Longmont Personal Injury Attorney
If you or someone you love has been injured in a preventable accident, an experienced Longmont personal injury attorney can help you secure the full and fair compensation you need to recover. Our team of trial-tested Longmont personal injury lawyers at Dolan + Zimmerman LLP treat clients like family and can help you decide the best way to proceed. Contact us today to schedule a consultation.
Why Choose Our Team?
- Our attorneys will customize our approach according to your goals and can help you effectively pursue the compensation you deserve.
- Our Longmont personal injury attorney are selective in our cases because it allows us to be more efficient and dedicated to each and every one of our clients.
- We help clients with complete transparency, and our attorneys remain accessible for any questions or concerns.
Types of Personal Injury Cases We Handle
Our firm has extensive experience in handling personal injury cases, including but not limited to:
- Car Accidents
- Truck Accidents
- Motorcycle Accidents
- Premises Liability Cases
- Slip and Fall Injuries
- Dog Bites and Other Animal Attacks
- Sexual and Physical Assault
We represent victims of many types of personal injury accidents. Do not hesitate to contact us if what caused your accident is not on this list. We offer consultations and will listen to the details of your case, and then discuss your legal options.
Why You Need a Longmont Personal Injury Lawyer
Pursuing a personal injury lawsuit does not require a lawyer, but hiring one can dramatically impact your case’s outcome. Research shows that personal injury victims who have legal representation increase their odds of success and receive a higher settlement than those representing themselves.
An attorney can offer you guidance regarding your case’s value and the amount of compensation you deserve. Insurance companies are known for using tactics to blame you and devalue or deny payment on your claim. In these situations, a lawyer can offer protection by speaking to the insurance company on your behalf and negotiating a settlement that fully covers your losses.
How Is Fault Proven in a Personal Injury Case?
For a personal injury victim to hold another party liable after an accident, the following four elements must exist:
- Duty of Care: The at-fault party had a legal duty to act how a reasonable individual would have in a similar situation. For example, in Colorado, drivers are required to obey traffic laws to ensure the safety of themselves and others on the road.
- Breach of Duty: The at-fault party breached their duty of care. For instance, a driver who texts while driving violates their duty of care by engaging in an illegal activity that puts others at risk of injury.
- Causation: The at-fault party’s breach of duty directly caused your injury. For example, medical records link your injury to a car accident caused by the texting driver.
- Damages: Lastly, you must have suffered financial losses. Those can be economic damages, such as medical bills and lost wages, or non-economic damages, such as pain and suffering or emotional distress.
It’s not uncommon for multiple parties to share liability for a personal injury accident. Colorado follows a modified system of comparative negligence that can limit your ability to recover damages. If, for example, you are found 20 percent at fault for your injuries and awarded $10,000, you will receive 80 percent of it or $8,000. Victims who are more than 50 percent responsible cannot recover any compensation.
Types of Personal Injury Damages Available
Following a personal injury accident, victims may be able to pursue compensation, also called damages, for the following:
Medical Expenses
Emergency services, hospitalizations, surgeries, doctor visits, prescription medications, physical and rehabilitative therapy, in-home care, and any other medical care expenses related to the accident injury, including future treatment.
Lost Wages
The monetary value of any income you lose from being unable to work and are likely to lose in the future. If you experience a decrease in your ability to earn an income, you can also obtain damages for diminished earning capacity.
Pain and Suffering
Subjective losses for the physical and/or emotional pain a personal injury victim must go through. Different factors are taken into account when calculating this type of compensation, such as the degree of the at-fault party’s negligence, the severity of your injuries, the impact they have on your life, and more.
Colorado does not place caps or a limit on the amount of economic damages you can recover (e.g., medical bills, lost wages) unless it is a medical malpractice or dram shop case. However, the state does place limits on the amount of non-economic damages you can receive depending on the type of claim or damages:
- Pain and Suffering: $250,000 damage cap plus inflation. If there is clear and convincing evidence, then up to $500,000 (plus inflation). If the victims suffered permanent physical impairment, there is no cap on damages.
- Medical Malpractice: damage cap of $300,000 for pain and suffering, and $1,000,000 for total damages.
- Dram Shop: $150,000 limit on total recovery against bar or tavern per person injured.
- Wrongful Death: damage cap of $250,000 or $500,000 for pain and suffering, plus inflation. Unless the case involves medical negligence, then there is a $300,000 limit. No damage cap if the death was the result of a felonious killing.
- Punitive Damages: only awarded in cases involving extraordinarily reckless or egregious behavior. The award cannot exceed the amount of economic damages awarded unless the court determines specific criteria are met; then, they may not exceed three times the economic damages awarded.
How Much Does a Longmont Personal Injury Attorney Cost?
Personal injury lawyers generally take cases on a “contingency fee basis.” What that means is there is no risk to you because there are no upfront costs. Victims are only required to pay lawyer fees if they recover compensation. However, they may still be responsible for covering expenses such as court costs, filing fees, and expert witnesses regardless of the case’s outcome and when applicable. Contingency fee arrangements give an incentive for personal injury lawyers to take and win cases based on merit rather than a victim’s ability to pay.
Contact Us Today
At Dolan + Zimmerman LLP, our Longmont personal injury lawyers are committed to helping injured victims obtain the compensation they need to recover and move forward with their lives. Call 303-593-1874 today to schedule a consultation.