Personal Injury Attorneys in Minnesota
A personal injury attorney can help you get through the aftermath of an injury-causing accident, representing your rights and getting you the appropriate compensation. Make sure you follow some basic tips for finding the right one. Also, make sure you understand how your state laws regarding personal injury can affect you.
NOTE: The content of this website is intended solely for informational purposes. It is not a source of legal advice and should not be used as such.
Why Hire a MN Personal Injury Attorney?
After a car accident that leaves you injured, there is a lot to deal with: medical bills, doctor's appointments, and insurance negotiations, to name a few. Having an experienced personal injury lawyer by your side can allow you to focus on healing knowing that the attorney will guide you through the process.
Personal injury attorneys can be especially useful in cases that involve:
- Shared fault.
- Significant injuries.
- Very high medical bills.
- Death.
- Non-economic loss like pain and suffering or loss of companionship.
Tips for Hiring a Personal Injury Lawyer
When you hire a personal injury attorney, you want someone that you can both trust and feel confident to take on your case. Make sure you interview any potential attorneys and ask about the following:
- Experience/years practicing law.
- Track record and cases won.
- Familiarity with cases like yours.
- Education.
- Fees.
MN Personal Injury Laws and Your Case
Minnesota Statute of Limitations
It's important to understand that you do not have an unlimited amount of time to file a personal injury lawsuit and go to court.
Each state sets a certain time limit on how long you have from the date of your accident to do so. This time limit is called the “statue of limitations."
In Minnesota, the statute of limitations for personal injury cases is 2 years from the date of your injury.
If you think you might want to take your case to courtâ€"for example, if your insurance settlement is too lowâ€"make sure you hire a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible so that you don't miss your deadline. Once the window of time has passed, you may not be able to go to court at all, which could leave you unable to collect any damages.
No-Fault Car Insurance Laws
Minnesota is a “no-fault" insurance state. This means that if you get into an accident and get injured, you must get compensation from your own car insurance provider.
You may not seek damages in court UNLESS:
- Your reasonable medical bills total $4,000 or more.
OR - The accident resulted in:
- Disability for 60 days or more.
- Permanent injury
- Death.
- Permanent disfigurement.
An experienced personal injury attorney will understand the details of this no-fault law. If you are seriously injured, speak with your attorney about whether you can seek damages in court.
Minnesota Fault Laws
In some cases, the fault for a car accident is shared by more than one driver. Each state has laws that determine how compensation is shared when this is the case.
Minnesota operates on the comparative fault rule. Here's what this means:
Your compensation is directly reduced according to the amount of fault you share for the accident. Check out this example:
- You get into an accident and you're found to be 30% at fault.
- The total damages are $60,000.
- You can collect only up to $42,000 ($60,000 less 30%).
You might hear about this in negotiations with the car insurance companies, and a personal injury lawyer can also discuss the rule and how it affects your case with you.