Wheat Ridge Personal Injury Lawyer

Wheat Ridge Personal Injury Attorney

Most people living in Wheat Ridge and surrounding communities of Colorado are familiar with the term “personal injury,” but they are not fully aware of what this type of case entails. A personal injury occurs whenever one party causes harm to another party, such as a physical injury and/or economic loss. State law upholds that the party responsible for causing the injury is liable for the damage.

Personal Injury Representation You Can Trust in Wheat Ridge

If you or a family member is struggling with the results of another party’s negligence, a Wheat Ridge personal injury attorney can provide the guidance and support you need in this difficult time. When you know another party is directly responsible for the damage you suffered, your attorney can assist you in holding them accountable and securing compensation for damages. Cheney, Galluzzi & Howard has an experienced team of attorneys who can provide the guidance and support you need in this challenging situation.

Building Your Personal Injury Claim in Wheat Ridge

Many people who experience personal injuries are unaware of the full scope of rights and responsibilities they have in these cases. Others mistakenly assume that filing a personal injury claim would cost more than their total damages, discouraging them from seeking legal counsel when they need it most. Ultimately, if another person’s actions resulted in any type of actual harm, you can seek accountability with a civil claim. The right Wheat Ridge personal injury attorney will be an invaluable asset in this effort.

The plaintiff of any personal injury case must prove exactly how their injury occurred and identify the party responsible for causing it. Once they have firmly established fault, the next phase of their case is proving the damage they suffered because of the at-fault party’s actions. Most personal injury cases filed in Wheat Ridge are the results of negligence, or failure to exercise reasonable care and caution. However, some personal injuries arise from acts of intentional misconduct.

Your Wheat Ridge personal injury attorney can be invaluable to your recovery effort when establishing the essential components of a personal injury claim. This process will differ depending on the type of personal injury claim ahead of you. A few of the most commonly reported causes of personal injury claims in Wheat Ridge include:

• Car crashes, which are a top-cited cause of accidental injuries and deaths across the country each year. Colorado law requires drivers in the state to have auto insurance, and your recovery from any car accident is likely to begin with an insurance claim against the policy of the driver at fault. However, if they do not have insurance or they do not have enough coverage to fully compensate your losses, you must prepare to file a claim against them.
• Truck accidents. Large commercial trucks are inherently more dangerous than most other vehicles because of their large size. When a truck accident happens, the victim not only faces the challenge of accurately proving liability, but they must also potentially contend with “vicarious liability.” This applies whenever one party is responsible for the actions of another party, such as a trucking company bearing fault for the actions of a driver employed by the company.
• Dog attacks. Dogs are very popular pets, and most people are fortunate to only have positive interactions with the dogs they encounter every day. However, dogs are easily capable of inflicting life-changing injuries on people. The state enforces the strict liability rule for these situations, so any dog owner whose pet harms another person is fully responsible for all resulting damages.
• Slip and fall accidents. If you sustained injuries on someone else’s property, you could have grounds to file a personal injury claim under the state’s premises liability laws. Every property owner has a legal duty to ensure their property is safe and free from foreseeable safety issues. If they fail to uphold this duty of care and an injury results, they are liable for the victim’s damages.
• Catastrophic injuries. Unfortunately, some personal injuries result in long-term or permanent harm. Any catastrophic injury is not only likely to present significant physical and medical challenges to the victim but also cause a host of financial issues. An experienced Wheat Ridge personal injury attorney is essential for anyone who has suffered life-changing injuries due to another party’s negligence or misconduct.

Whatever type of personal injury you suffered, the right attorney is an invaluable asset when it comes to proving exactly how your injury happened and establishing the full scope of the damages available to you. To succeed with your personal injury claim, you must identify who is responsible for the injury, prove the full scope of the damages you suffered, and provide clear evidence that the defendant is solely responsible for causing those damages.

Compensation for Personal Injuries

Each state enforces different personal injury statutes, and Colorado personal injury law may seem somewhat restrictive at first glance. This is primarily because of the state’s cap on non-economic damages, which are limited to $250,000 in most cases. Non-economic damages are the intangible losses resulting from a personal injury, namely the physical pain, psychological trauma, and emotional distress caused by the situation in question. Plaintiffs who can produce clear and convincing evidence of the defendant’s fault may have this cap increased to $500,000. The best way to maximize your pain and suffering compensation is to hire an experienced Wheat Ridge personal injury attorney to represent you in your claim.

