River Falls Personal Injury Attorneys
Personal injury lawyers handle many types of cases throughout River Falls. However, not all personal injury attorneys handle all types of personal injury matters.
Before retaining an attorney, make sure that the attorney you choose handles the type of case you have. Always check the attorney’s track record and his or her experience. Also, make sure the attorney you select has settlement and litigation experience, since there is always a possibility that your case could go to litigation.
We feel that we check all of those boxes at Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers—so if you suffered a personal injury in River Falls, contact our River Falls personal injury lawyers for a free case evaluation.
Why Should You Hire a River Falls Personal Injury Lawyer?
You may pursue a personal injury claim on your own, but it can be a terrible idea. It can be very difficult to gather all the evidence you need without help from professionals.
After an accident, you’ll deal with a lot of stress from trying to get the treatment you need and start on the path to healing. Your River Falls attorney can guide you by negotiating with defense lawyers and insurance companies to get the best deal. In most cases, people who pursue a claim with a lawyer get substantially more in compensation.
Personal injury lawyers can answer any questions you have and keep as much of the stress off your shoulders as possible. If you were in an accident that left you injured, get in touch with a personal injury lawyer in River Falls for a free consultation. They can help you get started on the path to recovery as soon as possible.
Injured in River Falls? Get Nicolet.
Vehicle Accidents
No vehicle accident is the same. A truck accident is different from a car accident, which is different from a motorcycle accident. Even pedestrian accidents and boat accidents are different. The size of the vehicle makes all the difference in the world when it comes to the type of injuries you could suffer.
Additionally, the way another vehicle hits you also makes a difference. Head-on wrecks tend to cause more damage than rear-end wrecks, especially at higher speeds.
Other Cases We Can Handle for You
- Wrongful death
- Snowmobile accidents
- Slip and fall
- Pedestrian accident
- Dog bites
- Brain injury
- Bicycle accidents
- Drunk driving accidents
Should I Settle or Litigate My River Falls Personal Injury Case?
Whether to settle or litigate your case is a preference that you might make at the beginning of the case, but could change as the case progresses. While everyone would like to settle his or her case because it’s quicker and less expensive, sometimes you must litigate to get the compensation you deserve, especially if your accident caused injuries that turned into long-term or permanent disabilities.
We usually advise our clients to move forward with litigation if the insurance company refuses a fair and reasonable settlement. It depends on the insurance company and whether the defendant has enough insurance to cover all of your damages.
Recovering Damages
In Wisconsin, you can recover compensatory damages and punitive damages. Compensatory damages include economic damages, which have a monetary value, and non-economic damages, which do not have a specific monetary value attached. The court orders the defendant to pay both in an attempt to make you whole again. While the money does not heal your injuries or bring back a loved one, it does ease the financial burden your injuries cause.
On the other hand, the court only orders punitive damages if the defendant’s actions or inactions are considered an intentional disregard for the rights or safety of others. The court does not order the defendant to pay punitive damages to make you whole again, but instead, to punish the defendant’s intentional behavior that caused your injuries or the death of a loved one.
Economic Damages
Sometimes referred to as special damages, economic damages include:
- Past medical expenses for those incurred because of an accident and before a settlement or a trial award.
- Future medical expenses for those incurred because of an accident and after a settlement or trial award. Medical expenses include therapy costs for physical therapy, occupational therapy, cognitive therapy, and other psychological therapies.
- Past lost wages for those you lost from the time of the accident and because of accident injuries and before a settlement or trial award.
- Replacement of destroyed property.
- Funeral, burial, and/or cremation expenses.
Non-Economic Damages
Sometimes referred to as general damages, non-economic damages include:
- Pain and suffering, which includes emotional distress for those who suffered injuries in an accident or because of a product liability case.
- Emotional distress for those who lost a loved one because of accident injuries.
- Loss of quality of life if you have injuries that require you to take medication for the rest of your life or if you have to use an ambulatory aid for the rest of your life.
