Is My Injury Serious Enough For A Personal Injury Lawsuit?

• Feb 12 2015
• Gilleon Law Firm, APC

Many people are injured every day, but not all of them file personal injury lawsuits. In many cases, these victims believe that their injuries are not serious enough to warrant a personal injury attorney’s time. They may also believe that they will not collect enough in damages to justify a lawsuit.

It may be difficult to know exactly how serious an injury has to be in order to warrant a personal injury lawsuit. Certainly a minor cut or bruise is usually not enough basis for a lawsuit, but some seemingly minor injuries can be the basis of a successful action if they cause long-term damage. Attorney Dan Gilleon in San Diego offers the following tips to help you decide if you should talk to an attorney about your case.

In evaluating any personal injury case, Dan Gilleon often asks these questions:

• Are your injuries getting better? Sometimes the basis for a lawsuit is not the severity of the injury but the fact that it may never heal. For example, a cut to the face could be relatively minor but might leave a permanent scar. This could affect a person’s self-esteem for the rest of his or her life. In that case, a minor injury could be the basis for a successful lawsuit.
• Are your injuries interfering with your life? Sometimes injuries are not classified as serious but they interfere with the way we live our lives. This can, in turn, lead to other losses. If your injury has interfered with your daily activities, work or relationship with others, it is serious enough to warrant further discussion with an attorney.
• Are your injuries likely to get worse? Some injuries do not manifest immediately. For example, whiplash victims may not be in much pain immediately after the accident but may be in agony a week later. Some injuries also worsen over time or cause continuous degeneration that will ultimately have serious health consequences. If this is the case, a lawsuit may be the only way to provide for future medical expenses.

If you or someone you love has been injured, it is important to talk to an attorney like Dan Gilleon about your accident. Ultimately, an attorney should advise you on how serious your injury is from a legal standpoint and what you should do to protect your rights and recover damages.