It takes only a moment to throw your life into chaos — a wrong turn, a wrong step, a brief distraction — and suddenly you are facing weeks, months, even a lifetime, of pain and loss. You or a loved one could be scarred, disabled, or worse — unable to work and staring at a steadily mounting pile of overdue bills. And making it worse is when it is due to someone else’s negligence. You deserve compensation for the physical and financial costs of your personal injury, and the Chester County personal injury lawyers of McMahon, McMahon & Lentz will work to aide your recovery.
Is It Negligence?
If you are injured in an accident, receiving compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other expenses is not a given. You must prove that the negligence of others caused or contributed to the mishap. Negligence can be a matter of action or inaction. Legal proof of negligence hinges on meeting the following conditions:
- The other party owed you a duty of reasonable care. In other words, they were responsible for taking precautions to prevent injuries.
- The party violated that duty by their actions or failure to act. They put others in harm’s way by creating or failing to correct a hazardous situation or condition.
- You were injured as a result of the party’s action(s) or inaction.
- You would not have been injured had it not been for the action(s) or inaction of the other party.
If the circumstances of your accident satisfy these requirements, you may have grounds for filing a lawsuit, and you should immediately contact a Chester County personal injury attorney at McMahon, McMahon & Lentz.
Examples of Negligence Causing Accidents and Injuries
Personal injury accidents can occur anywhere, at any time. A crack in the pavement, a frayed electrical cord, a brick falling from a building site — there are scores of hazards waiting to inflict harm on people, many dangers created or ignored due to the negligence of others.
One of the most publicized types of vehicular negligence is “distracted driving,” in which drivers engage in eating, drinking, texting, checking their makeup, or other actions that occupy their attention. Even a second’s distraction can cause a wreck, so many drivers — even normally cautious ones — tempt fate on a regular basis. The Transportation Safety Group at the National Safety Council found that nearly 80 percent of car collisions are caused by distracted driving.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, there were 4,541 traffic crashes in Chester County in 2011. More than 1,800 of these resulted in injuries, and 35 caused fatalities, for a total of 40 deaths. Crashes even took the lives of seven pedestrians.
Contact a Personal Injury Law Firm in Chester County
Proper documentation is critical in establishing negligence as the cause of a personal injury. Police reports and photographs of an accident scene can help prove negligence, as can witnesses or records of an existing unsafe condition. You should also waste no time contacting a personal injury lawyer in Chester County. Call McMahon, McMahon & Lentz today at 800-859-6262 to discuss your options and determine if negligence caused your injury and you have a right to collect damages.
And remember, we work on a contingency basis. No Fee Unless We Win!