What is Property Damage in a Personal Injury Case?
Property damage refers to any damage that affects things instead of a person. This might include damage to your car, house, etc. As such, it is not regarded as a personal injury case. However, when an individual is injured when the accident occurs, the affected person can file a personal injury claim.
A typical example is when someone gets injured in a car accident as a result of the recklessness of another driver. If you find yourself in such a situation, you’ll need the services of a top personal injury lawyer in your area to help you get compensation from the at-fault party. Given the nature of the case, a personal injury lawyer will help you understand your rights and the legal options available to get the necessary compensation. Since it involves damage to you and your property, you must file a claim covering both.
Hiring a good lawyer can greatly improve the chances of receiving fair compensation. A motorcycle accident victim secured a million dollars in compensation with the help of Dolman Law Group. You could do the same if you hired a reputed law firm like Dolman Law Group.
What is Property Damage?
Property damage in a personal injury case occurs in different ways. The constant factor is that an individual gets injured and their property is damaged in the process. For a personal injury lawyer to get the appropriate compensation for their clients, they must first identify the liable parties.
In some cases, there might be several responsible parties. For instance, if someone else was directly responsible for damaging your property and causing you bodily injury, that individual will be held liable and must provide compensation. A good personal injury lawyer will help you determine the circumstances and facts surrounding the case and make the right claim.
If it was a car accident, the manufacturer might also be liable if it’s discovered that an auto part was defective. The local or state government might also bear liability.
So, if a damaged traffic light or bad road construction played a role in causing the accident, you can hold the government responsible.
Measuring Property Damage
When a property is damaged, the owner can file a case to recover the cost of repair or replacement. You’ll be required to prove that the compensation you’re claiming to receive is accurate. Therefore, you’ll need to get professional quotes from a specialist to serve as proof.
Other Requirements Needed to Make Your Claim
When you move to make a property damage claim, you’ll need to provide proof of ownership (burden of proof). You can read this article to learn more about the burden of proof. This is a document that reveals that you are the owner of the destroyed or damaged property. Most courts will accept purchase receipts, a title, or an insurance policy on the affected property as proof of ownership. Without this proof, your case will be thrown out.
Another requirement is proof of the location where the incident occurred and how the item was damaged. You will need to answer some questions to prove your case.
Examples of such questions include:
· Where did the incident occur?
· Was the item damaged in the car?
· Did the incident occur on another person’s property?
· Was someone else solely responsible for causing the damage?
The last proof requirement is your property’s value. This is important because it will determine how much compensation you receive. As we said earlier, you’ll need to get professional quotes from a property repair specialist to support your claims.
Conclusion
Property damage might be the result of an accident or a premeditated action. Whatever the situation, hiring a personal injury lawyer is the only way to get compensation and hold the responsible parties liable. You’ll need to provide several pieces of evidence supporting your claim for it to hold weight in court.