Economic damages are more straightforward and much easier to prove, and there is no limit on the economic damages available to a plaintiff in their personal injury claim. Therefore, depending on the nature and severity of your personal injury, you may be able to claim:

• Property losses. If the defendant damaged any of your property, such as your vehicle or home, you could seek repair and replacement costs through your personal injury action. For example, if your personal injury happened in a car crash, the driver at fault’s insurance may cover some such losses, but all outstanding property damage can be recovered through your personal injury action.
• Medical expenses. When a defendant has physically harmed you in Wheat Ridge, they are liable for the cost of any and all medical care you require to heal from the injury as fully as possible. You have the right to claim both immediate and long-term medical expenses resulting from their actions, and your Wheat Ridge personal injury attorney will assist you in gathering any documents needed to prove the full scope of the medical care your condition requires.
• Lost income. Many victims of personal injuries are compelled to take time off from work to recover. If this applies to your situation, the defendant is liable for any income lost during your recovery. You can also seek compensation for your lost future earning capacity if the injury they caused has left you permanently disabled.

When you have the right legal team handling your case, you are much more likely to reach the best possible outcome for your recovery efforts following any personal injury.

Resolving Your Personal Injury Claim in Wheat Ridge

The attorneys at Cheney, Galluzzi & Howard have the experience necessary to handle the toughest personal injury claims on behalf of our Wheat Ridge area clients. Once we have assisted you in gathering the evidence necessary for proving fault and establishing the scope of damages you can seek from the defendant, our next goal is to guide you during your case proceedings as efficiently as possible. The majority of personal injury cases filed in the US each year are resolved with privately negotiated settlements. As long as the parties involved in a case are willing to compromise, settlement is beneficial to both parties as it allows them to move past the situation more quickly than a court trial would allow.

Unfortunately, settlement isn’t always an option. If the defendant in your personal injury claim denies liability, asserts that you are at fault for the injury in question, or disputes the damages sought in your complaint, your case may need to be resolved by a civil court judge. Rest assured that the team at Cheney, Galluzzi & Howard will do everything we can to avoid the need for litigation if possible, but we are fully equipped to represent you at trial if necessary. The sooner you secure our firm’s representation, the sooner we can begin guiding you to the best possible result in your claim.

Personal Injury Cases FAQs

Q: Will I Secure a Larger Settlement With a Wheat Ridge Personal Injury Attorney?

A: You might assume that you have a firm understanding of the full range of damages you can seek in your personal injury claim, but an experienced Wheat Ridge personal injury attorney can potentially help you uncover more avenues of compensation than you initially expected from the defendant who injured you. When you choose Cheney, Galluzzi & Howard to represent your case, our goal is to secure as much compensation as state law allows on your behalf.

Q: What Is the Total Value of My Personal Injury Claim?

A: It’s natural to wonder how much financial compensation you could potentially secure for a serious personal injury. State law permits the plaintiff to seek complete repayment of all the economic damages they suffered, which are likely to include property losses, medical expenses, and lost income in most personal injury claims. Plaintiffs may also seek compensation for the long-term economic losses that have not yet been realized, and state law permits them to claim up to $250,000 in pain and suffering compensation in most personal injury claims. This cap can increase to $500,000 when plaintiffs can produce clear and convincing evidence of liability.

Q: How Long Does It Take to Finalize a Personal Injury Case in Wheat Ridge?

A: The total time required to complete your personal injury claim in Wheat Ridge hinges on the full scope of economic damages you suffered, the severity of any permanent effects of your injury, and whether the defendant is willing to accept liability and agree to a settlement. Your Wheat Ridge personal injury attorney should strive to resolve your case as swiftly as possible, and settlement should only take a few weeks in most cases. However, if a case proceeds to litigation, it will take much longer to reach a conclusion.

Q: What Happens if I’m Partially to Blame for My Injury?

A: Colorado upholds the 50% modified comparative fault rule for personal injury cases. This means that when a plaintiff bears partial responsibility for causing their personal injury, they still have the right to recover compensation as long as their fault percentage is less than 50%. They will lose a percentage of their case award equal to their fault percentage, so a plaintiff bearing 25% fault loses 25% of their case award. If the plaintiff bears more than 50% fault, they lose their right to claim compensation from the defendant.

Q: Is It Worth Hiring a Wheat Ridge Personal Injury Attorney?

A: The right attorney can make a tremendous positive impact on the outcome of any personal injury claim in Wheat Ridge. Instead of attempting to manage your case proceedings and your medical concerns entirely on your own, you can focus on your recovery while your legal team manages your civil case. Additionally, your attorney is likely to uncover avenues of recovery you may have overlooked if you tried to handle your case alone. Therefore, it is always best to have reliable legal representation for any personal injury case in Colorado.

The attorneys at Cheney, Galluzzi & Howard have helped many clients through some of the most complicated personal injury claims in the Wheat Ridge area, and we’re ready to apply this experience to your case. We know you have many pressing legal questions regarding your impending personal injury proceedings and the potential recovery you could secure, and our goal is to help you approach this challenging situation with confidence and peace of mind. If you want to learn how an experienced Wheat Ridge personal injury attorney can enhance your total recovery after another party has injured you, contact us today and schedule a free consultation to find out more about the legal services we offer.