Minneapolis Personal Injury Lawyer

Every day, people experience personal injuries in all manner of situations. Sadly, many of these injuries are due to the negligence of someone other than the victim. When this is the case, the law allows the injured party or their family to take legal action and seek compensation for the losses suffered.

If you or someone you care about has been injured by someone else, a Minneapolis personal injury lawyer can potentially help.

Damages A Minneapolis Personal Injury Attorney Can Request

We Fight Hard for The Compensation You Deserve

Attorney Isaac Tyroler and Attorney Rachel Sperling Leonard are some of the state’s best and most respected Minneapolis personal injury lawyers. They possess an unparalleled level of passion and have the capabilities to successfully represent personal injury clients.

When you choose Tyroler Leonard Injury Law, you get a firm with:

• Minneapolis personal injury attorneys who have years of combined experience
• Millions of dollars recovered for clients
• Direct and round-the-clock contact for clients
• The willingness and know-how to represent clients at trial.

At Tyroler Leonard Injury Law, each personal injury lawyer treats every case with the personal care it deserves and devotes all their time and resources to recovering maximum compensation.

How We Can Help

Our Minneapolis Personal Injury Lawyers Manage Every Aspect of Your Case So You Can Focus on You

As an injury victim, you deserve maximum compensation for your losses. But it is important to know that the compensation process is not victim-friendly. In fact, the insurance companies responsible for compensating injury victims routinely do whatever they can to pay as little as possible.

For this reason, injury victims need experienced representation when seeking compensation for their losses. With a seasoned Minneapolis personal injury lawyer representing you, your chances of getting maximum compensation are much higher than without a personal injury lawyer representing you.

The efforts of our Minneapolis personal injury lawyers while representing you include:

• Gathering evidence
• Collecting medical records and tests
• Researching applicable statutes and case law
• Interviewing eyewitnesses
• Preparing you for deposition
• Reviewing police reports
• Securing surveillance video, if available
• Examining the crash scene
• Hiring expert witnesses, if needed
• Negotiating aggressively with insurance companies.

Each Minneapolis personal injury attorney on our team leaves no stone unturned when seeking facts and evidence to build the strongest case possible.

Damages A Minneapolis Personal Injury Attorney Can Request

Damages refer to the compensation you are entitled to when a negligent party causes you harm. In Minnesota, there are two principal types of damages available to injury victims: economic and noneconomic damages.

Economic damages compensate for the financial losses you have experienced because of your injuries. They typically include:

• Medical bills
• Future medical care
• Lost wages
• Loss of future earnings
• Property damage.

To prove that you have suffered financial losses, your Minneapolis personal injury attorneys will use bank statements, medical bills, pay stubs, and other financial documents demonstrating your losses.

Noneconomic damages exist to compensate injury victims for losses that are not financial, such as:

• Pain and suffering
• Scarring and disfigurement
• Emotional distress and anxiety
• PTSD
• Loss of consortium
• Loss of enjoyment of life.

Proving these losses is usually more difficult for a personal injury attorney than proving economic losses. With no built-in or intrinsic economic value, noneconomic losses must be calculated using one of two formulas.

The first is the times-three formula. With this method, noneconomic damages are calculated by taking the total of economic damages and multiplying that amount by three.

Another method used in calculating noneconomic damages is the per diem method. With this approach, Minneapolis personal injury attorneys will seek a daily payment for your losses. The payments will continue until you reach maximum medical recovery.

Damages And Traffic Accident Cases

When it comes to traffic accident cases, damages are handled a bit differently, at least initially. Under Minnesota law, all drivers must carry at least $40,000 in personal injury protection (PIP) insurance. After an accident, an injured person’s PIP insurance automatically kicks in to cover a portion of their losses.

However, PIP insurance does not cover all of the losses that car accident victims face. It only covers:

• Medical expenses related to the accident
• Lost wages
• Housekeeping services
• Funeral and burial expenses.

Although PIP will cover most, if not all, of your medical expenses up to the policy limit, it only covers 85% of your lost wages and only up to a maximum payment of $500 per week. However, you can file a claim against the other driver’s liability insurance if you meet one of the following conditions:

• You experienced $4,000 in medical treatment
• You experienced a permanent injury
• You missed 60 or more days of work
• You have permanent disfigurement.

