Injury Lawyer Near Me

Injuries from an accident can have debilitating effects that can last well into the future. Without the right support, these effects can continue to wreak havoc on many areas of your life. If you have suffered an injury because of another party’s carelessness and need help navigating an accident claim, hire our injury lawyer near me law firm to get the most favorable outcome possible.

At Skinner Accident & Injury Lawyers, we have over six decades of combined experience helping clients to get the best outcome possible when facing the devastating effects of a personal injury claim. A Charles Town, WV personal injury lawyer from our team will never stop fighting for you and will protect your interests every step of the way. We guide you through the claim process and reduce the stress you are feeling. Whether you live in Charles Town, WV, Martinsburg, WV, or Winchester, VA, we can help you at the location that is most convenient to you.

Types of Accidents That Can Lead to Personal Injury Cases

There are many types of accidents that can lead to injury. If the accident could have been prevented because the underlying cause of the event was negligence, then you have the right to get justice by filing a personal injury claim against the person responsible. Some common types of accidents that can lead to personal injury cases include:

Our firm can handle a wide range of motor vehicle-related collisions. Our car accident lawyers in Martinsburg, WV and car accident lawyers in Winchester, VA can help you understand the impact of your injuries on your life and livelihood and strategize the best way to recover your losses.

Types of Injuries Caused by Accidents

Accident injuries can range widely in severity from minor to severe, and have various implications for your future. Some injuries may heal in a short amount of time, while others have lingering effects. Some may even be irreparable. Below is a closer look at some common injuries and their effects.

Brain Injuries

Brain injuries can come in different forms, but all should be taken seriously and treated quickly. Accidents can cause individuals to suffer concussions, traumatic brain injuries (TBI), skull fractures, hematomas, hemorrhages, and more. These injuries can affect a person physically, mentally, and emotionally. Depending on the type of injury, patients may even have to relearn certain functions or require long-term treatment or care. The effects of a brain injury may heal with time, or it may leave a person constantly managing the symptoms or residual effects the injury has caused.

Neck & Shoulder Injuries

When it comes to neck and shoulder injuries, they can often be the result of whiplash, falls, and work-related injuries. These areas of the body may sustain one-time or repetitive impacts that contribute to pain, pinched nerves, sore muscles, stiffness, and numbness or tingling. Tissue and nerve damage, trauma, heart problems, and other medical issues can contribute to these injuries or arise due to a complication of another type of injury. Treatment for these injuries will largely depend on the type of damage and the extent of the pain.

Spinal Injuries

The spine is responsible for controlling a large number of functions throughout the body. A spinal cord injury can result in a major disruption and can cause individuals to lose their mobility, senses, and have trouble with breathing, reflexes, pain levels, and more. A spine injury can partially or fully affect specific functions or full areas of the body. To determine the extent of a spine injury, doctors will need to conduct tests and act promptly to treat it. These injuries often require ongoing care and rehabilitation.

Internal Injuries

Internal injuries such as bleeding and organ damage can cause serious complications and even be life-threatening. One of the dangers of internal injuries is that they are not easily seen and can go unnoticed or appear like another type of injury if the proper tests are not performed. After an accident, it is important to always receive medical attention so that a doctor can assess and either rule out or treat any internal damage you have sustained. In these situations, every moment counts and a swift response is crucial.

Bones and Soft Tissue

Broken bones, sprains, strains, bruises, ligament, and tendon issues are common injuries in accidents. These injuries generally take a couple of months or more to heal, and even then, the bones and soft tissue may never regain their previous strength, structure, or elasticity. Depending on the type of injury, some damage may have residual effects.

Burns

Injuries from burns can occur through extreme heat, fire, electricity, friction, radiation, or chemicals. These injuries affect skin and tissue to varying degrees depending on the severity of the wound. First-degree wounds typically only affect the outermost layers of the skin, known as the epidermis. Second-degree burns affect both the epidermis and dermis layers, while third-degree burns are deep enough to reach subcutaneous tissue and damage nerves. These injuries can be excruciating and require painful treatments. They can also cause the burn area to become disfigured or cause the burn area to suffer a loss of feeling. Infection is one of the biggest risks after a severe burn injury.

Paralysis

Injuries resulting in paralysis can affect certain limbs or regions of the body. These injuries are often caused by damage to the nervous system, which is responsible for communicating messages from your brain to various parts of your body. When accidents occur that damage or disrupt the nervous system’s signals, this can affect the body’s ability to function and respond to sensory stimuli. Spinal injuries and strokes contribute to these types of accidents the most. Paralysis often requires significant accommodations, leads to other conditions, and takes an emotional and mental toll on the person affected.

