Getting Compensation for Injuries in Watford City, McKenzie County, and across North Dakota
The world we live in is a chaotic, random place, and accidents happen all the time. Car accidents, slips and falls, among many other kinds of incidents, can happen whether by our own fault or the fault of others. In cases where the fault lies with someone other than ourselves, and the accident results in injuries that lead to mounting expenses that can destabilize the quality of your life, recovery becomes the top priority.
If you or a loved one has been on the receiving end of such an injury, consulting with a lawyer to determine your legal rights can be paramount to recovering the compensation you are entitled to under the law. At Sand Law, our experienced personal injury attorneys will represent you if you’ve been injured in an accident where the negligence of another party is at fault. Our team is committed to helping you recover the compensation you are entitled to as a result of your injuries.
Watford City Car Accident Attorneys
Car accidents are stressful experiences no matter how serious the crash is, but when there are serious injuries involved, your life could be changed forever. When you have suffered severe or permanent injury in a car accident, navigating North Dakota’s insurance laws and civil lawsuit requirements can seem difficult and trying.
An experienced accident lawyer should be prepared to go to bat for their clients, rising to meet these challenges on behalf of their clients. Sand Law focuses on their clients’ compensation while you focus on getting back to your full and healthy self.
At Sand Law, we have a successful record of getting severely injured clients compensation for their car crash damages. We will fight to get you the compensation you deserve.
Common Causes of Car Accidents
The fact of the matter is that everyone will likely be involved in a car accident at some point in their lifetime, whether it’s minor or severe. There are many different causes of car accidents, including the following:
- Distracted Driving: such as using a cell phone, eating, applying makeup, reading, engaging in conversation, looking for something, messing with the radio, or general daydreaming
- Driving Under the Influence: driving under the influence causes impaired vision, poor decision-making ability, and lack of awareness
- Speeding: at higher speeds, it’s harder to adapt to changes in traffic because you don’t have as much time to slow down
- Reckless Driving: such as speeding, cutting people off, repeat distracted driving, tailgating, etc.
- Not Adapting to Weather Conditions: if drivers don’t slow down and pay closer attention in the rain, snow, or wind, they could cause an accident
- Poor Vehicle Maintenance: such as putting off needed repairs or failing to frequently change oil or check for potential issues
- Running Red Lights or Stop Signs: if a driver runs a red light, they could easily t-bone a driver crossing the intersection legally and correctly
- Tailgating: when a driver follows too closely, they don’t give themselves enough time to adapt to changes, such as the leading driver slamming on their brakes
- Wrong-Way Driving: such as driving the wrong way down a one-way or driving on the wrong side of the road
- Inexperienced Drivers: drivers without experience may not check their blindspots as frequently or look out for vulnerable road users like cyclists or pedestrians
Watford City Motorcycle Accidents
Motorcycle accidents, while not as common as car accidents, can leave riders with severe injuries such as traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, severe road rash, and amputations.
Other drivers on the road may not pay close enough attention, changing lanes or merging directly into a motorcyclist. Accidents also occur because of the passenger vehicle driver’s failure to check before opening their door on the side of a busy street or following too close to a motorcycle in traffic.
A personal injury attorney can help motorcycle accident victims get the compensation that they deserve for their damages. Motorcyclists often experience unfair treatment by insurance companies, as insurance adjusters tend to claim that motorcyclists are driven by adrenaline. This stereotype allows them to lowball settlement offers and sway the court in their favor by placing false blame on motorcyclists.
An experienced motorcycle accident attorney will be able to argue against these claims, ensuring that you get the most compensation possible.
Watford City Truck Accidents
Truck accidents are incredibly dangerous and very likely to cause severe injuries simply because of the sheer force that a large truck can inflict on a much smaller passenger vehicle. Injury claims for truck accidents can be more complex than other motor vehicle accident claims because of the number of parties that can potentially be at fault for the accident.