Remember that these PIP rules only apply to traffic accidents. Victims of other types of personal injury incidents, except for most work injury incidents, may have their personal injury attorney seek full compensation.

Damages And Work Injuries

Work injury claims are like traffic accident claims in that they are controlled by a no-fault insurance system. As with PIP insurance, workers’ comp claims only cover some of the economic losses victims face and none of the noneconomic losses.

However, in some cases, injured workers can file a claim or lawsuit against a third party who is partially or totally responsible for their injuries. In these third-party suits, a victim may seek to recover the full range of compensation available to injury victims, including economic and noneconomic damages.

Common third parties who may face liability in a third-party claim or lawsuit include:

• Negligent property owners
• Makers of defective products, such as tools and vehicles
• Negligent workers from another company
• Negligent customers or clients
• Negligent members of the public.

When you approach Minneapolis personal injury attorneys after an injury on the job, they will discuss your workers’ comp options as well as seek to identify any third party who may also be liable for your injuries.

Statute of Limitations for Personal Injury Claims in Minnesota

In most cases, the statute of limitations for a personal injury claim is six years in Minnesota. In Wisconsin, the statute of limitations is longer at three years.

Proving Negligence

To prove negligence, your attorney will have to prove four elements in your lawsuit. These include:

Duty

Duty refers to the obligation one party owes to another. The nature and scope of the duty someone owes to another are defined entirely by the context of the situation. In order to successfully seek compensation from someone, you must first prove they had a duty toward you.

Breach

Breach refers to the violation of the duty someone owes someone else. Successful compensation claims must demonstrate that the target of their legal action not only owed a duty but also breached or violated this duty in some way.

For example, a pedestrian who is hit by a drunk driver who was swerving and speeding can point to two breaches of duty — drinking and driving and speeding.

Causation

It’s not enough to show that a person violated the duty of care they owed you; you must also demonstrate that the breach of the duty actually caused your injuries. In other words, just because someone was negligent does not necessarily mean their negligence was the cause of your injuries.

Damages

Your personal injury lawyer in Minneapolis must demonstrate that your injuries allow you to recover compensable damages, such as medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Without compensable damages, there is no point in filing a claim or a lawsuit.

Different Types of Injuries We See

Personal injury is a practice area in which victims seek financial damages for the harm they’ve suffered because of someone else’s negligence or recklessness. Some of these accidents and injuries include:

Wrongful Death

A wrongful death occurs when a person dies due to the unlawful actions of another. Typically, negligence underlies wrongful death actions. However, reckless and intentional acts can also form the basis of wrongful death claims, such as extremely reckless behavior and violence that leads to death.

Brain Injuries

Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) occur when the brain suffers a traumatic blow. They often occur with closed-head injuries that cause the brain to impact the inner cranium. Traumatic brain injuries also take place when a foreign object penetrates the skull and causes damage to the brain, such as when a bullet strikes a person in the head.

Spinal Cord Injuries

As with traumatic brain injuries, injuries to the spinal cord can permanently debilitate a person. Depending on the location of the injury on the spinal cord, an injury victim may experience partial to full paralysis and loss of other important neurological functions.

Dog Bites

In Minnesota, dog owners or handlers are strictly liable for the injuries their dogs cause. Strict liability means that dog-bite victims seeking compensation for their injuries need only prove that the bite occurred and not that the dog owner or handler was negligent.

Car Accident, Truck Accident, or Motorcycle Accident

Traffic accidents are among the most common types of injury accidents in the state. At Tyroler Leonard Injury Law, our experience and familiarity with traffic crash situations allow our team to effectively represent our clients in claims for compensation.

Work Injury

Work injuries can lead to extended periods of time out of work or permanent loss of the ability to engage in gainful employment. Whatever the circumstances, the injured worker typically has access to workers’ comp benefits but may also be entitled to seek full compensation through a third-party claim or lawsuit against responsible parties other than their employer.

Product Liability

Defective products make it into the marketplace on a regular basis. Those that are dangerously defective can cause all manner of injuries and death. Fortunately, victims and their families can pursue compensation from those who had a hand in making the defective product available to consumers.

Parties commonly found liable in product liability cases include manufacturers, designers, distributors, and retailers.

Slip And Fall Injuries

The term slip and fall often refers to actual slips and falls but also encompasses most other injuries that occur on someone else’s property. Property owners have the duty to ensure that their properties are reasonably safe for the public. Hazards such as slippery floors or icy steps must be dealt with in a way that protects the public.

