Legal Terms You’ll Need To Learn For A Personal Injury Claim

It’s important to learn as much as you can if you are filing a personal injury claim. This will allow you to understand the process and not be surprised at any step of the way. Your lawyer in Roseville, CA will be able to help you understand the process, but it’s a good idea to learn about what you are signing up for.

Here are a few terms that you should learn to help you understand a personal injury claim.

Accident Report

An accident report is an official document detailing an accident. Police officers and hospital staff are the ones who usually fill these out. This is the first important document you will need to proceed with a personal injury claim.

Claim

When you are talking about taking something to court, there are two words you will often here. The first is a claim. This is a civil court proceeding. The other is a case which is a criminal court proceeding.

Contingency Fee

If you hire a Roseville Personal Injury Lawyer, you will most likely be agreeing to pay them a contingency fee. This will their payment as a percentage of your winnings. The average fee is 33%. Most personal injury lawyers only get this if they get you money.

Damages

The total amount of money you are awarded after a personal injury claim is called damages. This can be money to pay medical bills, pain and suffering, and lost wages.

Defendant

There are two parties in a claim. The one suing is called the plaintiff and the other party is called the defendant. They will have their own lawyer who will be in contact with your attorney in Roseville, CA.

Liability

Liability is the responsibility one has for their own actions or actions of those they are legally responsible for. This would include animals in their care.

Negligence

This is the most common word you will hear in a personal injury claim because it is the most important part. Your lawyer is trying to prove that the defendant was negligence, and this is what caused the accident.