Personal Injury Lawyer Minneapolis, MN

After an accident — especially one that someone else caused, whether due to negligence, recklessness, or criminal behavior — it can be difficult for personal injury victims to make sense of what comes next. While dealing with a serious injury, trying to think about legal options and the idea of taking on an involved process to seek the maximum compensation can be overwhelming, which is one of many reasons why people may simply choose to initiate a personal injury claim with the insurance company and accept the first offer that comes to them.

The reality is that victims will benefit from aggressive legal representation when they are working with insurers or gearing up for a personal injury lawsuit. They can stay focused on recovering from their injuries and getting their lives back on track while a diligent Minneapolis personal injury lawyer handles all aspects of the claim — from communications with insurers to negotiating a settlement, and everything in between.

Personal Injury Attorneys Are Here for You

It is a common misunderstanding that there is no need to work with Minneapolis personal injury attorneys unless a victim plans to file a lawsuit, but the truth is that a personal injury attorney most often handles insurance claims, while rarely taking the case to the Minnesota courts. In some estimates, upwards of 95% of all personal injury cases are settled, with nearly half never even having a lawsuit filed. 

By working with a personal injury lawyer, you can be confident that you won’t fall prey to the insurance company’s attempts at paying you as little as possible — all while keeping your stress low and your focus on your healing process.

Contact 1-800-Injured to Connect With a Personal Injury Attorney Today

1-800-Injured is a Lawyer & Medical Directory that connects personal injury victims with injury law firms in their area for a free consultation. During this consultation victims have the opportunity to speak directly with an experienced attorney about their situation, including the nature of their injuries, the type of accident they were involved in, the impacts the accident has had on their lives so far, and more. 

Once the personal injury attorney has a clear understanding of the situation, they can provide the victims with a clear understanding of what they can expect through the personal injury claims process, and the ways that working with an experienced personal injury firm can help them get the compensation they deserve.

Take Advantage of a Free Consultation

The free consultation comes with no obligation to work with the attorney, so there is nothing to lose and a lot to gain. Insurance companies benefit when claimants try to work through a personal injury case on their own, but as soon as a victim comes to the claim with legal representation adjusters know they won’t be able to use their standard intimidation tactics to settle the case for as little as possible 

Read more below to get a better idea of the importance of working with personal injury attorneys, and contact 1-800-Injured as soon as possible to connect with a Minneapolis law firm today to get the support you deserve through this difficult time.

Common Types of Personal Injury Accidents

The following are just a few of the many ways that someone can suffer from a Minnesota personal injury. Whether or not you see your situation discussed below, contact 1-800-Injured to connect with an attorney about your legal concerns. 

Accidents that involve negligence on behalf of potentially liable parties often give an injured person the right to compensation, and a free consultation is a great opportunity to learn more about your situation as it relates to personal injury law.

Car Accidents

There were a total of 17,483 injury crashes and 483 fatal crashes reported in Minnesota in 2021, equating to 1,116 injury crashes and 85 fatalities per 100,000 residents. Drivers aged 25-29 are the biggest threat, representing 9% of the driving population but causing 11% of all crashes, as opposed to the 65+ category that comprises 19% of the driving population but is responsible for 11% of all crashes.

A car accident can be caused by many different factors including dangerous road conditions, unexpected hazards, drunk driving, distractions, speeding, mechanical failure, inexperience, and more. Each of these causes may have a clear at-fault party that caused the car accident, which will then allow injured victims to file a personal injury claim — often against the driver responsible for causing the crash. 

Motorcycle Accidents

There were a total of 1,249 people involved in motor vehicle accidents while riding a motorcycle in 2021, with 69 people killed and 280 suffering significant injuries. Only 182 of the 1,249 people reported no injuries at all from their motorcycle crash, a significant difference from how often people are involved in car accidents and do not suffer injuries. 