Truck accidents can be caused by driver negligence, such as distracted driving, driving under the influence, speeding, aggressive driving, and inexperience. However, they may also be caused by third parties, such as the trucking company, the truck loaders, the truck manufacturer, or the truck owners.
The trucking company may be liable for the accident if they’ve encouraged the driver to drive over the legally allowed limits, resulting in forged log books and fatigue for the driver. They could also be liable if the accident occurred because of improper training. Oftentimes the driver and the trucking company are both liable because the driver has broken a rule and the employer either encouraged it or ignored it.
The loaders of the truck may be liable if the vehicle’s improper loading caused the accident to occur. Accidents may also occur because of defective parts or malfunctions, often at the fault of the manufacturer.
No matter who’s at fault for your truck accident, we can help you. We have years of experience working with truck accident cases and handling multi-party and third-party liability. Our knowledge base will help to ensure that your case is a success.
Watford City Pedestrian and Bicycle Accidents
Bicycle and pedestrian accidents are most common in urban areas where homes and businesses are within proper walking or biking distance. Bicycle and pedestrian accidents most often occur because of:
- Distracted Driving
- Speeding
- Improper Turning
- Running Red Lights or Stop Signs
- Driving Under the Influence
- Improper Lane Changes
- Not “Sharing the Road”
- Road Rage
While drivers learn about how to properly share the road with both cyclists and pedestrians, it’s often forgotten about later in life. Instead, drivers are annoyed by cyclists taking up an entire lane, forcing them to have to drive slower. This can result in accidents caused because of road rage or the driver’s anger and impatience.
Pedestrian accidents occur for similar reasons, but most commonly because of distracted driving, intersection issues, and driving under the influence. Pedestrian accidents can occur on crosswalks at lights, stop signs, or other parts of the road. They may also occur when a driver jumps the curb, for example, if they’re intoxicated or not paying attention to where they’re going.
Bicycle and pedestrian accidents can leave victims with severe injuries and permanent injuries or disability. It’s vital to hire an experienced pedestrian and bicycle accident attorney so they can help you get everything you need, from justice to compensation.
Premises Liability and Slip & Falls
Every business is responsible for maintaining the facilities on their property, from simple things such as cleaning the floors to keeping any outside walkways clean and clear of hazards. In some cases, however, business owners or property neglect their responsibilities and create hazardous situations that can lead to you falling and injuring yourself. These falls can injure you in a variety of ways, such as:
- Cuts and lacerations
- Broken bones
- Dislocations and sprains
- Brain injury, in a worst-case scenario
If your fall is the result of an individual working on the property, or the property owner themselves, they can be held liable to cover your medical expenses that result from a fall injury on their property.
Recreational Vehicle Accidents
North Dakota has a thriving recreational vehicle community that makes use of the many forests and mountains throughout the state at all times of the year. The number of ATVs and snowmobiles crossing through the backcountry, unfortunately, can result in collisions and injuries to their operators or bystanders. These injuries can be particularly devastating, leading to paralysis, loss of limbs, or even death.
Sometimes these accidents are the fault of no operator but a faulty machine. It may have been improperly assembled or filled with the wrong type of fuel. Other times, the operator of another vehicle may be at fault, including but not limited to:
- Motorhomes
- Camper trailers
- Fifth-wheels
- ATVs
- Snowmobiles
- Motorcycles or dirt bikes
- Boats
- Jet skis
- Go-Karts
Oil Rig and Construction Accidents
North Dakota has one of the most thriving statewide oil industries in America. Many residents are employed on oil rigs or, at the very least, know someone who is. Like any other workplace, oil rigs are the site of dozens of accidents per year. Many of these are preventable, and unsafe conditions or defective equipment may have been the cause of your injuries.
Defective wellheads and other machinery, improperly installed safety measures, gas leaks, or damage to the rig itself can be held as the fault of the company, and you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries.
