to have attorneys who go the extra mile for you in your Green Bay personal injury case. Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers is that kind of law firm.
Potential Compensation for a Personal Injury in Green Bay
A personal injury can cause wide-ranging physical, emotional, and financial difficulty. You deserve compensation for all of it. At Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers, we take a comprehensive approach to analyzing the harm our clients have suffered. We aim to get them the maximum amount of money available under Wisconsin law so that they can pay for their medical care, recover from financial losses, and move forward with their lives with independence and dignity.
Every personal injury case we handle in Green Bay is unique, so we cannot guarantee particular types of results.
But in general, through aggressive litigation and skilled negotiation, our team can often secure money damages for our clients to pay for:
- Current and future medical costs
- Lost income and economic opportunities
- Non-medical out-of-pocket expenses
- Property damage
- Pain, suffering, and diminished quality of life
In some cases, we can also secure an award of punitive damages for our clients, in those cases in which the at-fault party acted maliciously or with a disregard for our client’s rights.
Deadlines for Personal Injury Cases in Green Bay
In Wisconsin, the statute of limitations for most personal injury cases is, at most, three years, and sometimes as little as a few months. If you do not file a lawsuit or take other legal action for your personal injury before this deadline expires, you will likely lose your right to compensation.
Do not put your potentially valuable rights at risk. The sooner you have a skilled personal injury lawyer on your side, fighting on your behalf, the better your chances of meeting critical deadlines and of obtaining maximum compensation for your injuries and losses.
Green Bay Personal Injury FAQs
When Do I Need to Hire a Green Bay Personal Injury Attorney?
People who suffer severe injuries typically need the help of a personal injury lawyer, while those with minor injuries often do not need to hire a lawyer. The area between the extremes sometimes makes it difficult to know whether you should consult with an attorney. If you suspect you should hire an attorney, you are probably right.
However, the best way to know for sure is to schedule a free consultation and let an experienced Green Bay personal injury lawyer evaluate your case and determine if you have a viable claim. It’s better to be certain about your claim than miss out on recovering damages for injuries caused by someone else.
More specific scenarios that often suggest someone needs to hire a personal injury lawyer to help with their claim include:
- You have missed days, weeks or even months of work, requiring you to use all of your paid time off and take additional time without pay.
- You have had to see a doctor or chiropractor for help with your injuries.
- You had surgery after your injury, or your doctors tell you that you need surgery in the future because of the injury.
- You spent a day or two in the hospital because of your injuries.
- You suffered permanent damage or have a permanent disability because of your injury.
- You have been diagnosed with a terminal disease due to negligence.
What Types of Personal Injury Cases Do You Handle?
Our firm handles a wide range of personal injury claims, including:
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Truck accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- ATV accidents
- Defective products
- Workers’ compensation
- Social Security Disability
- Dog bites
- Wrongful death
Even if your injuries do not fall into one of the above categories, you should still consult one of our Green Bay personal injury attorneys. There is a good chance we can help if your injuries occurred because of negligence. If not, we might be able to point you in the right direction. The vast majority of personal injury claims stem from negligence, making it impossible to include an exhaustive list of all types of cases we handle.
How Much Time Do I Have to Bring a Green Bay Personal Injury Lawsuit?
Each state has statutes of limitations that govern the length of time someone has to bring a civil lawsuit for damages against another party. Wisconsin has a three-year statute of limitations for most personal injury claims. Those who fall victim to negligence or intentional harm have three years from the date of injury to file a lawsuit to recover damages.
Some exceptions to the three-year statute of limitations include:
- Eligible surviving family members who wish to bring a wrongful death lawsuit against the party responsible for the loss of their loved one must take action within two years of the date of death.
- People who suffer injuries because of the negligence of the City of Green Bay, Brown County, or the State of Wisconsin must file a claim within 120 days of their injury.
Regardless of the strength of your claim, take action as soon as possible. Failure to bring a lawsuit before the statute of limitations runs out almost always ensures a court will dismiss your case. Additionally, the quality and availability of evidence and witnesses diminish over time, making it more difficult to support your claim. The law does allow for some rare exceptions, but it’s best to let an attorney review your claim if you are worried about a looming statute of limitations deadline.
Who Pays Medical Bills After Suffering Injuries in Green Bay?
You are always responsible for paying medical bills related to your injuries, but that does not mean another person or business is not ultimately financially liable for the amount you had to pay. During settlement negotiations or litigation, you might find another party is liable for your medical expenses because their negligence led to your injuries. If you win your case, you could have everything you paid reimbursed, and your lawyer will pay any current bills out of any settlement money or jury award you receive.
Some victims of negligence choose not to pay their medical bills and let them ride. They might not have the money to cover what their health insurance doesn’t pay, or they might refuse to pay on the principle that someone else caused their injuries. You must communicate with your providers to let them know your situation. Failure to pay could result in your account going to collections and damaging your credit.
Medical providers are familiar with personal injury claims and lawsuits. If they know that you are waiting for a resolution on your claim, they might put your account on hold or request a minuscule monthly amount to show good faith.
Will I Have to Testify in Court for My Green Bay Personal Injury Case?
It depends on the circumstances that led to your injury. Some claims are more likely to settle before trial than others. For example, most claims involving traffic accidents typically settle before trial. If your injuries did not occur in a motor vehicle, motorcycle, or truck accident, you may have a higher chance of going to trial.
