Helping You Get The Compensation You Deserve For Your Injury In Minot, Ward County, And Across North Dakota
Minot, or anywhere in North Dakota for that matter, offers beautiful views, clean and crisp air, and a wholesome place to start a career and raise a family. But what happens when someone in your family suffers a serious injury? The results can be stressful and devastating. It’s even worse when that injury was caused by someone else’s negligence. Would you know where to turn?
After you or a loved one suffers a personal injury due to the negligence of a driver, store owner, property manager, or anyone else, the best course of action is to hire legal representation. Making your family whole again is what matters most; having your own personal attorneys to even the playing field can help make that happen.
Accidents In North Dakota That Cause Personal Injuries
North Dakota can have some sketchy weather, like intense ice and snow, both of which have been known to cause motor vehicle accidents and semi truck accidents. Our beautiful state is also rich in oil, causing many hard-working North Dakotans to be at risk of injury while working on the oil rigs. And, like anywhere also, we all are at risk of injury from a slip and fall, work-related accidents, distracted driving, dog bites, and wrongful deaths from a serious accident of any type.
When you or a loved one suffers a serious injury due to negligence, trust the experienced North Dakota personal injury attorneys at Sand Law to handle the stress while you focus on getting better!
Don’t Trust The Insurance Companies To Have Your Best Interests In Mind
Insurance companies, despite their extensive advertising to claim otherwise, are not on the side of their policyholders. They are massive companies in a dominant industry that focuses on keeping profits high and costs low. In fact, the insurance industry takes in trillions–that’s trillions with a “T”–in premiums each year.
Paying out on an injury claim is a cost. Denying or diminishing an injury claim keeps profits high.
This practice often means stressful phone calls, deceptive practices (like convincing their clients they can handle their claims themselves), and unpaid damages.
And if your own insurance company is not exactly willing to pay for your legitimate medical bills and lost wages, then the other driver’s insurance company definitely is going to put up a fight to deny, delay, and diminish your personal injury claim.
This is why hiring an experienced personal injury firm to work on your behalf is your best course of action. The insurance companies have a team of lawyers working around the clock for them, and you should too; especially when you and your family’s future are on the line.
Damages In A Personal Injury Case
Some common damages–which is the term the insurance industry uses to refer to monetary, physical, and psychological losses–in a personal injury case include:
- Damage to property, like a vehicle
- Medical bills
- Hospital bills
- Ambulance ride
- Surgery costs
- Medical devices
- Lost wages during recovery
- Future lost wages from diminished earning capacity
- Psychological damage, like PTSD
- Pain and suffering
- Potential future medical expenses
- Rehabilitation and physical therapy costs
- In-home care charges
- Home renovations
Damages can also include other “hard to put a dollar amount on” losses, like the loss of a spouse, the loss of being able to pick up your grandchild again, or the loss of being able to use your arm ever again. How much would someone have to pay you to never be able to use your right arm again?
Understanding General And Special Damages
In the legal industry, “damages” are the amount of money you are awarded if your attorney is able to successfully negotiate a settlement for you or if your lawsuit is successful in court. The two most common types of damages are special damages and general damages.
- Special damages are damages that can be easily calculated based on documented losses due to the accident, like medical bills and lost wages. Medical bills can easily be sent over by a doctor’s office, and lost wages can easily be determined by past pay stubs, making them easy to determine or “prove.”
- General damages are damages that cannot easily be calculated into a monetary number, like pain and suffering, loss of a spouse, and PTSD. Since there are no receipts or bills for something like pain and suffering, a specific dollar amount is harder to determine and prove. This, however, does not mean that they are not real and injury victims are still entitled to them.
Common Types Of Minot Personal Injury Accident Cases
Personal injury is a category in the legal sector that encompasses any accident that occurs because of someone else’s negligence.
Car Accidents
Car accident personal injury cases are one of the most common since motor vehicles are so dangerous, and of course, because most people drive so often that it greatly improves the chance of a collision and, thus, injury.
Motorcycle Accidents
Motorcycle accidents are actually quite common as well, much like car accidents. However, motorcycle accidents often have much more serious injuries since motorcycle riders do not have nearly the protection from injury that a car driver has.
Truck Accidents
Semi-truck accidents are not as common as car accidents or motorcycle accidents, but they do present some very serious consequences. Because of the massive size and weight difference between a car and a commercial truck or 18-wheeler, injuries to the car driver in a truck accident are often very serious, if not deadly.