Similarly, construction workers face hazardous conditions every day when they come to work. Injuries as a result of construction site accidents are a common occurrence, both in the state and across the country. If any of the following has happened to you or someone you love, we can help seek damages:
- Falls from construction scaffolding
- Fires on the site property
- Explosions from improper handling of combustible materials
- Burns
- Using defective equipment on-site
- Chemical leaks
- Electrical accidents
- Falling debris
Subcontractors
In most cases, a construction worker is covered by their employer’s workers’ compensation program. This means that their employer is exempt from negligence actions. However, if the negligence on a construction site can be traced back to the actions of a subcontractor, you are allowed to bring a case against that third party. You can seek any of the damages listed previously, such as medical bills and loss of earning potential.
Common Damages in Injury and Accident Cases
“Damages” is a legal term that refers to any loss a victim of a personal injury accident has incurred. These damages must be directly linked to the accident. You can recover almost any loss that you experience because of your injuries, up to a point.
Special Damages
Special damages also referred to as economic damages, cover any monetary losses that you may have experienced because of your injuries as a result of the accident. These damages are easy to calculate, as they reflect direct costs that you’ve incurred. These damages include:
- Medical bills
- Treatment and procedure expenses
- Cost of surgery
- Lost income
- Loss of future earnings
- Cost of future medical Care
- At-home care and therapy
- Property damage
- Other direct costs related to injury
General Damages
General damages, or non-economic damages, are harder to calculate as they don’t have a monetary value associated with them. Instead, general damages are tied to how your injuries have affected your life. They’re calculated by taking a look at how much your quality of life has changed because of your injuries from the accident. The more your quality of life has worsened, the more compensation you’re likely to receive. General damages include:
- Physical pain and suffering
- Mental pain and suffering
- Disfigurement
- Permanent disability
- Lost earning ability
- Loss of companionship (in wrongful death cases)
Wrongful Death Damages
Wrongful death damages can be collected when a loved one passes away because of a personal injury accident. They may pass away at the scene of the accident or later on down the road because of complications with their injuries. Wrongful death damages can be claimed on behalf of both your loved one’s damages and your own.
- Funeral and burial expenses
- Cost of pre-death medical care
- Emotional distress of surviving family and loved ones
- Financial contribution loss
- Loss of services and support
- Loss of companionship and consortium
Punitive Damages
Punitive damages are rare but are occasionally awarded to the plaintiff as further punishment to the defendant for the act that they committed. These are often awarded in cases where gross negligence is present. They’re awarded as a way to prevent the same party (or a different party) from committing the same act again in the future.
Common Types of Watford City Accident Cases
Sand Law handles all types of personal injury cases, including but not limited to:
- Car accident
- Motorcycle Accidents
- Semi-truck accidents
- Oil field accidents
- Injuries caused at work
- Dog bite and animal attacks injuries
- Slip, trip, and fall injuries
- Medical malpractice
- Wrongful death lawsuits
North Dakota Personal Injury Statute of Limitations
The statute of limitations in North Dakota is often much shorter than in other states for personal injury cases and wrongful death claims, so do not hesitate to contact a team of personal injury lawyers you can trust.
North Dakota limitations laws set a time limit of 6 years for personal injury cases and 2 years for wrongful death cases. These time limits usually begin counting down as of the date the accident or injury occurred or was noticed.
Experienced Watford City Personal Injury Lawyer
When it comes to injuries resulting from another party’s negligence anywhere in Watford City, you need an experienced team to advocate for you. You deserve compensation for the harm you’ve suffered, and our team is the best to help you get it. Contact our experienced personal injury lawyers at 701-609-1510, or fill out our online contact form today.
Sand Law protects clients in Watford City, McKenzie County, and across North Dakota who have been injured due to another’s negligence. Our team of experienced and dedicated personal injury attorneys is passionate about representing North Dakotans in their time of need.
We have offices conveniently located across North Dakota in Watford City, Minot, Williston, and Bismarck.