Even a minor motor vehicle accident like a fender bender can lead to serious injuries for a motorcyclist because the vehicle lacks structural protection and falls over when bumped. Each of these factors puts a motorcycle accident victim at risk of a wide range of issues including head injuries, fractures, internal bleeding, and more. 

Minnesota law requires all riders under the age of 18 to wear helmets, an important tool to protect against a severe traumatic brain injury in a motorcycle accident.

Truck Accidents

Truck accidents are another type of motor vehicle accident that comes with significant risks of serious injuries at speeds that would result in minor car accidents with minimal injuries. This is because of the tremendous size difference between an 18-wheeler and a passenger vehicle. 

Commercial truck drivers are held to rigorous standards and strict guidelines including a Commercial Driver’s License, a variety of certifications depending on the nature of their cargo and truck arrangement, and Hours of Service that dictate how long they can drive in a given time period; while all of these protections do help reduce the risks for everyone sharing the road with these massive trucks, accidents can and do happen.

Slip and Fall Accidents

Another common personal injury case stems from a premises liability issue commonly known as a slip and fall. As the name suggests, this accident happens when someone slips or trips and falls while on someone else’s property, which can lead to substantial personal injuries including fractures, spinal cord injuries, and more.

Property owners are expected to provide legal visitors with a safe environment, including things like adequate lighting, safe stairways, sturdy floors without bunched carpets or slick surfaces, and ice-free walkways in the winter. 

An injury stemming from a hazardous condition that a property owner could have reasonably addressed can result in a personal injury claim against the homeowner or business insurance.

Product Liability Cases

When a consumer purchases a product, there are a number of protections enacted by the government that are designed to guarantee safe use. These protections require that companies disclose risks for using the product, as well as instructions on how to operate the product safely. 

Products can cause injuries through a number of ways including manufacturing defects, and design flaws, or a company’s failure to provide adequate warnings and instructions. 

Many of these issues lead to widespread recalls, and victims may have an opportunity to file a personal injury lawsuit against the at-fault parties either individually or as part of a class-action lawsuit.

Dog Bites

Minneapolis, MN dog owners assume complete liability for their animals’ behaviors. Dog bites can cause serious injuries and extensive emotional trauma, among other issues, and a Minnesota personal injury attorney can help a victim seek fair compensation for their unnecessary suffering.

If a person provoked the animal or was illegally on the owner’s property they may not be able to take legal action, and the dog’s owner and their legal representation may try to pin blame on the victim in order to avoid liability. 

Your personal injury lawyer will work to ensure that you are compensated if you sustained injuries due to a dangerous dog that you did not provoke.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are expected to provide patients with safe care that upholds the duty of care that comes with a medical license. Doctors, pharmacists, ophthalmologists, surgeons, oncologists, and gynecologists are just a few of the many different health care professionals that can be found guilty of this behavior. 

When a medical professional acts negligently while providing care, they may be guilty of medical malpractice, therefore allowing the patient to seek adequate compensation through medical malpractice cases. 

Examples of these cases include things like failures to diagnose, misdiagnoses, prescription errors, surgical mistakes, failure to provide appropriate care for a known issue, and many others. 

Pedestrian and Bicycle Accidents

Biking and walking are two great activities for exercise, enjoyment, and for avoiding the need to deal with sitting in traffic — but both still require the walker or rider to interact with motor vehicles. According to a report by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, there were a total of 516 people involved in car accidents while on a bicycle in Minnesota, and 845 people involved in car accidents while on foot in 2021. A total of 1,173 people suffered injuries, and 64 were killed.

Many drivers are either ignorant of pedestrian and bicycle traffic laws, or may either disregard or blatantly violate these laws while driving a vehicle. 

Pedestrians and cyclists alike are much more vulnerable to serious injuries in a car accident due to the fact that they have little or no protection from the multi-ton vehicle that collides with them.

Wrongful Death

Wrongful death is applied to personal injury cases where the wronged party was killed as a result of their injuries, meaning that a wrongful death claim can include any of the instances of common personal injury cases mentioned above. 

