Personal Injury

Personal Injury

A personal injury can be devastating, but it can be even more perilous for immigrants in the U.S. who are injured by another person’s negligence. As an immigrant, you have the right to recover damages if someone else caused your injuries, regardless of your legal status.

Unfortunately, filing a claim can still be intimidating, even when you know your rights. Many immigrants still worry about the consequences that filing a claim could have on their immigration status or the life they have created. This is why it’s important to work with an attorney who understands personal injury and immigration law and can effectively protect your rights.

Personal injuries can occur in car accidents, workplace accidents, dangerous premises, and many other scenarios. These accidents can cause significant harm, pain, and financial loss. In some cases, injured parties can recover these damages through financial compensation.

What Is a Personal Injury Claim?

An injured party can file a personal injury claim when their injuries were caused by the negligence or recklessness of another person, company, or group. Negligence occurs when these parties fail to provide a reasonable standard of care for those around them. When negligent actions directly result in an injury, that party is at fault for those injuries. By proving that the other party was at fault, the injured party can recover the cost of all their damages, which could include property damage, lost income, medical bill costs, and other damages.

Immigrants often work dangerous jobs, which can result in a higher likelihood of serious injuries. All immigrants also have rights to workers’ compensation. Unfortunately, not all employers carry workers’ compensation insurance, even when it is required in their state. For these employees, a personal injury claim may be their only way to recover compensation. Workplace injuries are not the only time that immigrants may suffer injuries due to another’s negligence.

When you suffer an injury, the costs can be incredibly overwhelming and only add to the resulting stress and pain. Many immigrants are uncertain of their rights to file for compensation or fear that taking legal action could endanger their livelihood. Immigration status is very rarely relevant in personal injury civil claims, but this doesn’t make the decision to file easy.

You do not have to handle this alone. You can recover the compensation you deserve with the support of a legal professional. Filing a claim with a personal injury attorney can increase the chances of a successful case and make the legal process less stressful.

Protecting the Rights of Immigrants in the U.S.

International Lawyers PLLC provides much-needed legal support for immigrants suffering from injuries and significant loss. Regardless of your legal status, you have certain rights. These include the right to a safe workplace and the right to recover compensation when a negligent party causes an injury. Our team can help you uphold your rights, determine your options to recover compensation, and file and negotiate a claim for you.

Our firm has years of legal experience and understands both immigration and personal injury law. We know how to provide the legal support you need for a personal injury claim while remaining aware of the unique personal difficulties posed by being an immigrant. We help injured individuals and families fight for the compensation they deserve, working to maximize financial compensation and holding at-fault parties accountable for their failures.

If you or a loved one has been injured because of someone else’s negligence, you can expect individualized and exceptional legal care from International Lawyers PLLC.

Types of Personal Injury Claims We Handle at International Lawyers PLLC

Many accidents and dangerous situations can result in serious injuries and losses. Some common claims we can represent at International Lawyers PLLC include:

• Car Accidents

  Car accidents are a common form of injury in the U.S. and can cause harm to those driving, on public transport, walking, or biking. Immigrants who are injured in car accidents may be able to file a car insurance claim or a personal injury claim. Different states have different requirements for car insurance and filing an insurance claim, and they can be complicated. An attorney can help you understand the laws applicable to your case.

  Both minor and serious car accidents can be incredibly traumatic and result in minor property damage to serious or life-threatening injuries. Injuries can result in months to years off from work as you recover, which can be financially devastating without a legal claim. Unfortunately, these claims need to be filed soon after an accident, and this is not easy when you’re injured. By hiring an attorney, you can be confident that your claim is being handled while you take crucial time to rest and recover.

  Car accidents and claims can become more complex in certain situations, such as if you are in an at-fault state and the at-fault driver does not have insurance. They can also be more complicated if you were in a rideshare or operating a rental car. Navigating your case will be much simpler with legal counsel who understands the unique laws and requirements that apply to your individual claim.

• Workplace Injuries

  Often, workplace injuries are covered by workers’ compensation insurance claims. There are several cases where this doesn’t apply, such as if your employer was grossly negligent, if your employer does not carry workers’ compensation insurance, or if a third party, like a subcontractor or other driver, was responsible for your injuries. In these cases, you may be able to file a civil personal injury claim to compensate for your workplace injuries.

  Whether you work a dangerous job or not, you could be injured while working. These injuries can be devastating to your personal and financial life without compensation. A skilled attorney can help you review your accident, identify the cause, and determine the ideal method to recover compensation.

• Catastrophic Injuries

  Catastrophic injuries are defined as injuries that cause a debilitating, disabling, or permanent loss to an individual. These injuries have life-long effects, which often prevent an injured party from ever working again.

