Serious injuries can happen at any time. Some occur as the result of unavoidable circumstances, but many could have been prevented if it were not for an act of negligence.
When you were hurt through no fault of your own, an Austin personal injury lawyer can help. A civil lawsuit may provide you with the financial resources you need to recover from your physical, emotional, and financial losses. Let a dedicated attorney from Maschka, Riedy, Ries & Frentz review your case and guide you every step of the way.
A personal injury attorney in Austin can help with a wide range of cases. These include any incident where a person is harmed due to negligent conduct. Some of the most common examples include the following:
Car, truck, and motorcycle accidents make up many personal injury cases. When a driver is careless or reckless, they have the potential to injure their passengers and other nearby motorists or pedestrians. Accidents often happen due to impairment, distraction, speeding, or failure to yield the right-of-way.
Slip and falls or trip and falls on another person’s property could be caused by dangerous hazards such as wet floors or unmarked holes in the ground. When someone is hurt because a property owner is negligent in failing to notify them of the danger (or remedy the danger), a civil suit may be appropriate.
Doctors are held to a high standard when treating their patients. When they make a mistake that a professional of their experience should not, they may be liable for the damage they cause.
When an injured person is hurt due to negligence, they can file a civil lawsuit against the at-fault party. However, the statute of limitations, the legal deadline that applies to all lawsuits, sets a firm time limit for starting the lawsuit.
Most of the time, plaintiffs have six years to file their case with the courts, when pursuing an injury claim based on negligence, and three years when pursuing a wrongful death action based on negligence. This time period begins on the day the injury occurs. Understanding the statute of limitations can be more challenging when the injury is not immediately discovered.
It is important to note the statute of limitations may vary, depending on the type of claim. For example, a medical malpractice suit stemming from a doctor’s mistake has a four-year statute of limitations
The consequences of missing this deadline are severe. Outside of a few exceptions, the judge will have little choice but to issue a dismissal with prejudice. This type of dismissal ends the case and bars the plaintiff from ever filing it again.
Exceptions can extend the time to file suit in limited circumstances. The most common example is a plaintiff who is under the age of 18. Because they lack the legal capacity to file a lawsuit in their own name, juveniles have until one year after their 18th birthday to file suit.
A personal injury lawyer in Austin can ensure all deadlines are met and forms are filed correctly so an injured person has the maximum opportunity for compensation.
No one should have to manage a severe injury on their own. In the aftermath of an accident, it is important to find someone you can rely on. This is especially true when it comes to protecting your potential personal injury claim.
Reach out to an Austin personal injury lawyer as soon as possible to schedule a consultation. Our compassionate attorneys are here to help when you need us.
