Columbus Personal Injury Lawyer

Suppose you or a family member sustained an injury in an accident due to the negligence of another party. In that case, you might be able to recover damages through the claims process. Injury cases take many forms, from dog bites and car accidents to medical malpractice and wrongful death lawsuits.

A Columbus personal injury lawyer at the Fitch Law Firm can help you understand your legal options. We have more than 30 years of assisting clients in Columbus and throughout Ohio. To get started, contact us today to receive your free consultation.

When Can You File a Personal Injury Claim in Columbus?

In general, if you get injured because of someone else’s negligence, you can file a claim against that person or company to seek compensation benefits for economic and non-economic damages.

Your Columbus personal injury attorney can assess your claim to see if someone else caused your injuries through negligence. Individuals display negligence if they:

• Owe you a duty of care
• Fail to uphold that duty of care
• Directly cause your injury and losses

We put our years of experience to work to see if you have an eligible claim in Columbus, OH.

What Kind of Compensation Can You Get in a Columbus Personal Injury Lawsuit?

The amount and the types of damages you may be eligible for depends on your case. Your Columbus personal injury lawyers may help you secure funds for your economic losses.

When you suffer physical pain or property damage due to another person’s carelessness, you may be entitled to monetary compensation for:

Medical Expenses

Medical bills are expenses related to treating a condition caused by another person’s negligence. These costs include hospital bills, prescriptions, doctor visits, and diagnostic tests.

Ongoing medical care is needed to treat conditions resulting from the accident. This kind of care includes ongoing prescription medications and follow-up treatments.

Lost Wages

Lost wages are money you lose while recovering from your injuries. For example, if you could not work for several weeks after being hurt in a car crash, you could collect this compensation.

Property Damage

Property damage covers anything damaged by the accident, such as cars, homes, and businesses.

Disability Coverage

A temporary disability is one where you need time off from work to heal from your injuries. Permanent disabilities occur when you cannot perform specific tasks anymore due to your injuries. In some situations, permanent disabilities can lead to loss of income.

Diminished Earning Capacity

Diminished earning capacity means you no longer make as much money as you did before the accident. It also includes any future earnings you might lose due to your injuries.

Can You Secure Non-Economic Damages After an Injury?

Sometimes, you can collect “non-economic” damages after an injury. Depending on your situation, a personal injury lawyer in Columbus could help you seek funds to cover your:

Pain and Suffering

Pain and suffering refer to any emotional distress you experienced due to your injuries. It includes things like anxiety, depression, stress, and sleepless nights.

Loss of Consortium

Loss of consortium is a term that describes how much a spouse misses out on because of their partner’s injuries. In some states, this includes companionship, affection, sexual relations, and household chores.

Loss of Enjoyment in Life

A loss of enjoyment means you no longer enjoy activities you once enjoyed before your injury. For example, if a child played sports before he suffered a concussion, he might not be able to play sports anymore.

Are There Additional Forms of Compensation in Columbus?

Your Columbus personal injury lawyer may also help you seek punitive damages after an accident. Punitive damages punish a defendant who acted recklessly or maliciously. They are typically awarded only in cases where the defendant has committed intentional acts.

Finally, you can contact us if you lose a loved one in an accident. We could help you file a wrongful death claim in Columbus, providing you with compassionate care while handling your legal needs.

Wrongful death is when someone dies due to another person’s negligent actions. If you lose a loved one in this way, you can file a wrongful death lawsuit and may be able to recover financial compensation for their fatal injuries.

Why Work With an Experienced Columbus Personal Injury Lawyer?

When you work with a personal injury attorney in Columbus, you secure assistance with all aspects of your legal claim. Our team:

Handles Negotiation, Mediation, and Litigation

We have the experience and training to negotiate potential settlements with the responsible party’s insurance company. Negotiating settlements before trial can save you money and stress.

Our team also takes care of mediating disputes between parties, making the settlement process more manageable.

