New Jersey Lawsuit Information &
Cases Verdicts & Settlements
 

A person involved in a personal injury accident may wonder, “do I have a case?” or “what’s my case worth?” Early on it is difficult or impossible to know what an accident case may be worth. All cases are different and no two cases will follow the exact same path. Litigation of a personal injury case can take years. Over that time factors that can affect the value can change. For example, a person’s injuries may get better, worse or stay the same. Case dynamics can change greatly over the course of a litigation. The testimony of witnesses and the information found during discovery and investigation will affect the value and prospects for a successful recovery in a case.

Even where a “typical” lawsuit progresses as expected and itself does not change significantly, the law can change. A case may progress for years under a certain legal framework, only for a new case decision to come down or a new statute or court rule passed that can dramatically change the prospects for a successful outcome. The fact of the matter is that for the most part there are too many factors that affect the value of a meritorious case to accurately make definitive predictions about the outcome. Generally after a case goes through the discovery process, it will be listed for trial. If the case survives defense motions for summary judgment or dismissal, or does not settle, it will be tried and ultimately decided by a jury, or in the case of a bench trial, by a judge. In that case, the answer to “what’s my case worth?” is, very simply, “whatever the jury says its worth.”

Although it is difficult or impossible to state with certainty what any particular case is worth before a judge or jury makes that decision, sometimes we can get an idea of trends and ranges of value by considering what other similar cases may have settled for or been awarded at trial. Below is a list of other personal injury accident cases broken down by category. Keep in mind these are listed for informational purposes only. As stated, no two cases are exactly alike and the outcome of a prior case is no guarantee the same thing will happen in your injury case. Indeed, many cases are litigated for years, undergo an extensive discovery process, only for a jury to award the injured person nothing in the end. On the other hand, a jury may award more compensation than expected and there are simply too many factors to know what may be awarded before that decision is made.

• Animal Cases Verdicts and Settlements- cases where personal injuries have been sustained due to animal attacks, animal encounters or otherwise caused by the negligent handling of animals.
• Burn Injury Verdicts and Settlements- cases where people suffered burns of all different types- first / 1st degree burns, second / 2nd degree burns and third / 3rd degree burns due to the alleged negligence of others.
• Construction Accident / OSHA Violation Verdicts and Settlements- read about what other cases settled for or trial outcomes where people suffered personal injuries as the result of construction workplace accidents including scaffolding collapses, falls from ladders, iron workers, carpenters, plumbers, framers, masons, electricians, laborers, operating engineers, and others. These include trench collapses, cave-ins, demolition accidents, structure failures, accidents involving bulldozers, excavators and other heavy equipment.
• Wrongful Death Accident Verdicts and Settlements- cases involving fatal accidents or illnesses due to alleged negligence. Fatal accidents / death claims / wrongful death cases including from automobile accidents, trucking accidents, construction accidents, premises liability accidents, drunk driving / DWI / DUI, work place accidents and illness, defective product accidents, amputation fatalities, fatal traumatic brain injury and others.
• Dog Bite Cases Verdicts and Settlements- cases where people suffered lacerations, mauling and other injuries occasioned by attacks from vicious dogs. New Jersey has a dog bite statute which holds negligent dog owners strictly liable for these types of dog attacks. See what verdicts or settlements insurance companies who cover these cases have been liable to pay.
• Explosion or Electrocution Accident Verdicts and Settlements- mishaps involving encounters with electricity, explosive items including flammable materials, HAZMATs, gasoline and other hazardous activity. Learn about the arguments and legal issues in explosion or electrocution cases.
• Fall down / Trip and Fall / Slip and Fall Accident Verdicts and Settlements- fall down cases of all types including defective sidewalks and walkways, potholes, supermarket fall downs, poorly maintained areas including poor lighting, tripping hazards, and other dangerous public areas that violate building codes and other safety standards for the safety protection of people. Learn about the various general liability insurance companies that cover these cases and the arguments their attorneys make to deny compensation to the injured person.
• Motorcycle Accident Verdicts and Settlements- lawsuit cases where people suffered serious personal injuries while riding motorcycles.
• Motor Vehicle / Automobile Accident Verdicts and Settlements- car crashes, negligent driving and other cases involving personal injuries sustained in motor vehicle accidents. See the outcomes on other New Jersey auto mobile accident cases and the tactics used by the insurance industry to deny compensation to auto accident victims.
• Spinal Cord Injury / Paralysis Verdicts and Settlements- cases involving injuries to the spinal cord caused by spinal cord trauma including from car accidents, swimming accidents, stroke, work related and other types of accidents. Cases seeking monetary compensation for injury, pain and suffering, hospital costs, doctor bills, and loss of wages. Cases with different levels of spinal cord injury, some resulting in temporary and long-term paralysis including quadriplegia, paraplegia, hemiplegia, motor difficulties, bowel difficulties and sexual and reproductive difficulties along with the physical consequences of spinal cord injury.
• Traumatic Brain Injury Verdicts and Settlements- a digest of traumatic brain injury (TBI) or mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) cases including head injury, loss of consciousness, loss of memory and focal neurological deficits and damages to brain stem, frontal lobe, and temporal lobes, post concussion headaches, cranial surgery, cognitive, physical, and psychological deficit cases caused from accidents where the head strikes an object. Learn about the tactics the insurance companies and their teams of “hired gun” full time doctor-witnesses use to make juries think that people who have in reality suffered severe brain injuries are “faking” or “malingering.”

For more information or to speak with a New Jersey personal injury lawyer, contact Keefe Bartels & Clark LLC.

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