If you were injured in an accident, you might be facing expensive medical bills, you might be out of work while you recover, and you may be facing significant physical pain and mental suffering because of the injuries. In many accidents, there is an opportunity to get compensation for all these expenses. However, filing with insurance isn’t always your best bet.
Talk to a personal injury attorney if you need money for your injuries. Fayetteville AR personal injury lawyer Ken Kieklak can help you seek compensation and even fight your case in court to get you the money you need for your injuries.
Accidental Injury Compensation
When trying to figure out how to get you the best compensation available, the first question to ask is, “Who caused the injury?” In many cases, the answer will be that you were partly responsible for your own injuries. This is not a problem. Arkansas law still allows you to recover money for your injuries, as long as you were less than 50% responsible for your own actions.
The other, at-fault party is usually the one that allowed the accident to happen. This means that they often had a duty to keep you safe, but failed to do so. In the following situations, these people are usually the ones responsible for that failure:
- Car Accidents – Other drivers on the road owe other drivers a duty to drive safely and follow the rules.
- Work Accidents – An employer must provide workers with proper safety equipment and training.
- Slip and Fall Accidents – A home or business owner owes guests a duty to keep property and sidewalks safe.
- Medical Injuries – Doctors and other healthcare professionals owe patients a duty to provide proper healthcare, without errors.
- Defective Product Injuries – Manufacturers owe consumers a duty to provide a safe product.
In most accidents, there is some party that can be held responsible for allowing the accident and the injuries to occur. This is usually the person you would sue to seek compensation for your injuries.
In many cases, other people may be indirectly responsible. For instance, a grocery store worker who fails to clean up a spill is directly responsible if you slip in the puddle, but they work for a larger company (the grocery store). Many times, an an employer is partly responsible for their employees’ errors. This might mean the employer can also be sued for the problems that caused your injuries.
Getting Compensation for Your Injuries
Insurance companies pay for injuries in many situations, but do not always provide enough money. Insurance is available for many areas of life, including auto insurance, homeowner’s insurance, general liability insurance, and even medical malpractice insurance. What this means is that when you get injured, there is often an insurance company that will pay the bills.
Just because insurance is available for your injuries does not mean you should accept their payments. Often, insurance companies will cover medical bills – but they may not pay for lost wages or pain and suffering. If they do pay for lost wages, they may only cover a fraction of your wages.
Instead, your best option is usually to file a lawsuit. Hiring an attorney to file a personal injury lawsuit on your behalf can help insure that you get the best compensation available. An attorney can fight not only for medical expenses to cover surgeries, X-Rays/MRIs, and rehabilitation, but also for your lost wages and pain and suffering. Pain and suffering damages are usually only available through a lawsuit, and are often the highest area of damages. Ensuring that you capture these damages is vital.
Filing a lawsuit is not available in every case. Depending on the situation and what insurance is available, you may be unable to file a lawsuit. For instance, if your injury occurred on your own property or at work, you may not be able to sue anyone for the injuries. Fortunately, Ken Kieklak, Attorney at Law, also helps clients with disability and Workers’ Compensation claims.
If you were injured on your own property or in an accident you caused, and you can no longer work, Social Security Disability may pay for your lost wages. This can help you maintain a living wage, even if you can no longer work.
If you were injured at work, you may be required to file for Workers’ Compensation rather than filing a lawsuit. Ken Kieklak can help you file your Arkansas workers’ comp. claims to get your medical expenses and wages paid for while you recover.
Fayetteville, Arkansas Personal Injury Attorney
Fayetteville injury lawyer Ken Kieklak helps injured Arkansans get compensation no matter how they’ve been injured. If there was someone to hold responsible, Ken will fight to ensure they pay their fair share for your injuries. Even if you cannot file a lawsuit, Ken can guide you through the process of filing for Workers’ Compensation or Social Security payments to cover your needs. Call (479) 316-0438 today for a free consultation on your personal injury case.