Rochester Personal Injury Lawyers

Call 800-608-3333 today. The personal injury lawyers in Rochester, New York at Stanley Law Offices help victims and their families seek compensation for their medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other losses after an accident. Car accidents, truck accidents, workplace accidents, and more can affect you and your family for years to come. You may be facing unexpected medical expenses, a long and grueling course of rehabilitation, lost wages due to disability, and lifestyle changes that can impact your ability to care for your family or care for yourself. The personal injury lawyers in Rochester, New York at Stanley Law Offices are here to help. We can review your case, identify responsible parties, negotiate with insurance companies, and send demand letters to responsible companies or people. Many personal injury claims can be negotiated outside of court, but the Rochester, New York injury lawyers at Stanley Law Offices understand that some claims must be taken to court to help clients get the best possible outcome. When you need a personal injury lawyer in Rochester, New York willing to fight your case to help you get the best possible settlement permitted under the law, you need the Stanley Law Offices. Contact our injury lawyers in Rochester today. 

How Does a Personal Injury Claim Work in Rochester, New York?

If you’ve been hurt in an accident, you might be wondering whether you have a personal injury claim and what the personal injury claims process looks like in Rochester, New York. Whether you’ve been hurt in a car accident, truck accident, bus accident, boating accident, construction accident, or other workplace accident, to make a personal injury claim, you’ll need to show two things:

1. Another person or company was responsible, negligent, or liable, for your accident. This means that the other individual or company owed you a “duty of care.” Or, that the other person failed to act reasonably given the situation. Think of it this way. When we get behind the wheel, we implicitly agree to follow the rules of the road, to pay attention to what we are doing, and to not engage in illegal activity like distracted driving or drunk driving that could put other people at risk. When a driver fails to follow the rules (drinks and drives, speeds, runs a red light), and injures another person as a result, the person could be found legally responsible, or liable, for your accident. Another example of this would be a boating accident where an operator chose to speed and take a hard turn that resulted in someone getting thrown overboard. A reasonable person in this situation might have been able to understand that speeding and sudden turns could put others and people in the boat at risk.
2. The accident resulted in financial loss to you or your family. The second part of a personal injury claim involves the claim itself. An injury or accident can cause financial harm to another person. Take, for example, a car accident, where a person is seriously injured and then sees their medical bills pile up. Or a car accident where a person is disabled and is no longer able to work to support their family. This is a situation where the person injured can show that they suffered financial losses.

When you contact a personal injury lawyer in Rochester, New York, your lawyer will look at your case and see whether the two factors above hold. Sometimes determining fault isn’t so clear cut. For example, in car accidents, multiple parties might be at fault, or you yourself might even be partially at fault. Part of a personal injury lawyer’s job in this situation would be to gather evidence and build a case supporting the degree of fault held by the other party and showing your damages.

In many situations, individuals can settle a personal injury claim outside of court, before anyone needs to file a complaint with the courts. In some cases, insurance companies can compensate victims for their injuries and victims are able to reach private, out-of-court settlements with other responsible parties. Yet sometimes cases do end up in court. If an insurance company refuses to negotiate or if a negligent party refuses to take responsibility, then your Rochester, New York personal injury lawyer can file a complaint with the court, serve the responsible party with the paperwork, and wait for the responsible party’s answer. Sometimes taking this step is enough to get the person or insurance company to show up at the negotiating table. In other cases, the discovery process begins, where both sides exchange their evidence, including witness statements, police reports, medical bills, and more. In some cases, during the discovery process, the responsible party realizes that their case is not strong, and they move to settle or negotiate the settlement outside of court. In other instances, the case might go to trial.

Your personal injury claim can be complicated or straightforward depending on the seriousness of your injuries, the evidence that supports your case, and the person responsible for your injuries. Here’s the bottom line: if you have been seriously injured, it can’t hurt to reach out to a Rochester, New York personal injury lawyer. The Rochester, New York injury attorneys at the Stanley Law Offices can review your case and help you understand your next steps.

Is There a Time Limit on How Long I Have to File a Personal Injury Claim? 

New York’s statute of limitations for personal injury is three years. This is the deadline by which you must file a claim if you plan to take your case to court. There are some exceptions to the statute of limitations, but in general, you’ll have three years to file your claim. For example, you may have less time to begin the claims process if the party responsible for your accident was a government entity. The process for filing claims against the government, like the driver of a public bus or school bus, is a little different than the typical personal injury claims process. In these cases, you have 90 days to file a Notice of Claim with the state.

It can take some time to put a case together. If you or someone you love was hurt in an accident, you may want to reach out to the Rochester personal injury lawyers at the Stanley Law Offices today. Our attorneys can review your case, work to build the strongest possible case, and fight to help you get the best possible settlement you may deserve under the law.

How Can a Personal Injury Lawyer in Rochester, New York Help Me? 

A personal injury lawyer in Rochester, New York committed to helping you seek the damages you may deserve can bring a human touch to your case. Our Rochester, New York personal injury attorneys are compassionate lawyers who understand how challenging the aftermath of a serious injury can be. We can help you and your family:

• Negotiate with insurance companies.
• Estimate the value of your claim to see that your insurance settlement matches your losses.
• Identify other stakeholders or negligent parties responsible for your accident.
• Gather evidence and investigate your case to build the strongest case possible.
• Write demand letters to negligent parties or sit down at the negotiating table to work out a settlement.
• Take your case to trial if needed.
• Navigate New York’s “no-fault” laws and help you understand your rights under these laws.

These are just some ways that a personal injury lawyer in Rochester, New York may be able to help you. Navigating the insurance claim process and settlement process can be challenging. Sometimes insurance adjusters might offer families an attractive settlement, but before families accept, they may want to speak to a personal injury lawyer in Rochester, New York to see if the settlement is fair. Do you have questions about your rights? Reach out to the Stanley Law Offices, a Rochester, New York personal injury law firm today.

How Can I Contact a Personal Injury Lawyer in Rochester, New York?

You can contact the Rochester, New York personal injury lawyers at Stanley Law Offices by calling us at 800-608-3333 or by filling out our convenient online contact form. Our personal injury lawyers are here and ready to listen to your story and help you understand the next steps. We offer new clients a free initial consultation. Contact us today.