The same is true of permanent injuries. A permanent injury often means a larger than average settlement or jury award. Insurance companies want to avoid this, so they sometimes fight it out in court. Regardless of the situation, both sides have incentives to avoid litigation. It’s expensive and takes ample time to prepare for trial. However, you should always prepare for the possibility. Your lawyer can review your claim and give you a better idea of your chances of going to trial.
Should I Accept a Settlement Offer From an Insurance Carrier?
You decide to accept or deny a settlement offer, but it’s always best to let a lawyer review the offer. Insurance companies stay in business by watching out for their bottom line and paying out as little as possible in settlements and jury awards. If they cannot legally deny a claim, they make aggressive moves to avoid some financial liability.
Early settlement offers prey on injured people suffering financial hardship from their injuries. Insurance companies promise enough money to tempt someone to sign the agreement, but it’s rarely fair compensation for losses.
The biggest problem with accepting an early settlement offer is that you must waive your right to sue the defendant for future compensation. You have no way of knowing the full value of your injury claim because you do not know the extent of your injuries. Permanent injuries drastically increase the value of a claim, and early settlement offers typically come before doctors can provide the chances of a full recovery with any certainty.
Accepting an offer can leave you without the money you need for continued care and treatment if your injuries turn out to be worse than you or your doctor initially thought. This creates additional economic hardship, especially if you cannot return to your job.
How Long Do I Have to Wait to Resolve My Green Bay Personal Injury Claim?
Various factors impact how long it takes to settle or litigate a personal injury claim. Some cases settle in a few months, and others take years after attempts at negotiations and then going to trial.
Examples of factors that could affect the timeline of your Green Bay personal injury claim include:
- Liability disputes. Some scenarios that lead to personal injury reveal the liable party, making it difficult for the other side to dispute liability. However, sometimes the defendant and their legal team will vehemently deny fault, often leading to failed negotiations that force litigation.
- Multiple plaintiffs/defendants. Anytime more people, businesses, or other parties are involved in a personal injury case, the timeline to resolution often increases. More people mean more paperwork, more schedules to coordinate, and often an ongoing game of pass the buck with fault.
- Witness availability. Your lawyer needs to get statements from any witnesses to your injury and might also need to secure expert witness testimony to support your case. Coordinating schedules for witnesses can be challenging and sometimes lengthens the time it takes to resolve a case.
Your Green Bay personal injury lawyer can review the events leading up to your injury and the facts surrounding your claim to identify issues that might increase the time it takes to settle or litigate your case.
Can I Afford a Green Bay Personal Injury Lawyer?
Yes, you can. Do not let worries about the cost of a lawyer stop you from getting legal help to hold the negligent party that harmed you accountable. Like many dedicated personal injury law firms, Nicolet Accident & Injury Lawyers take new clients on a contingent fee basis. You do not pay an upfront retainer like you would for a defense or divorce attorney. If we win your case for you, we deduct attorney fees and other costs of representation from any settlement money or jury award you receive.
Should I Hire a Green Bay Personal Injury Lawyer?
Sometimes victims of negligence choose to go it alone because they genuinely do not understand how hiring a personal injury lawyer can help them. Lawyers draft and file legal documents, but this is only a small portion of how they help clients. Hiring a personal injury lawyer often provides the best chances of prevailing in your claim and receiving maximum compensation for your injuries.
The benefits of hiring a personal injury attorney to represent you include:
- Investigation. Lawyers investigate their clients’ injuries to uncover hidden facts and circumstances to support a claim. The types of evidence and investigation vary among claims but can include obtaining police reports, security camera footage, logbooks, phone records, and criminal history. Additionally, lawyers take witness statements and consult with experts.
- Communication. Once you hire an attorney, they can handle all communication with the defense, their legal team, and the insurance company. This protects you from tricky insurance company tactics that try to get you to say something to devalue your claim.
- Negotiation. Lawyers are trained negotiators who have ample experience dealing with insurance companies. A personal injury lawyer can often negotiate a better outcome for a client than what the client can secure themselves. Insurance carriers often take claimants more seriously when they get a lawyer involved.
- Litigation. After exhausting all avenues, some cases go to trial. When the other side does not want to offer fair compensation or disputes liability, personal injury lawyers fight for their clients in court to secure a verdict in favor of the plaintiff and an accompanying jury award.
Still have questions about your case? Our Green Bay personal injury lawyers can help answer any questions you may have, schedule a free consultation today.
Knowledgeable, Skilled Personal Injury Lawyers in Green Bay
Suffering a preventable injury in Green Bay can disrupt your life, income, and relationships. You should not have to bear the cost of those difficulties on your own. If someone else’s wrongful conduct contributed to the cause of the accident that harmed you or your loved one, you probably have the right to seek significant financial compensation through a lawsuit or insurance claim.
To take full advantage of that right, you need a skilled, knowledgeable personal injury attorney on your side. The right lawyer can investigate your case, collect critical evidence, and take the actions needed to secure the money you need to pay for care, replace lost income, and compensate you for the difficulty you have endured.
Do not wait. If you or a loved one suffered a preventable injury in Green Bay, contact Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers online or call us at (715) 226-6149 for a free, confidential, no-obligation consultation with a member of our award-winning personal injury team.