Oilfield Injuries
Oil field accidents are not very common in most places in America, but because of North Dakota’s vast deposits of oil under our beautiful state due to the Bakken Formation, North Dakotans have a much higher chance of being injured while working on an oil rig. And roughnecks, or oil rig workers, are often working in very dangerous and deadly conditions.
Work-related Accidents
Work-related accidents and injuries are common all over the United States and around the world. People often spend a good part of their waking hours at work, which, combined with a dangerous or hazardous job, makes work injuries quite common.
Dog Bites
North Dakota does not have a specific law referencing dog bites in regard to personal injury cases, so instead, attorneys rely on the US Supreme Court case Sendelbach v. Grad to prove negligence when a dog bite or animal attack causes another person’s injuries. According to a study by the CDC, there are approximately 4.7 million dog bites in the U.S. each year, of which about 800,000 of those bites require medical care.
Slip And Falls
Slip and fall accidents are another common type of injury that are quite capable of causing a catastrophic injury or multiple injuries. Victims of slips and falls can suffer TBIs, neck and back injuries, and a whole series of other types of injuries.
Medical Malpractice
Medical malpractice, like a misdiagnosis or surgical error, is not all that common in the grand scheme of things. But when they do occur, they can be devastating to both the patient and their families alike. Medical malpractice cases are complicated and should always rely on the experience of a personal injury attorney to help get the best possible outcome for the med-mal victim.
Wrongful Death
Injured persons are not the only type of case that law firms like Sand Law handle. Unfortunately, we often also need to help families who have suffered a wrongful death of a loved one. Wrongful death claims can be complicated and, of course, very stressful. We aim to approach these situations with understanding.
Note that the statute of limitations in North Dakota can be quite short on injuries and wrongful death claims, so do not hesitate to contact a team of personal injury lawyers you can trust.
Common Injuries Caused By Negligence
All types of injuries can result from negligence, ranging from minor to severe. Some injuries are more common with specific types of accidents than others, such as crush and burn injuries.
Brain Injuries
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) can occur because of many different types of accidents but are most common among slip and falls and motor vehicle accidents. A traumatic brain injury occurs because of an impact on the head. A TBI is likely to occur in a slip and fall accident if the victim strikes their head off of a hard material, such as a countertop, concrete, or asphalt.
Helmets may reduce brain injuries in motorcycle or bicycle accidents. But they are still possible.
Common types of brain injury include:
- Coup/contrecoup injury
- Contusions
- Skull fractures
- Concussion
- Diffuse Axonal Injury
Neck And Back Injuries
Neck and back injuries are incredibly common in motor vehicle accidents, especially in accidents where the victim is struck from the back. The most common injury associated with car accidents is whiplash, which occurs when the head moves back and forth rapidly.
Spinal cord injury may also occur because of negligence. Spinal cord injuries are commonly associated with workplace injuries (especially oilfield injuries), falls, and motor vehicle accidents.
Injury to the spinal cord can cause severe, life-changing complications, such as paralysis and permanent disability, depending on the scale of the injury.
Broken Bones
In most cases, broken bones aren’t cause for much concern. However, severe accidents can cause bones to break in multiple locations. These intense bone breaks require surgery to repair so they can heal properly.
This type of fracture is prevalent in dog bite accidents. If a dog’s bite is severe enough, it can cause the bone to shatter. In broken legs, patients may require physical therapy after having their leg in a cast for a long period of time.
Crush Injuries
A crushing injury can occur when part of the body is crushed between two items. In motorcycle accidents, crushing injuries occur when the body is pinned between the motorcycle and the asphalt or the motorcycle and another vehicle.
In workplace injuries, the body may be pinned against a wall and another hard object, such as machinery.
Crushing injuries often result in internal bleeding and organ damage, along with broken bones and other severe injuries.
Burn Injuries
There are many different levels of burn injuries, ranging from minor to severe. More minor injuries may heal on their own. However, more severe injuries require skin grafts and surgery. Severe burns, such as 3rd-degree burns, can cause permanent nerve damage. These injuries can result in the loss of feeling in some areas.
If a commercial vehicle is carrying hazardous materials, burns could occur upon impact. A motor vehicle that has caught on fire because of a collision can also cause burn injuries. Otherwise, burns are most common in workplace injuries because of fires, explosions, and dangerous chemicals.