Wrongful death claims can be filed by surviving family members, adopted children, parents, spouses, or others who were financially dependent on the deceased. In order to get a clear idea of whether or not you are eligible to take part in this specific type of personal injury claim, you should contact an attorney as soon as possible to learn more about your legal options in this situation. 

You may be eligible for standard personal injury damages, as well as things like funeral and burial costs, long-term loss of financial support (including contributions to retirement funds, insurance coverage, and more) as well as the loss of companionship and consortium surviving family members suffer after a tragic death caused by someone else’s negligence or recklessness.

Common Injuries

As with the types of accidents listed above, even two injuries that appear identical will have completely different impacts on a victim based on a number of factors such as their age and ability to recover, the nature of their work and the impacts the injury has on their earnings, and more. This list is not exhaustive, so whether or not you see your injuries mentioned below, contact 1-800-Injured as soon as possible to get support from an experienced attorney today.

Whiplash

Whiplash is a soft-tissue injury that happens when the head is jolted forward, down, and back in a rapid “S” motion. This causes soft tissues in the upper back and neck like muscles, ligaments, and tendons to tear and rip apart, leading to significant issues like a stiffness in the neck, mobility issues, headaches, blurred vision, difficulty sleeping, and more.

Soft tissue injuries often take a day or two to arise because the majority of the pain is due to inflammation that will not immediately be apparent. This is one reason why attorneys encourage victims not to say anything about their condition to anyone at the scene of the accident other than the EMTs, and to never say that they have not been injured. There is nothing more frustrating than realizing a simple statement at the scene of the crash is being held up as a beacon of truth throughout the claims process — especially knowing that the injury just wasn’t noticeable at the time.

Fractures

When a bone is subjected to a force greater than its tensile strength, it will break apart in any number of ways including minor hairline or pressure fractures, or complete breaks known as compound fractures. Regardless of the severity, these injuries require immediate medical attention and often must be set in either a hard cast or sling. In many instances, the bone needs to be reset back into its original position before it begins to heal.

Fractures can take weeks or months to heal depending on a number of factors unique to the victim such as their age and health. Regardless of how long it takes to heal, a fracture will have an impact on the victim’s ability to go about their normal life. These impacts must be addressed during the claims process, as well as the associated medical expenses.

Traumatic Brain Injuries

Traumatic brain injuries, or TBIs, include a number of injuries that range from a mild headache to a major concussion, or permanent brain damage. In years past, head injuries were not always treated seriously, and people would be dismissed by others and told that they “just got their bell rung.” As advanced medical devices have shown us more about the human brain, we have become aware that even a mild injury has widespread impacts on a victim’s entire system.

If you suspect that you suffered a head injury, whether you are dealing with a mild headache after an accident or you are fighting through headaches, confusion, memory loss, or loss of consciousness, it is important that you connect with a doctor as soon as possible so your injuries can be identified and you can get the care you need to address issues before they become long-term or permanent damage.

Spinal Cord Injuries

The spine is a complex bundle of nerves that runs from the base of the skull to the lower back. This bundle is responsible for transmitting all signals between the brain and the rest of the body, controlling functions including sensation, motion, digestion, breathing, and more. The spinal cord can be broken or severed in accidents, and may result in permanent paralysis or even death.

The impacts of a spinal cord injury go well beyond the victim alone, as their family and loved ones will also need to adjust to life using specialized medical devices, ongoing medical expenses, and significant disruptions to the victim’s ability to live a normal life. All of these impacts must be addressed during the claims process.

Internal Bleeding

Internal bleeding may be difficult to notice at first, as there are no visible issues unless there is bruising. If you are involved in an accident and experience discomfort inside your body cavity, this may be an indication that your internal organs or an internal artery has been damaged. 

