If you are injured because of a neglected or broken sidewalk, is the homeowner who owns the property the sidewalk runs through responsible, or is the city that the sidewalk is located in responsible?
A sidewalk accident can be a worry, and it can be confusing knowing where to turn. You don't want to outright sue anyone, but you don't want to have to use your personal insurance to pay for your injury or have to pay for your medical needs out of pocket. You need to consult with a professional in personal injury law, like a personal injury lawyer, before you go any further. Here's why.
You need to find out who or what is liable for your injury
Your personal injury lawyer is someone who can help you find out how best to proceed in making a personal injury case. You have to file a personal injury lawsuit if you wish to hold a person or entity responsible for your injury. This doesn't mean you're outright creating a major lawsuit, it just means you're legally seeking financial retribution for medical costs and other related costs to your injury based on proving the fault lies outside of yourself.
Your personal injury law specialist is trained to help you find out who is to be held responsible for your sidewalk injury. For example, the city or county may own the sidewalk you were injured on, but the homeowner or business owner using the sidewalk on their property may be responsible for its upkeep. Finding out who is liable can be a struggle, and you need a personal injury lawyer to assist you and work with others to help create your case.
You need to find out what your case is worth
Your personal injury lawyer will help determine what your personal injury case is potentially worth. This is based on medical needs, both now and in the future, loss of work, and other costs associated with your injury. Once you reach a settlement with your case, you cannot go back and refile it, so make sure that you have a solid and thorough case for your sidewalk injury by hiring someone in personal injury law to assist you.
Many cases settle out of court, so don't feel like getting retribution for your sidewalk injury will impact your life for a long period of time. Hiring legal assistance can be the best way to help make your case settle quickly and get you the money you need to heal from your sidewalk injury.