Internal Injuries And Bleeding
Internal injuries can occur because of any type of injury. If the victim experiences a large impact on the abdomen, organ damage, and internal bleeding can occur. Internal injuries and bleeding must be taken care of as soon as possible to prevent further complications.
The Process Of A Personal Injury Case
If you haven’t been involved in a personal injury lawsuit before, the case process can seem kind of daunting. Thankfully, our talented team of attorneys is here to walk you through it every step of the way.
Intake Process
- The client contacts a personal injury attorney near them and schedules a consultation. Once both parties agree to work together, the attorney and client go through what is called the intake process.
- Next, everyone signs contracts that protect both parties and gives the attorney a legal right to represent their client. This is also part of the process where the attorney agrees to take the case on a contingency fee basis.
- Once the legal representation is in writing, the attorney then notifies all parties involved that they are representing the client through what is known as a “notice of representation” letter.
Discovery Phase
- Then the discovery phase begins. This means your attorney begins collecting evidence, documents, and bills relating to your injury and claim.
- Once we have an idea of the facts of the case, we draft a summary of the case and use this to send out demand letters, where we put the other parties on notice that we intend to collect money from them for their part in the accident or injury.
Negotiations, Trial, Or Settlement
- Then we begin the negotiation process with the other parties to try to reach a fair agreement about how much they will pay for the injured victim’s injuries and damages. This can be a lengthy process, as there is a lot of back and forth. But the goal is to get a fair amount from the insurance companies.
- If necessary, the case then goes through arbitration or mediation. These are two ways of settling a case without a formal courtroom setting if negotiations don’t work.
- If negotiations are unsuccessful, and if arbitration or mediation is not possible, then the attorney files a lawsuit on the client’s behalf. This requires everyone to eventually go to court to prove or defend their cases. Over 98% of all cases never reach the lawsuit stage, which is best for everybody since the injury victim often gets their money faster and has to pay less since there are no court fees and other costs associated with a lawsuit.
How Much Is My Personal Injury Case Worth?
The value of your personal injury case depends on a few factors, including how your accident occurred, the severity of your injuries, and the amount of insurance coverage the at-fault party has available. The damages that you can collect because of your injuries include:
- Current medical bills
- Future medical bills and costs
- Lost wages
- Diminished earning capacity or future lost wages
- Pain and suffering
- Other costs and damages
While some of these considerations have a clear value associated with them, some do not. An experienced attorney will be able to give you an estimated case value after they assess all factors and complete their preliminary investigation. This will provide you with a good idea of what to expect when it comes to a settlement.
How Much Does A Personal Injury Lawyer Cost?
You already have so much on your plate when it comes to costs. Sand Law doesn’t want to add to the financial stress you’re already experiencing. That’s why we use a “contingency fee” system. This means that we only get paid if we win your case.
We don’t charge any hourly rates or fees. Our payment comes out of your final settlement or trial win amount. This allows you to access a quality attorney even if you don’t have the money upfront.
Without this system, many parties wouldn’t have access to quality attorneys, leaving them in the dust to deal with their damages.
In cases involving negligence, it’s usually one person (you) against a giant insurance company with tons of resources. By using Sand Law, a well-known law firm, you’ll have the same resources and strength to go up against the monstrous insurance company.
If you win your case with the help of Sand Law, only then will we take a fee for your recovered damages. However, in some cases, the defendant will be responsible for your attorney’s fees, meaning you won’t have to pay anything at all.
If you or someone you love has been injured in a personal injury accident, contact our talented team of attorneys at Sand Law for a free, no-risk case evaluation. With Sand Law on your team, you won’t have to fight this battle alone.
Contact An Experienced Minot Personal Injury Attorney
Sand Law protects clients in Minot, Ward County, and across North Dakota. We have assembled a team of experienced and dedicated personal injury attorneys who are skilled and passionate about representing the common person from huge corporations looking to take advantage of them and their desperate situation.
Our offices are conveniently located in Minot, Watford City, Williston, and Bismarck. We also have a vast network of resources and witnesses that we can employ if necessary to help make a client’s case as strong as possible, helping to ensure our clients get the compensation they deserve.
Contact Sand Law today to schedule your free consultation by calling (701) 609-1510 or by filling out our contact form. We look forward to helping you and your family in your time of need with compassion and understanding.