Hurt or injured in the greater Cleveland area? You need the expertise and assistance of a personal injury lawyer who is local, compassionate, and will fight for you while you recover from your injuries.
There are many instances when a person might need to hire an attorney to help them after an accident. Most people don’t have a working knowledge of the law as it pertains to personal injury claims. Unfortunately, insurance companies have teams of lawyers and experts who both understand the law and will do everything in their power to avoid compensating you for damages, or they will attempt to pay you the smallest amount possible.
Hiring a personal injury attorney from Constant Legal Group’s experienced team ensures you have a skilled expert on your side to protect your rights and help you fight for the maximum settlement.
Personal Injury Lawyer Near Me
There are plenty of lawyers in The 216, but finding one that will treat you and your case with the individual attention you deserve can be a challenge. The Constant Legal Group will put our decades of experience to work to give you the detailed attention and care you need.
Our office is centrally located just northeast of the Rocket Mortgage Field House stadium. We are accessible by the RTA transit system via bus and rail. For more information or for help getting to our office, contact us.
If you aren’t sure whether or not you need to hire a personal injury attorney, we can help you understand the process in more detail and help you make the best decision for your needs.
What Is a Personal Injury?
Personal injury refers to damages and injuries that happen to a person’s body, mind, or emotional well-being. These injuries don’t include personal property, like cars or houses, but you can seek compensation for damage to your personal property as part of a personal injury lawsuit.
When you suffer a personal injury, the negligent party needs to be held responsible for the damages and compensate you for your losses. Negligence means that someone acted in a way that caused your injuries. The chain of events that lead to negligence include:
- Duty of care. This refers to a person’s responsibility to provide a safe environment. Examples include abiding by traffic laws while driving or providing a safe and non-hazardous work environment.
- Breach. When a person or company fails to act with care, they are said to be in breach of their duty of care.
- Causation. When a person’s duty of care is breached, injuries can occur, and causation is the explanation of how that person’s actions caused the injury.
- Damages. Damages are the result of the breach of duty of care that caused the injuries and can include physical, mental, and emotional harm. Damages are not limited to economic losses, such as missed pay or hospital bills, but also include non-economic losses like pain and suffering or loss of consortium.
Proving causation is essential to ensuring a plaintiff is properly compensated for the damages caused by the defendant’s breach of duty of care. It is never advisable to represent yourself in your personal injury case. You need the expertise and experience of a personal injury law firm to guide you.
Do I Need a Personal Injury Lawyer?
Insurance carriers may stress to you the importance of not involving a legal professional in your case, but you can be certain they have a team of lawyers on their side, reviewing your claims and fighting for the rights of the insurance company. Hiring an attorney experienced with personal injury law is essential in ensuring you are properly represented throughout the claims process, even if your case doesn’t go to trial. Insurance carriers look out for their bottom line, which means they’ll be looking for ways to give you the least amount of money possible.
Additionally, if you do need to file a case, you should have a personal injury trial attorney draft your complaint so that it:
- Includes all pertinent, factual information
- Meets all local and state laws applicable to your case
- Is filed within the time frame necessary to meet the statute of limitations
Attempting to draft a complaint yourself, or using an attorney who doesn’t give you individualized care and attention could result in missed deadlines, or even having your complaint dismissed by the judge because it was filed incorrectly. While recovering from injuries, you deserve the peace of mind that comes with hiring an experienced lawyer.
Common Case Types We Have Experience With
At Constant Legal Group, we work with people who have suffered a variety of injuries to help them reclaim their lives. Our practice areas include:
- Car Accidents: Whether you have suffered minor or catastrophic injuries in a motor vehicle accident, our primary goal is to help you recover and advocate for your rights throughout the process.
- Truck Accidents: Accidents that involve large trucks are often disastrous and leave victims with injuries they may not recover from. Our team fights trucking companies, their insurers, and subcontracted trucking companies to ensure you get the compensation you need.
- Other Motor Vehicles: Injuries can happen with buses, motorcycles, and recreational vehicles. We are experienced in helping survivors of all types of motor vehicle accidents recover and get the settlements they need to move forward.