  Catastrophic injuries include spinal cord injuries resulting in paralysis, traumatic brain injuries, loss of limbs, permanent damage and loss of function to internal organs, multiple broken bones, and disfigurement or scarring. The severity of these injuries, combined with the long-term effects on earning capacity and future medical costs, make compensation values for catastrophic injuries incredibly high.

  Many individuals working without an attorney underestimate the damages they deserve for catastrophic injuries. A personal injury attorney with experience in these cases knows how to calculate the short-term and long-term costs for injuries, lost income, medical requirements, and mental and emotional costs. If you experience a catastrophic injury, it is crucial that you work with the right attorney to help you get the maximum amount of compensation available in your unique case.

• Truck Accidents

  Commercial trucks are heavier and larger than passenger vehicles, so accidents typically cause much more serious injuries and are more likely to result in catastrophic injury or wrongful death claims. Truck accidents often involve many complications that are usually not present in other car accidents. Damages are normally more significant, resulting in higher compensation amounts.

  These claims are also complicated because of the number of parties that may be at fault. The truck driver may be at fault, and their employer may be vicariously liable. Sometimes, an employer is directly liable for their failures in training or vetting their drivers. Other at-fault parties may include a third-party shipping company, a maintenance crew, the owner of the cab or trailer, or other parties.

  Filing a claim against a corporation is especially stressful and difficult. Your attorney can help investigate the accident, determine the at-fault party or parties, and file claims to get the compensation you deserve. An attorney has the skill and resources to stand against corporate insurance providers.

• Wrongful Death

  In some personal injury cases, the injured party does not survive. They may die at the scene of the accident or die later due to their injuries. When their injuries and death occurred because of the negligence of another party, surviving loved ones can file a wrongful death claim.

  Surviving family members of immigrants need skilled legal support to determine their rights and options for compensation. Compensation will never make up for the loss of a loved one. Instead, it can provide a family with some financial certainty and help them hold the at-fault party accountable.

Personal Injury Claim Time Limits

Personal injury and wrongful death claims have statutes of limitations, which is the amount of time you have to file a claim. Statute of limitations can vary depending on the state and type of injury or accident in some cases. If you do not file a claim before the statute of limitations expires, you lose your right to compensation. It is not easy to act quickly after suffering an injury or a loss, but it’s important that you do so. By contacting an attorney as soon as possible, you can get the compensation you deserve.

What Compensation Is Available in a Claim?

The value of a personal injury claim will vary based on the unique damages you suffered in an accident and the long-term effect the injuries will have on your life. In most cases, the more serious your injury is, the higher the compensation will be. The types of damages that may be available in your claim include:

• Medical Bills: This includes both past and expected medical costs. The cost of treatment, surgery, transportation to the hospital, hospital stays, medication, medical devices, physical therapy, at-home care, and many other costs could be compensated.
• Lost Income: When your injury prevents you from returning to work, you can recover the income you would have earned during that time.
• Lost Earning Potential: When your injury is permanent or catastrophic, and you are only able to work light duty or cannot work for years or for the rest of your life, you could be entitled to lost earning potential. These damages compensate you for the wages you would have earned during your life if you had not been injured.
• Property Damages: If your personal property was damaged or destroyed in an accident, you can be compensated for this loss. This may include items on your person, your vehicle, or items in your vehicle. A claim can recover the costs of repair or replacement.
• Pain and Suffering: These damages compensate you for noneconomic losses, such as mental agony, physical pain, loss of quality of life, and other mental and emotional damages caused by your injury.

All of these damages are compensatory, meaning they compensate you for a legally recognized loss. There are also punitive damages, which are rarer but could be awarded in some personal injury claims. These damages are awarded if the case goes to court and the court determines the at-fault party acted with extreme negligence and disregard for human life.

International Lawyers PLLC: Your Personal Injury Immigrant Attorneys

It can be overwhelming to navigate the U.S. civil law system under any circumstances and even harder when you’re in physical pain. These stressors are only compounded when you are concerned about your immigration status. You need a skilled and compassionate attorney with the resources to help you navigate a personal injury case. At International Lawyers PLLC, we want to give you the support you need. We can explain your rights, lay out your options for a claim, and answer any questions you have.

The U.S. legal system is complicated and can be even more complex for immigrants. It is crucial that you secure legal counsel who understands your unique situation as an immigrant in the U.S.

Our firm is San Antonio-based and helps communities in the U.S., with a focus on supporting Hispanic communities. We speak Spanish and English fluently and can help you make important decisions about a personal injury or wrongful death case. We know that your situation is not easy, and we want to help ease your stress and secure the compensation you deserve.

Our firm can support you regardless of your immigration status and hold negligent parties responsible for the harm they did to you. Contact International Lawyers PLLC today to discuss your personal injury case.