From car crashes to tripping hazards, there are countless ways to suffer an injury in Johnstown through no fault of your own. If another person or entity caused your injuries, you may qualify to receive compensation through a personal injury claim or lawsuit.
An experienced Johnstown personal injury lawyer at Marcus & Mack could successfully complete your quest for compensation.
At Marcus & Mack, our attorneys have more than 100 years of collective experience in personal injury law. We can review your case at no cost and inform you of your rights and options to pursue compensation from the at-fault party. If you have a valid case, you can rely on us for compassionate, personalized representation and strong advocacy throughout the process.
Contact us today to request a free consultation.
When selecting a law firm to handle your Johnstown personal injury claim, choosing the right firm can make a considerable difference in the outcome of your case.
Reasons to choose Marcus & Mack include:
To learn more about how we can help you obtain justice and fair compensation in the wake of a preventable tragedy that hurt you or a beloved family member, contact Marcus & Mack today by calling (814) 539-3213 for your free case evaluation.
People can suffer personal injuries from many accidents and incidents in Johnstown, including:
Our lawyers handle all of these types of claims and more. Also, if another party’s negligence killed a close family member, a wrongful death lawyer at our firm could help you obtain compensation for funeral costs and other associated losses.
Reach out to us for a complimentary consultation to determine if you have a valid personal injury claim in Johnstown and learn how we can help.
Some injuries—no matter how severe—will never lead to a viable injury claim. To recover compensation on behalf of an injured civil plaintiff, a capable Johnstown personal injury attorney must establish the defendant caused the plaintiff’s injuries.
To establish legal negligence, a plaintiff must demonstrate:
A defendant could face liability if they owed the plaintiff a duty of care at the time of the injury. A duty of care is an obligation imposed by law to act in a way that prevents others from suffering avoidable harm. For example, drivers owe each other a duty to drive safely, while a property owner owes visitors a duty to warn them of unseen hazards, called premises liability.
If a skilled personal injury lawyer in Johnstown can establish that a duty of care existed, the next step is to prove the defendant breached that duty.
Breaching a duty of care typically involves a careless, reckless, or intentional act—for example, driving too fast for road conditions and causing a car accident or failing to clean up a spill on the floor of a restaurant within a reasonable amount of time resulting in a slip and fall.
The next step to a successful civil suit would be to establish causation. In a legal context, causation is a direct link between the defendant’s breach and the plaintiff’s injuries. Put another way, a defendant cannot be responsible for injuries they did not cause.
Finally, an injured party seeking civil compensation must prove they sustained compensable damages from the breach. Typical examples of recoverable damages include bodily injuries, lost wages, and/or permanent disability.
Upon successful completion of a personal injury claim or lawsuit in Johnstown with the help of one of our attorneys, you could receive a variety of both economic and non-economic damages.
These include:
This is by no means an exhaustive list of the compensation you could receive. An attorney can evaluate your claim and calculate the damages you could pursue to realize as full of a recovery as possible.
After suffering a personal injury in Johnstown, your top priority is to seek medical attention, no matter how minor your injuries appear. Getting a full medical evaluation not only safeguards your health and well-being but also establishes a link between the incident and your injuries.
If possible, document the scene of the incident. Take photos or videos of the area, any hazards, and your injuries. Collect names and contact information of any witnesses.
In most cases, you also want to report the incident to the police and obtain a copy of the police report. This is especially true for car accidents, acts of violence, or any situation where a party’s negligence or unlawful actions caused your injuries.
Be sure to preserve any evidence related to the incident. This may include clothing, objects involved, or any other items that might be relevant. These items can serve as vital evidence to support your claim. Also, keep detailed records of all medical treatments, prescriptions, and related expenses. These records can be crucial when seeking compensation for medical costs.
If the incident occurred on someone else’s property or involved another person, notify them about the incident. In the case of a car accident, inform your insurance company.
Refrain from discussing the incident with anyone other than your attorney, especially not with representatives of the at-fault party or their insurance company.
An important step is to contact a personal injury attorney in Johnstown as soon as possible. An attorney can help you understand the legal aspects of your situation and guide you on the steps to take relevant to your situation. A lawyer can also file a personal injury claim for you, negotiate with insurance companies, and represent you in court, if necessary.
After an accident, a victim may have a hard time focusing on anything other than recovering from an injury. However, if a plaintiff puts off filing their injury suit for too long, they could lose their opportunity to recover any damages at all.
Pennsylvania has adopted a statute of limitations that sets the deadline for filing a lawsuit. According to 42 Pa.C.S.A. § 5524, an injury victim has two years from their injury to file suit. If the plaintiff fails to file during that two-year window, the court has the authority to dismiss the case if the defendant requests that they do so. A dedicated personal injury lawyer in Johnstown could help an injured victim with filing a claim promptly.
Taking on a personal injury claim can be a major undertaking, from investigating the claim to negotiating with an insurance company to potentially proceeding in court. With the help of experienced legal counsel, you could focus on getting back to full health while your attorney moves your injury claim forward.
You deserve to have the financial burden from your injury lifted off your shoulders. If you are ready to take the first step towards pursuing compensation, contact us at (814) 539-3213 for your free consultation with a Johnstown personal injury lawyer from Marcus & Mack right away.
By: Travis B.