How do I know if I actually have a case?

Q: How do I know if I actually have a case?

If someone else's carelessness left you hurt and facing real costs, you likely have a claim worth discussing. Here is how to tell, in plain terms.

Most personal injury claims come down to three questions: did someone else's carelessness cause what happened, were you hurt, and did that injury cost you something real? If the answer to all three is yes, you very likely have a claim worth discussing.

What "negligence" actually means

The legal foundation of most injury cases is negligence, and it is simpler than it sounds. Negligence has four parts:

Duty. The other person owed you a basic level of care, like a driver's duty to drive safely or a store's duty to keep its floors safe.
Breach. They failed that duty, by speeding, texting, ignoring a spill, or cutting a safety corner.
Causation. That failure actually caused your injury.
Damages. You suffered real harm as a result.

When those four line up, you generally have the makings of a case.

Situations that usually qualify

A driver hit you in a car, truck, or motorcycle crash.
You fell because a property owner ignored a known hazard.
You were hurt on a job site beyond what workers' comp alone covers.
A defective product or a medical mistake caused you harm.

What a claim can include

People often underestimate what counts as harm. A claim can cover medical bills, future treatment, lost wages, reduced earning ability, out-of-pocket costs, and the pain and disruption to your daily life. These add up to far more than the first bill in your mailbox.

When it is less obvious

Some real cases do not look like cases at first. Pain that grows over the days after an accident, a dispute about who was at fault, a "minor" crash that turns into surgery later, or an insurer who is slow and evasive are all reasons to ask sooner rather than later.

The honest part

Not every accident is a case, and a good firm will tell you that directly instead of signing you up regardless. The free review exists to answer this one question for you, even when the answer is no. You lose nothing by asking, you are not obligated to hire anyone, and you walk away knowing exactly where you stand.