These types of injuries must be taken seriously and immediately addressed by a medical professional to avoid them becoming fatal. There is no honor in suffering through any sort of discomfort after an accident, so if you are experiencing any pain, whether sharp or dull, in your body, contact your doctor or go to the nearest walk-in clinic or Emergency Room right away.

The Benefits of Working With Personal Injury Lawyers

Working with an attorney throughout your personal injury case comes with a range of benefits, including those listed below. After a personal injury, victims and family members alike are left reeling from the many impacts, and the guidance of an experienced personal injury attorney can alleviate some of the stress that comes with thinking about the future — particularly the financial impacts that come with severe injuries.

Experienced Representation

One of the most obvious benefits of working with personal injury lawyers is the experience that they bring to the process. For many people, they will only go through the personal injury claims process once or twice in their life — if at all — and insurance companies are well aware of this fact. 

Insurers will work to intimidate or overwhelm a victim with legal documents as they stonewall their attempts to get a reasonable settlement. They will also leverage Minnesota’s comparative negligence in an attempt to pin additional (and often unwarranted) blame on the victim, but an experienced Minneapolis personal injury lawyer can handle all of that on their behalf. 

With the help of an attorney, claimants can be confident that they are getting the best representation possible in their pursuit of justice and fair compensation.

Peace of Mind

Hiring a personal injury lawyer sends a clear signal to the insurer and at-fault party that a victim is serious about their claim and is committed to getting the compensation they deserve. With the support of an attorney, a claimant can think of their case with confidence and peace of mind, knowing that someone is handling the investigation, damage calculations, and negotiations with insurers — and will be ready to take the case to court if necessary.

An attorney can also help a victim understand their financial situation as medical bills, lost wages, and other significant monetary impacts continue to mount. 

Many people accept low settlements out of fear of their finances, but an attorney can help you identify options to keep your finances under control so you can hold out for the money you deserve.

Continuous Guidance

Your legal case will change as new information arises, negotiations move forward, and the nature of your damages continues to evolve while you adjust to your post-injury life. Each of these changes can be stressful as you try to understand what they mean for your case, but thankfully your attorney will be able to keep you informed and updated through each step of the process, and provide you with guidance as necessary.

The insurance company may require you to submit to an independent medical exam or an interview with adjusters. Each of these are designed to extract information or manipulate the details about a case to advantage the insurer, but your attorney will be able to help you prepare for these and give you clear guidelines on how to handle yourself in order to protect your rights.

Negotiation Power

Once your attorney submits a demand letter to the insurer outlining the damages you have suffered and the compensation you are requesting, the adjuster will likely come back with a counteroffer that is typically far less than the amount you started with. Minneapolis personal injury attorneys understand this process and will then begin a series of negotiations in order to close the gap between the two amounts and settle your personal injury claim.

Negotiations between inexperienced claimants and insurers are often aggressively one-sided as the insurer leverages their understanding of personal injury law as a way to intimidate the victim into a low settlement, but your attorney will stay strong throughout the process and continue to demand the financial compensation you deserve.

Only Pay If You Win

Many people are put off by the idea of working with a personal injury law firm because of the perceived costs, but the truth is that the Minneapolis personal injury lawyers you will connect with using 1-800-Injured work on a contingency fee basis, meaning that they will collect a pre-arranged percentage of the final award as payment. 

If they are unable to recover financial compensation for their client, then the client owes nothing.

Whether you go through a personal injury lawsuit or are able to settle out of court, working with personal injury attorneys is well within your reach when you don’t need to pay a dime until after the case is resolved. Everyone deserves support after personal injuries, and contingency fees equalize the playing field.

Frequently Asked Questions for Minneapolis Personal Injury Attorneys

The following questions are just a few of the many things you will be able to discuss in specific detail with a Minneapolis personal injury lawyer during your free consultation, and will further clarify throughout your work together through the duration of your case. 

The answers below are meant to be used as examples, and should not be taken as legal advice, as your situation is unique and will have answers specific to your experience.