- Product Liability: Some injuries aren’t the result of vehicle accidents, but rather the direct negligence of a manufacturer who produces a faulty product. We fight for victim’s rights in the products liability arena and are actively involved in helping victims of known, defective products seek justice.
- Medical Malpractice: It’s an uncomfortable fact that doctors and medical teams make mistakes. When the unthinkable happens, these teams must be held accountable for their actions and ensure the victims of their missteps are compensated for their damages.
- Sexual Abuse: Survivors of sexual abuse have unique needs that extend beyond simply getting a monetary settlement for their damages. Our attorneys handle sexual abuse cases with the utmost care and discretion, ensuring that survivors have the resources they need to reclaim their lives.
We handle cases that involve spinal injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and pharmaceutical litigation cases. If you aren’t sure you have a case, the best way to find out is to schedule a consultation with us so we can review your claim. We can help you pinpoint facts, and ensure you have the evidence you need to file your claim and pursue justice.
What Evidence Is Needed for a Personal Injury Claim?
After you’ve been injured, you’ll be focused on recovery. Unfortunately, you’ll also need to collect evidence to file your claim. Evidence is essential for proving causation, and collecting as much as possible is key to a successful outcome. Examples of evidence you’ll need include:
- Accident reports
- Pictures and videos taken at the scene of the accident
- Witness information
- Medical records from your treatments
- All bills and receipts from your treatments, medications, and therapies
- Insurance correspondence and policies
- Expert witness reports and statements
- Proof of financial hardships/changes in your finances that have occurred as a direct result of your injuries
You’ll need an experienced attorney with a background in personal injury law to ensure all your bases are covered. Establishing evidence is crucial in the state of Ohio because Ohio follows the rule of modified comparative negligence.
Modified Comparative Negligence Rule
Liability must be determined in a personal injury case to establish who should compensate a victim for their injuries. However, in states like Ohio, modified comparative negligence applies. This rule means that the total amount a person is eligible to collect is reduced by the percentage they are found to be at fault for their accident.
For example, if you are injured in a car accident and found to be 50% at fault, your total compensation will be reduced by 50% based on that finding. Ensuring you have evidence that you are not at fault is crucial to your case. In addition to evidence, you’ll also need to make sure you file your case in a timely manner.
How Long Do You Have to File a Personal Injury Lawsuit?
For most types of personal injury, you have two years from the date of the injury to file a lawsuit. Ohio Revised Code Section 2305.10 governs the statute of limitations on bringing suit in specific cases and makes provisions specific to certain types of chemical exposures, birth injuries, and product liabilities.
Filing on time is essential to ensuring you are eligible for all of your damages. Keep in mind, not all damages are tangible. Damages also include compensation for non-economic damages.
Types of Personal Injury Damages
Economic damages include actual financial losses that result from other people’s negligence. These include but aren’t limited to:
- Medical expenses
- Property damage
- Loss of income
- Loss of earning capacity
- Out-of-pocket expenses
Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages include damages for non-monetary, subjective losses. These include:
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Loss of quality of life
- Loss of consortium/companionship
- Disability/permanent impairment
- Loss of enjoyment of life
The Ohio state code clearly defines different types of damages, but you need an experienced attorney to ensure you are including all the damages you are entitled to in your claim. It is rare that an insurance carrier volunteers to pay non-economic damages and, if they do, they will try to pay the lowest amount possible.
To make sure you get the most for your claim, you need a strong, experienced attorney who can fight the insurance company for you. Every claim is different, and understanding the factors that influence a settlement can help you understand what you are entitled to.
How Much Is a Typical Injury Settlement?
Numerous factors determine how much you will be entitled to receive for your personal injury claim. Insurance policy limits, the severity of your injuries, your recovery, your negligence, and state laws all play a role in how much you can receive.
It is almost impossible to sort out these factors and determine the settlement you deserve on your own. For that, you need the help of an attorney.
How Can Constant Legal Group Help Me Recover Personal Injury Damages in Cleveland?