- Loss of companionship if you can no longer enjoy or take part in family activities and events.
- Loss of consortium if you can no longer have a physical relationship with your spouse.
- Loss of use of a body part or bodily function, such as a hand or your eyesight.
- Inconvenience or homecare needs if you have to hire someone to do typical chores such as grocery shopping, lawn maintenance, house cleaning, and home repair and maintenance.
You could also receive compensation if you suffered an amputation, if you developed excessive scarring, or become disfigured because of accident injuries.
River Falls Personal Injury FAQs
If you were injured in an accident in River Falls caused by someone else, you likely have a personal injury claim. Personal injury claims usually stem from serious and painful injuries caused by both accidents and intentional misconduct.
Your job after a personal injury claim is to recover as fast as possible, but sometimes you cannot pay your bills.
Hiring a River Falls personal injury lawyer is an essential part of pursuing recovery. You likely don’t have all the funds you need to pay for the many medical bills that you’ll acquire as you get treatment. Pursuing a personal injury claim for compensation is the best way to get the money you need to deal with your injuries.
Personal injury claims can be complicated, and you probably have many questions. We’ve done our best to answer the most common questions we receive below.
What Qualifies as a River Falls Personal Injury Case?
A personal injury case is any case that arises from an accident or event that caused injury to the body. A person who wants to pursue a personal injury claim must show that someone else’s action or inaction
caused the accident.
You can base a personal injury claim on three basic grounds:
- Negligence. People have a personal duty to care for the needs of others and avoid unnecessarily endangering them. If a person fails in this duty by acting in a way a reasonable person would consider careless, they are negligent.
- Strict liability. In a strict liability situation, you can hold a person responsible for injuries even if they did not necessarily act negligently or foresee the injuries that might result from an accident. This defense is used, for example, if a manufacturer makes a defective product that ends up injuring someone.
- Intentional wrong. An attack or emotional abuse causes intentional wrongs. Often, these cases may come with a criminal charge as well.
As you can see, these grounds might cover a lot of different accidents. Your personal injury case could arise from:
- A car accident or truck accident.
- A slip and fall.
- An incidence of medical malpractice.
- An animal bite injury.
- Property damage
What Kinds of Damage Can You Claim In A River Falls Personal Injury Claim?
Any personal injury claim is sure to lead to many damages, losses, and injuries.
You can sue for nearly any damage that results from an accident, including:
- Medical expenses. This includes emergency room bills as well as ongoing expenses from surgeries or medication.
- Pain and suffering.
- Lost income from taking time off work to recover from injuries.
- Lost earning capacity if you are unable to return to your initial job due to your injuries.
- Mental and emotional distress.
- Cost of repairs.
- Loss of life enjoyment.
- Loss of consortium (relationships) resulting from the accident.
What Evidence Do I Need For a River Falls Personal Injury Claim?
Depending on what type of accident led to your injury, there are several kinds of evidence you may need to gather. It’s helpful to have:
- Medical records and bills to prove what kinds of injuries you suffered and how much they cost you.
- Photos of your injuries and any damage caused by the accident.
- Eyewitness statements from others present at your accident who can explain what happened.
- Any available video footage of the accident.
- Bills from damage repair.
Your lawyers will help you gather this evidence when you decide to pursue a claim. After you file the initial claim against the at-fault party or parties, lawyers will help you get in touch with medical providers and others who may have evidence for your case.
What Is a Typical Settlement in a River Falls Personal Injury Claim?
Every case is different, so there is no truly “typical” settlement. However, with help from a lawyer, many injured people end up getting tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars, depending on the circumstances of their claim. The amount depends heavily on how much evidence of damage you can obtain and how well you negotiate with the insurance company.
Contact a River Falls Personal Injury Attorney at Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers
If you suffered injuries or lost a loved one because of an accident in River Falls, including a product liability accident, contact Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers at (715) 200-3626 for a free case evaluation.
River Falls Office
215 S 2nd St #20
River Falls, WI 54022
Phone: 715-200-3626