Finally, we understand what it takes to litigate claims through the courts, allowing us to protect your rights and obtain total compensation for your injuries if you decide to file a personal injury lawsuit.

Offers Legal Advice and Counsel

Our firm provides legal advice and representation to clients throughout Ohio. We answer your questions when you contact us and maintain open communication throughout your case, ensuring you stay in the loop as we handle your legal needs.

Builds Your Claim

We take care of all aspects of constructing a claim for you after an accident. We gather evidence and take steps to show that someone else caused your injuries and losses.

Our team may interview witnesses, get a copy of your police report, and visit the scene of your accident. In some cases, we even work with experts to strengthen your claim.

Additionally, we calculate your losses to assign a monetary value to your case.

Handles Legal Communication on Your Behalf

We handle communication with other parties, including insurance companies and the at-fault party. Allowing your personal injury attorney in Columbus to handle communication protects your claim and lets you focus on healing.

Uses Our Experience to Benefit You

Our team understands the legal system in Ohio and uses that knowledge to conduct your case according to all applicable Ohio laws.

If you’d like to know more, we offer free consultations with experienced lawyers who will review your case and give you honest advice about how to proceed.

What Evidence Do We Use for a Personal Injury Case?

When a Columbus personal injury lawyer from the Fitch Law Firm represents you, we can gather evidence of your damages and their value to present in settlement negotiations or court. This evidence may include the following:

• Your medical records: Medical bills and reports are important documents that show the extent of your injuries and treatment costs.
• Statements from your employer regarding lost wages: Lost wages due to injuries sustained in a workplace accident are often difficult to quantify. However, if your employer provides this information, it can be used as proof of your financial loss.
• Records of past earnings: Records of previous payments can help establish your future income.
• Receipts for out-of-pocket expenses: Receipts showing out-of-pocket costs such as doctor visits, prescriptions, and car repairs can also provide proof of your damages.
• Medical experts: Testimony from medical and economic experts about the future impact this accident may have on you financially can help with your claim.

We vary the steps we take to investigate personal injury claims in Columbus based on the unique needs of our clients. You can speak with us about the steps we plan to use to handle your case.

It’s crucial to contact an experienced lawyer so they can gather evidence while it’s fresh and contact witnesses before memories fade.

Let one of our accident lawyers build a strong case on your behalf to help you secure the best possible outcome with maximum compensation. The sooner we get started, the better.

How Long Do You Have to File a Personal Injury Claim?

Standard personal injury lawsuits in Ohio have a two-year statute of limitations, per Ohio Revised Code (ORC) §2305.10. If you file a medical malpractice lawsuit, the standard statute of limitations is just one year, per ORC §2305.113. There may be circumstances that could alter these deadlines.

When you call the Fitch Law Firm, a personal injury lawyer in Columbus can discuss the deadlines pertinent to your case.

Contact us as soon as possible. If you let the statute of limitations in your case run out, the courts may dismiss your lawsuit. In addition, our lawyers need as much time as possible to construct a solid case.

How Much Do Personal Injury Lawyers Charge in Columbus?

We take our clients’ cases on a contingency-fee basis, meaning you owe us nothing upfront when you hire us and never pay out of pocket. However, if we can get you a fair settlement or court award, our attorney’s fees will come from that compensation claim.

You’ve been through enough by enduring an accident; the last thing you need is to worry about whether you can afford legal help. Your Columbus personal injury lawyer can put you first, starting right now.

At the Fitch Law Firm, we believe in fostering a long-term attorney-client relationship by helping you pursue fair compensation without draining your pockets.

Which Types of Personal Injuries Qualify for Compensation?