Common Factors in Personal Injury Accidents

Several factors can lead to a vehicle crash or personal injury accident. Sometimes, it’s human error, product malfunction, an unsafe environment, or a combination of all of these.

Defective Products

As mentioned, defective products are not uncommon in the marketplace. Some of the more common defective products Minneapolis personal injury lawyers deal with include:

• Defective car parts, such as tires and brakes
• Defective ladders
• Defective power tools.

Dangerous, defective drugs may also form the basis of a personal injury lawsuit based on a product defect.

Dogs That Are Not on Leashes

Dog owners often mistakenly believe their pet will not cause harm during the time it is off the leash. Unfortunately, dogs are often unpredictable, especially when meeting new people or animals.

Alcohol And Drug Use

Drunk and drugged drivers are responsible for numerous tragedies on the road. Alcohol and drugs lead to accidents on the job as well as instances of medical malpractice and other negligent situations where a person experiences reduced capabilities from being intoxicated.

Inexperience And Inattention

Inexperience and inattention are among the most common causes of accidents on the road. Motorcycle riders, for example, often cause serious crashes due to lack of experience, as do truck drivers who are ill-trained for their job.

Outside of traffic accidents, inexperienced and untrained workers cause their fair share of injury accidents in the service industry, such as in amusement parks.

Weather

Various types of weather, such as snow, rain, and fog, make roads more dangerous. Drivers transiting in these conditions should only operate their vehicles in a manner safe for current weather conditions.

The same holds true in other situations where weather may require heightened standards of care, such as during boating and other water activities on a lake or river.

Roadway Conditions

Roadway conditions are also common causes of accidents. Potholes, uneven lanes, and other hazards caused by lack of or faulty maintenance are the typical culprits.

Personal Injury FAQs

We are ready to help clarify any confusion surrounding personal injury cases. Please read through the following Q&A for answers to questions you might have.

What If I Lose a Loved One in an Accident?

If you lose a loved one in an accident, you can potentially file a wrongful death claim or lawsuit. However, you must be a surviving relative of the deceased in order to bring a wrongful death claim. These relatives include a spouse, child, parent, grandparent, or sibling.

What Is the Meaning of the Term “Personal Injury”?

Personal injury refers to an injury an individual experiences after a harmful incident. Personal injury claims are legal actions for compensation based on the personal injuries a person suffers.

What Is an Average Payout for a Personal Injury Claim?

There is no average personal injury payout. Generally, the more serious the injury, the more compensation a victim will receive. Additionally, the more money a person makes at their employment, the more compensation they will receive for lost wages.

Can I Afford a Minneapolis Personal Injury Lawyer?

Yes. As a client of Tyroler Leonard, you pay nothing upfront for our Minneapolis personal injury attorney to take your case. Additionally, since our attorney’s fees depend on how much compensation we recover for you, you pay nothing if we recover nothing.

Who Is the Target of a Personal Injury Claim or Lawsuit?

Whoever is responsible for your injuries will be the target of your claim or lawsuit. It may be a negligent driver, the manufacturer of a defective product, or another party.

How Long Does It Take to Resolve a Personal Injury Claim?

It is not possible to say until a personal injury lawyer in Minneapolis reviews your case. Complex claims can take up to and over a year, while simple claims may be resolved in a matter of months.

Contact A Personal Injury Lawyer in Minneapolis Today

If you have experienced an injury caused by another, a seasoned Minneapolis personal injury lawyer at Tyroler Leonard Injury Law can potentially help you get justice.

To learn more about how we can help, call us for a free initial consultation at 651-259-1113.

Attorney Rachel Sperling Leonard

A partner of Tyroler Leonard Injury Law, Ms. Sperling Leonard practices exclusively in personal injury and wrongful death claims. Specifically, she specializes in car accidents, motorcycle accidents, boating accidents, dog bites, dog attacks, slip and falls, trip and falls, sexual assaults/abuse and other assaults. Some representative cases of Ms. Sperling Leonard’s in the last few years include: a $1 million settlement for an individual injured in a car crash, a $750,000.00 for a man injured when he slipped and fell, a $455,000.00 settlement for an individual injured after falling, and multiple $250,000.00 settlements for individuals injured in motorcycle and auto accidents, among many others. She frequently turns insurance company denials into fair-value offers.
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