Need an Injury Attorney for a Car Accident in North Dakota?
Every year in North Dakota, thousands of car accidents will happen due to negligence. In fact, in 2016, there were just over 15,000 accidents with 113 of these being fatal and 4,614 causing injuries. This is down from 2007, where 16,229 accidents took place – but as we can see, the numbers are still in the thousands and these numbers need to be reduced. Because of these statistics, we see that a motor vehicle accident happens once every 35 minutes in North Dakota, but this doesn’t always mean that it will bring injuries. They happen for many reasons, such as drunk driving, distracted driving, drowsiness, and more.
If you have been injured in a car accident in North Dakota, you may wonder where to turn. It is not uncommon to sustain catastrophic injuries in a car accident. Luckily, we are here to help in your time of need, and want you to understand many aspects of your case: such as the damages that may be available to you, proving a party negligent, and so much more.
Damages Available in Your Accident Case
Of course, following your accident, one of the first things that you should do is seek medical treatment for your injuries. There are two reasons for this: You will be receiving help for serious injuries so that you don’t suffer physically, and so that you will be able to show evidence of your suffering or financial strain. When you go to settlement or trial, you will be asked to show evidence of your injuries so that you can receive the compensation that is fair to you. If you have been injured, you may be able to compensate on both economic and non-economic levels. But what are these?
Economic Damages: Economic damages go by another name: special damages. This type of compensation includes anything that is a monetary loss to you. This means that, if you have past and future medical treatments or lost wages in your accident, you could be compensated for them. Many people are not able to return to work because of their injuries and watch as the medical bills pile up.
Non-Economic Damages: Non-economic damages are known as “general damages.” These types of damages are a bit different, as they cover non-monetary losses. They are sometimes more difficult to account for since there is no way to accurately price them. These damages cover aspects like pain and suffering due to the injury, loss of consortium when you and your spouse can no longer be intimate on a physical and emotional level, and more.
Proving Liability and Preserving Your Rights: How We Can Help
Showing a liable party in your case is one of the most important aspects of the case. If you can’t show who was liable, how can you have a claim? You must be able to show four important elements: the defendant owed you a duty of care, they breached this duty, the accident caused your injuries, and that you suffered harm due to their negligence. Once you can show a party was negligent because of their actions on the roadway, you will be able to receive the compensation you deserve.
There are many ways that you can preserve your accident to prove to the courts that the other party acted negligently and you suffered real harm. Many types of evidence include speaking to witnesses who have witnessed everything that happened on the accident scene, taking photographs of your vehicle and your injuries, having documentation on the police report, and more. One of the best ways to preserve your rights is speaking to an attorney who understands your case and wants to help every step of the way. Speak to an attorney as soon as possible to get started on your case and receive the compensation you deserve – you don’t want to wait!