Accidents can leave you facing many different kinds of injuries. A Columbus personal injury attorney could help if you sustain the following:

• Spinal cord injuries: Spinal cord injuries can affect your ability to move around, feel pain, and breathe.
• Cervical spinal injury: Cervical spinal injuries happen in the neck, including the neck muscles, ligaments, bones, joints, and discs. These injuries often require surgery.
• Facial injuries: Facial injuries can involve broken bones, cuts, lacerations, and other wounds.
• Head injuries and brain trauma: Head injuries, especially traumatic brain injuries (TMIs), can cause bleeding inside the skull and brain swelling. In addition, brain injuries can cause memory, thinking, coordination, balance, speech, and movement problems.
• Disfigurement: Disfigurement occurs when an injury causes visible changes to your body, such as scars, missing limbs, disfigurements, or deformities.
• Physical or emotional therapy: Physical therapy helps injured people regain strength and mobility. Emotional therapy or psychological counseling helps injured people cope with their injuries and adjust to life after the accident.
• Loss of a limb: Losing a limb can mean losing its use. You may need physical therapy to help you learn how to walk again.
• Trauma: Trauma is anything that injures your internal organs, nerves, blood vessels, skin, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, teeth, jaw, throat, lungs, heart, stomach, intestines, bladder, liver, kidneys, pancreas
• Expenses related to rehabilitation programs: Rehabilitation expenses include medical bills and transportation costs.
• Dog bite injuries: Dog bites can lead to infections, nerve damage, scarring, and even amputation.
• Other injuries: Other injuries can include sprains, fractures, burns, dislocations, concussions, and whiplash.

A Columbus personal injury lawyer from the Fitch Law Firm LLC can represent you in a personal injury claim or lawsuit. Our firm can handle all aspects of your case so that you can dedicate your time and energy to recovery.

What Are Potentially Actionable Types of Personal Injury Lawsuits?

Here at the Fitch Law Firm, our team of attorneys practices in numerous fields of personal injury law, covering many cases.

Our practice areas include:

• Medical malpractice: Medical malpractice is when a doctor fails to provide adequate medical treatment for an illness or injury. This type of negligence occurs when a doctor performs surgery incorrectly, prescribes medication improperly, or makes other mistakes during patient care.
• Dangerous or bad drugs: A dangerous or defective drug with harmful side effects may warrant legal action.
• Defective or flawed medical devices: The manufacturer may be liable when a medical device fails and harms a patient instead of improving their condition.
• Bicycle accidents and pedestrian accidents: Bike riders and pedestrians have a right to the road and are especially vulnerable if struck by a negligent driver.
• Car accidents and motorcycle accidents: Any time a driver violates a traffic law and causes an auto accident, they may be liable for the victim’s damages.
• Truck accidents: Truck drivers must follow strict rules on the road, but sometimes negligent drivers ignore those rules, causing truck accidents and leaving injury victims to suffer.
• Wrongful denial of disability benefits: We can help you appeal wrongfully denied disability benefits.
• Cases of sexual abuse: We can seek compensation for both physical and emotional harm on behalf of sexual assault victims.
• Swimming pool and drowning accidents: Swimming pool injuries and drownings may warrant a personal injury lawsuit against a negligent property owner.
• Child injury cases: If your children got injured in a personal injury accident, we could represent your family.
• Nursing home abuse: Nursing homes often fail to provide adequate care for residents. If you or someone you love experiences nursing home negligence, we can help you pursue justice.
• Workplace accidents and safety violations: Employers must ensure workplace safety for employees. They may be held responsible for unsafe conditions or equipment.
• Construction accidents: Construction sites are inherently dangerous places where workers face serious risks. If you suffer an injury while working on a construction site, we can help you hold the contractor or manager accountable.

These are just some of the types of legal matters we handle. If you believe that another party’s negligence caused or contributed to your injuries, call the Fitch Law Firm today.

We have a team member standing by to learn more about your accident and discuss your legal options in a free, no-obligation consultation.

Our Columbus Personal Injury Attorneys Have a Track Record of Success

A Columbus personal injury lawyer from the Fitch Law Firm will take over the legal work in your negligence claim the moment you sign on. As a full-service legal firm, we aim for you to rest easy during this uncertain time.

Our attorneys will handle the legal side of your claim while you focus on your treatment and getting better. Contact our personal injury law firm today to get your complimentary initial consultation with a skilled attorney.