Personal Injury Attorney Washington D.C.
There are few things that can disrupt your life as much as an accident involving injuries. Even a moderate accident can mean hospitalization, doctor appointments, physical therapy, lost wages, and a disruption to your life routine. If you’ve been injured in an accident due to someone else’s negligence, you should receive compensation for your bills, your missed work, and your pain and suffering. In Washington, D.C., the law firm of Balkin Law Group can represent you in your pursuit of compensation. Their thorough and aggressive style has resulted in millions of dollars in awards and settlements. Call them today for a free consultation.
Personal Injury Cases in the Washington D.C. Area
Personal injury attorneys, like the litigators that you’ll find at Balkin Law Group, examine four basic elements to determine whether or not there is a viable case.
- The defendant had a duty of care to the plaintiff.
- There was a breach of that duty of case.
- That the breach caused the accident in question.
- The accident caused damages to the plaintiff.
If all four elements are present, there is likely to be a viable personal injury case.
Damages in Personal Injury Cases
Personal injury lawyers seek damages on behalf of their clients. The amount of damages that they’ll pursue is proportionate to the severity of the injuries sustained by the victim. Personal injury attorneys divide damages into two major categories, economic and noneconomic, with a third type of damages, punitive damages, rarely being awarded.
Economic Damages
Most people realize that there are economic costs associated with accidents with injuries, but unless they are also personal injury attorneys, they’re unaware of how extensive these costs are. Economic damages include any accident-related financial costs. Hospital bills; doctor appointment charges; the costs of testing, scans, medication, and bloodwork are all covered under economic damages. Additionally, any loss of income or personal time off used while you’re recovering from your injuries is also covered under economic damages. Your personal injury attorney should negotiate for nothing less than a full and fair recovery and that begins with a complete accounting of economic damages.
Non-Economic Damages
While you obviously want to recover your financial losses, you are also due compensation for intangible losses. Non-economic damages include physical pain, emotional trauma, loss of physical capacity, and reduced quality of life. An acceptable settlement offer should take your pain and suffering damages into account.
Punitive Damages
When the Washington D.C. courts want to further punish a defendant, it will sometimes assign punitive damages on top of economic and non-economic damages. This is a contrast to neighboring Virginia, which caps punitive damages at $350,000. It should be noted that punitive damage awards are rare and usually only awarded when the actions leading to the accident were egregious, reckless, or criminal.
Types of Personal Injury Cases in Washington D.C.
Not all D.C. personal injury law firms will accept all types of cases. The personal injury lawyers at Balkin Law Group represent clients in a wide array of accident cases.
Car Accidents
This is one of the most common types of personal injury cases that we see in the Washington D.C. area. According to the most recent report put out by the District Department of Transportation (DDOT), the District of Columbia experiences 25,724 crashes per year with about 28.4% of those accidents having injuries. D.C. has 28 vehicle fatalities per year.
Motorcycle Accidents
While motorcycle accidents are not as common as car accidents in Washington D.C., their smaller size and higher speed capabilities mean that these accidents are much more dangerous.
Truck Accidents
Commercial trucks can be ten to twenty times heavier than cars, so when they strike a smaller vehicle, the extent of damage is much greater. Because of the additional regulations, personal injury lawyers need to have extensive experience in this kind of litigation.
Construction Accidents
One of the features of a principal city like Washington, D.C. is a booming construction industry, but that also means that there are frequent construction accidents. According to OSHA, the most common construction accidents are:
- Falls – 33.5%
- Struck by Object – 11.1%
- Electrocutions – 8.5%
- Caught-in/between – 5.5%
It’s also important to note that one in five workplace deaths occur in the construction industry.
Product Liability
The manufacturers and distributors of products owe a duty of care to the end-users. That means that the product should work safely in the way that it’s intended and that the instructions for that product should warn of any obvious dangers that come from its intended use. One of the most common types of suits occurs when a prescription drug manufacturer attempts to hide the dangers of a new medication. For example, there are multijurisdictional lawsuits forming over the heartburn medication Zantac, which has been recalled due to its carcinogenic properties.
Medical Malpractice
Medical professionals and facilities owe the patients who depend on them quality medical care. If their level of care falls below those standards, medical accidents can occur. Medical malpractice suits stem from items being left inside of a victim during surgery, misdiagnoses, prescribing dangerous combinations of medication, etc.
Frequently Asked Questions about Personal Injury Law
The following are some of the most frequently asked questions about personal injury law that the attorneys at Balkin Law Group hear from our D.C. clients.
Most personal injury law firms work on a contingency basis, meaning that their fees are collected from the settlement or jury award. Balkin & Mausner will represent you with no out-of-pocket costs.
Insurance companies will most certainly offer you a settlement immediately after an accident, but it is almost never full and fair compensation. A personal injury lawyer can protect you from settling for too little.
In Washington, D.C., the statute of limitations is three years from the date of the accident in most cases. That does not, however, mean that you should wait. Evidence is frequently lost over time and delays could adversely affect your claim.
Why Choose Balkin Law Group?
With a combined half-century of legal experience, the partners at Balkin Law Group have helped hundreds of personal injury clients win millions in settlements and jury awards. Their aggressive style of negotiation with insurers and attorneys has earned this firm a reputation for effectiveness throughout the D.C. area. Contact them today to speak to an attorney — free of charge.
Our Washington DC Office
Address: 2001 L St, NW
Suite 500, #20
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: (202) 697-6060