Steps in Filing a Personal Injury Lawsuit

When the actions of another cause you injury and if the offender has no sufficient justification for it, you may be entitled to compensation. Personal injury claims though, can easily get complicated, and if you don’t have a lawyer to help you, you could end up losing your case altogether.

You can, however, make the process easier if you know the right steps to take. First of all, you will have to gather the medical and police records that describe your accident and the extent of your injuries. In some cases, the court may even call your doctor to the stand to provide information about your condition and how it has affected your daily activities.

Ask an attorney for help in drafting a complaint – it should contain the basic facts that led to the accident and injury, including the persons involved in it. An important part of your complaint should be your claim for damages, which will, in essence, be your request for compensation for whatever physical, mental, emotional or financial harm that the injury has caused you.

Next, file your complaint in the appropriate court. You might have to prepare and serve a summons (along with a copy of the complaint) to the defendants of your case, which the latter will have to provide a reply for. Summons are usually prepared with the help of an attorney, who may also arrange for the documents to be served to the corresponding people.

The World's Biggest Personal Injury Payout at a Glance

Did you know that the Guinness World Record for the highest personal injury payout to an individual is valued at more than $160 million? This is just four-fifths of the overall personal injury payout settled in 1993 in the Supreme Court of the State of New York.

Six years prior to the verdict, nine people in a rent-a-car station wagon were involved in an accident with a tractor trailer that had broken down that day. Among them was a couple from Sri Lanka; the wife was so severely injured as to require nursing care for almost fifty years.

Details of the court describe future pain and suffering comprising the biggest part of the huge payout ($92 million). The rent-a-car dealership and the company where the tractor trailer driver reported to were found equally liable in the accident.

How did an ordinary accident case yield millions in compensation? As mentioned earlier, the severity of her injuries came to the point that she needed nursing care for the next several decades, including labor and medical equipment expenses.

Ontario has had its fair share of personal injury awards. However, the payouts were a fraction of this world record. Nevertheless, given the right circumstances, personal injury settlements can reach into the millions.

Should You Hire a Lawyer After a Car Crash?

There's good news for drivers: according to Statistics Canada, the number of casualties in vehicular accidents has been slashed by half over the last 25 years, despite the growing number of vehicles on the road. Having said that, these accidents are still a fact of life, with over 120,000 related injuries reported in 2009 alone.

Aside from vehicle repairs following these mishaps, drivers and passengers also have to deal with expensive medical bills for treating their injuries. Granted, victims can seek damages from the driver proven to be at fault, but the process is rarely smooth. Insurance adjusters can use every trick in the legal books to low-ball a settlement claim. After all, they work for insurance companies and also look to save more money for their employers. If you feel that you aren't being given a reimbursement commensurate to the damage and injuries you sustained following a vehicular accident, a Toronto personal injury lawyer will ensure that you do.

Your lawyer can also help if there are disputes over who caused the accident. Saying “I'm sorry” after an incident will often be taken by the other party as an admission of fault, even when you are the victim. Personal injury lawyers will ensure that the erring party is the one who pays the aggrieved.