Disfigurement

There are many types of accidents that can cause a person to be disfigured in some way. Burns, animal bites, amputations, and neurological damage are just a few of the ways that an individual can be disfigured in an accident. These injuries can alter a person’s appearance or form or leave severe scarring. Some injuries may require more extensive treatments. Examples of this include reconstructive surgeries for dog bites and skin grafts for burn injuries.

How Liability is Established in a Personal Injury Case

Sadly, accidents that lead to personal injury claims often arise out of negligence. Even if you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the other party was negligent, it must still be established as part of your case. The standard of negligence is a legal requirement in all personal injury claims. An injury attorney near you will help you gather sufficient evidence to show the other party’s fault in the accident by showing the following four elements:

Duty of care: The at-fault party had a duty to keep those around them safe and from harm.
Breach of duty: The at-fault party failed to carry out their obligation either through carelessness or intentional disregard.
Causation: The at-fault party’s actions directly led to the accident that caused your injuries.
Damages: Because of their role in causing the accident, the at-fault party is responsible for paying for your losses.

Fault Laws in West Virginia and Virginia

When multiple parties have contributed to an accident, or you have partially contributed to the accident in some way, additional steps must be taken to identify and establish who is at fault. Different states take different approaches to how they resolve this and how they distribute compensation.

One of the most common approaches to resolving cases with multiple contributors is modified comparative fault. This approach, used by West Virginia, assigns each party a percentage that represents their contribution. Those partially at fault can recover compensation reduced proportionately to their percentage of fault, but those who have contributed more than 50% of the accident are prohibited from being compensated.

Conversely, a less common approach is pure contributory negligence. This approach has been adopted by Virginia and means that if an individual contributes even 1% of fault to the accident, they may not recover any compensation. They must be faultless in the accident if they hope to recover damages.

Avoiding Mistakes That Could Hurt Your Personal Injury Claim

There are a lot of ways that a personal injury claim can go awry if you do not have a lawyer on your side. They will help minimize missteps and ensure you have as much evidence as possible to support and resolve your claim. However, it is also important to know what mistakes to avoid immediately after an accident before you have hired a lawyer. To ensure that you are protected and that the insurance company will not deny your claim, do not:

Refuse medical treatment
Neglect to file a police report
Neglect to take photos, gather witness statements, and maintain records as evidence
Proceed with your claim until you have hired an injury attorney near you
Use social media after an accident

Pursuing Compensation for Your Losses

When filing a personal injury claim, the end goal is to recover your losses through compensation. When the liable party pays for your damages, the settlement you receive can cover an array of losses that you may have suffered. The exact losses you can recover depend on the specific ones you experienced. The types of damages you may be able to recover include:

Economic damages: This form of compensation can be recovered when you have suffered from financial losses. These are likely to include medical expenses, home accommodations, damage and repair costs, lost income, and funeral and burial expenses.
Non-economic damages: This form of compensation can be recovered when you have experienced pain and suffering. These losses are likely to include emotional and mental distress, decreased quality of life, loss of enjoyment, and loss of companionship.

Determining the value of your settlement is best done with the help of Injury attorneys near you. No two cases are alike, and the extent and severity of your losses will significantly affect the outcome of your compensation. An injury lawyer near you will help you calculate your losses and ensure that you have not exceeded the statute of limitations. The statute of limitations for filing a personal injury claim to recover compensation in both West Virginia and Virginia is two years.

Your Lawyer Will Be a Fierce Advocate in Your Case

Injury lawyers in Charles Town, WV, Martinsburg, WV, and Winchester, VA, help you navigate the various steps in your insurance or personal injury claim. They understand how overwhelming it can be, especially if this is your first time filing an injury claim. They will provide you with the support you need while aggressively fighting for you and protecting your interests. Your lawyer will take a thorough approach and make sure you have sufficient evidence and a strong strategy. They will negotiate on your behalf until they recover an outcome you are satisfied with.

Affording a Lawyer Is Easier Than You Think

When you need legal services, affording to hire a lawyer does not have to break the bank. In fact, it does not have to cost you anything at all. Skinner Accident & Injury Lawyers works on a contingency fee basis to make representation more accessible to our clients. This means that you will not have to pay us anything out of pocket. We only collect legal fees if we win your case and you receive a settlement or verdict. The cost of a lawyer should not prevent you from having an advocate on your side when you need it the most.

Reach Out to Skinner Accident & Injury Lawyers Today

Skinner Accident & Injury Lawyers provide top-notch legal services when you need representation after an accident. We ensure that you are heard, that your case is given the priority it deserves, and that we provide trusted counsel no matter what situation you are facing.

We have offices in Charles Town, WV, Martinsburg, WV, and Winchester, VA, and our teams are ready to fight for you and secure the results you need. To schedule a free consultation and learn more about us and how we can help you, contact us today.