Fairmont Personal Injury Lawyer

If you or a loved one recently sustained injuries because of another party’s negligence, you may be able to secure compensation for your damages by filing a personal injury claim. Residents of the Fairmont, MN area need reliable legal representation when they decide to pursue personal injury claims. The attorneys at Knutson + Casey have decades of experience handling all types of civil actions throughout Minnesota, and we can put our skills and resources to work in your personal injury claim. Contact us today if you need to schedule a free consultation.

How Do I Know If I Have a Valid Claim?

Personal injury law revolves around the legal concept of negligence, or one party’s failure to exercise reasonable care in a situation. Drivers have a duty of care to others on the road to operate their vehicles safely and abide by the traffic laws. Business owners have a duty of care to address safety issues and prevent injuries to customers and clients. Medical professionals have a duty of care to prevent harm to their patients and provide competent, effective treatments. When an individual or party violates a duty of care for a given situation, anyone who suffers injuries or other damages as a result can file a personal injury claim against the responsible party.

There are four elements of negligence, including:

• The plaintiff must establish that the defendant owed a duty of care for the given situation.
• The plaintiff then must prove the defendant breached his or her duty of care for the situation in question. This could be a specific action, such as speeding, or failing to take action when another reasonable individual would have in the same situation.
• The plaintiff must provide clear evidence of the effects of the defendant’s negligence. If the defendant was negligent but the plaintiff did not sustain any harm, there are no grounds for a personal injury claim.
• Finally, the plaintiff must link the defendant’s negligence to the plaintiff’s claimed damages. This means proving the damages only occurred due to the defendant’s negligence or would not have occurred but for the defendant’s negligence.

An experienced Fairmont personal injury attorney can review the details of your claim and determine its validity. This may require confirming statements from witnesses, gathering necessary documentation such as police reports or medical reports associated with the plaintiff’s claim, or submitting subpoenas for vital evidence like traffic camera footage or CCTV footage from a private business or residence.

Damages and Compensation in Fairmont Personal Injury Claims

Plaintiffs can recover two types of damages in a personal injury claim: economic damages, which seek to repay the plaintiff’s direct financial losses resulting from negligence, and non-economic damages that repay a plaintiff for physical pain, psychological distress, and emotional anguish resulting from negligence. Economic damages can include a plaintiff’s medical expenses, lost income from time spent in recovery, and property damages if the defendant’s negligence damaged or destroyed any of the plaintiff’s personal property.

In the early days after an injury, you should retain copies of any and all documentation related to your accident. If another person or party is responsible for your damages, you should handle your immediate medical concerns and contact a personal injury attorney as soon as you are able. There is a two-year statute of limitations for filing personal injury claims in Minnesota, and this time limit starts on the date of an injury or the date a plaintiff discovered an injury.

Experienced Personal Injury Attorneys in Fairmont

The personal injury attorneys at Knutson + Casey in Fairmont, MN have helped clients all over Minnesota recover damages for their personal injury claims and other civil actions. If you believe you have a personal injury claim, contact our office today to schedule a free consultation. We can review your claim and let you know the types of compensation you could expect from a successful lawsuit.