Your personal injury attorney has a tall task, and at the Constant Legal Group, we are equipped for the assignment. We’ll help you recover your damages by thoroughly investigating and handling the following aspects of your case:
- Perform a comprehensive investigation of your case: We’ll collect the accident report, speak to eyewitnesses, and collect photographs from the incident.
- Gather relevant evidence likely to be admissible in court: We can make sure that your medical records, expert witness testimonies, and all other evidence are properly cataloged and kept safe.
- Assess your total damages: Our attorneys are skilled at determining both economic and non-economic loss totals.
- Prepare all relevant documents and file all paperwork on time: When you hire an attorney, you never need to worry about missing a deadline or not responding to a request in a timely fashion. We handle it for you.
- Communicate your personal injury claim to the other party: Trying to talk to the at-fault party can be risky and uncomfortable. When you hire us, we’ll handle those communications for you.
- Negotiate with third parties: Many times, there are third parties who are at fault or who become involved in your case. We will speak with and negotiate with these parties also.
- Present your personal injury case in court, if required: If your case goes to trial, our attorneys will represent you.
Our attorneys are ready to help you with your case so you can focus on recovery from your injuries. Even if you are not a resident of Cleveland but have been hurt in the Cleveland area, hiring a local attorney is the best course of action.
Advantages of Hiring a Local Attorney
Many law firms can handle cases nationwide, but the benefits of hiring a local for an injury claim that happened near Cleveland are immense. Our firm consists of attorneys who live and work in the Cleveland area. We are familiar with our city, with local and state laws, and with judiciary staff and procedures.
In addition, the team at Constant Legal Group has worked hard to develop relationships with local experts, therapists, and doctors. If you need a referral, we can help. When and if a trial is necessary, we’re within walking distance of the courthouse, saving you time and money on travel expenses to and from court. Hiring the Constant Legal Group is the right first step toward recovering compensation for your personal injury claim.
Cleveland Personal Injury Lawyer: FAQs
What Is Personal Injury Insurance?
Personal injury insurance protects a person if they are at fault in an accident where other parties are injured. Personal injury insurance may also offer benefits to the person who is at fault.
Does Personal Injury Include Emotional Distress?
Yes. Personal injury can be sustained to the body, mind, and emotional well-being of a person. Emotional distress may even be severe, as in the case of someone who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Can I Make a Personal Injury Claim Myself?
You can make a personal injury claim by yourself with an insurance carrier. However, be advised that doing so places you at risk of not receiving the maximum compensation to which you may be entitled.
Who Files a Claim in a Car Accident?
The injured party files a claim in a car accident, usually with the at-fault party’s insurance carrier, with their carrier, or both. Multiple parties may be involved, such as if you have been involved in a car accident with a subcontracted vehicle.
How Many Personal Injury Cases Go to Trial?
Less than 10% of all personal injury cases go to trial. Insurance carriers would prefer to settle these cases outside of court to save on trial costs, travel, and associated expenses.
Why Is My Personal Injury Case Going to Trial?
If your personal injury case is going to trial, there may be many reasons why. The complexity of your case, the number of parties involved, and the damages and injuries you have all play a role in whether or not a case will go to trial. The cooperation of insurance companies may also play a role in whether or not your case goes to trial.
Why Is My Personal Injury Settlement Taking So Long?
We aim to get your case settled as quickly as possible, but we are limited by factors like insurance company caseload, court caseload, and statutes of limitations. Rest assured that we will respond to every court document and piece of correspondence from opposing parties quickly and efficiently so that your case does not take longer than it should.
How Much Do Personal Injury Lawyers Charge?
A personal injury attorney typically collects a percentage of your settlement as their fee. This means they work on a contingency basis, and you do not pay the attorney until you have received your settlement.
Looking For a Personal Injury Lawyer in Cleveland? Contact Constant Legal Group For Help
When you are injured, your sole focus should be on recovery, but if you are involved in a personal injury claim you won’t be able to get the rest and recovery you need. Hiring the Constant Legal Group allows you to focus on your recovery while we take steps to get you the settlement you deserve.