When a person is injured, it’s easy for them to demand compensation and say they’re going to contact a personal injury lawyer in Centralia, WA right away. Unfortunately, not all cases qualify for compensation under personal injury laws. While there are some types that have more stringent requirements, below are the most common requirements a person will need to meet before they decide to speak with a lawyer.
There Must Be Quantifiable Damages
Hurt feelings aren’t usually enough to sue for compensation and neither is an injury that’s healed with a band-aid and a little bit of time. The person needs to have suffered damages of some sort that they can put a number on. This includes injuries that need to be treated by a doctor and property damage that needs to be repaired or replaced. Medical bills and property repair bills are both solid numbers a lawyer can use to start determining the compensation amount.
There Has to Be a Person or Business At Fault
A person can’t just sue because they were injured, there has to be some who was actually responsible for the injuries. If a person is injured in a store, for example, because they ignored wet floor signs and walked through a puddle, the store may not be liable for their injuries. If, however, the store knew about a leak and failed to put up the proper signs to warn customers about the spill, the business may be responsible for the person’s injuries.
The Victim Cannot Have Helped Cause Their Own Injuries
A person who is injured in part because of their own actions may not be able to receive compensation. An example of this is when a person is injured by a dog bite but the dog only bit them because they were teasing or antagonizing it. They also may not be eligible for compensation if they were injured in the middle of committing a crime.
If a person meets these requirements, the next step is going to be to contact a Personal Injury Lawyer in Centralia, WA about their case. Bear in mind, there are still situations in which a person will meet these requirements yet still not have a solid case the attorney is willing to take on. If you believe you are owed compensation for an injury, visit Putnam Lieb Potvin attorneys at law online today to learn more.
