Joplin Personal Injury Lawyer

Many personal injuries come down to a breach of implied trust: you implicitly trusted that a product would not injure you, or that the floor in the grocery store would not be so slippery as to cause you to fall. Most of us try to follow the rules and stay safe most of the time, but accidents do occur, whether on someone else’s property, on the road, or in a business establishment. When someone breaks that rule of safety and causes a personal injury, you have a right to look into compensation for your injuries.

All too often, we see negligence as the cause of personal injuries. The Cagle Law Firm’s personal injury attorneys in Joplin, MO, view such situations as unacceptable. Everyone is entitled to the same measure of safety when they leave their homes.

If you were going about your business and got hurt by someone else’s carelessness, you may be entitled to financial compensation for your injury. We work to put forth the strongest possible case to prove that.

3 Ways We Pursue a Personal Injury Claim

Accidents that end up injuring you, and for which you wish to sue, usually involve negligence on the part of the person who caused the injury. Of course, when you’ve been hurt, you may not have the presence of mind to think through what happened right then, or how you can prove it in court.

That’s where a personal injury lawyer of The Cagle Law Firm in Joplin, MO, can help. This article is intended to list some of the evidence we will need to build a case for your personal injury.

1. Police Incident Reports

   One major piece we use to learn some of the details of a personal injury is a copy of the police report made at the scene. These reports are vital to lawyers because they contain contact information for each party, witness claims, and a narrative explanation by the officer(s) of the facts of the injury. You must remember that law enforcement officers do not determine “fault” in an injury incident. Take the example of a car crash. The officers can assess citations for failure to yield and other traffic infractions. These citations are more evidence in the incident report. The job of the officer is to examine the vehicles and provide a narrative of the crash based on evidence and statements.

   But just as lawyers use police reports to inform the cases they build, so, too, can police officers use their reports to recall the incident if they must testify in court. Talk to an accident lawyer of The Cagle Law Firm in Joplin, MO, about how the police report from your personal injury can be used in your favor.

2. Photos

   Another major component of a strong case for your personal injury damages is photographic evidence. If you are able to do so, take photos of the scene of your injury. Photos can show the state of the area that may have been responsible for causing your injury. We lawyers can use these photos to help explain in court what really occurred. Depending on where your specific injury happened, your attorney may also seek to get video footage that might have been available near the scene.

   Talk to your Joplin personal injury attorney to learn more about how photos can help to prove blame in your case.

   The point of all this evidence-searching for lawyers is to find the direct cause of your injury. To establish fault or liability for your personal injury, we must first show that the offending party acted negligently. To do that, we look for the cause or causes of your accident. For instance: did the store manager know that the handrail that broke and caused you to fall was loose and needed repairing? Did your employer know that working conditions were dangerous and let employees work as usual anyway? The Joplin personal injury lawyers at The Cagle Law Firm know how to investigate this part of the situation to determine who is responsible for your injury.

3. Witness Statements

   In many personal injury scenarios, there are often witnesses. These witnesses will usually be at different vantage points and angles. Depending on the time and place, witnesses may be fewer. You will want your attorney to get witness statements as soon as possible. Over time, memories of an incident in which we are not directly involved may fade. Our attorneys have professionals that get witness statements. Trying to obtain a witness statement on your own is not a good idea. Any witness that speaks directly to you will want to say what pleases you the most. Therefore, having a professional take down the witness statements so that your attorney can examine all information right away is often the most helpful to your case.

Call a Personal Injury Lawyer in Joplin, MO

At The Cagle Law Firm, we understand that the time following a personal injury is not an ideal time to start thinking about lawyers and evidence and courts. You are likely stressed, afraid, and feeling alone. But that is why we are here. When you bring your case to us, we dig into the facts of the situation as well as the extent of your injuries. At this time in your life, you have to focus on your own physical recovery and let the professionals assist you.

We’ll be right beside you getting the hard work done. Get in touch with us today to set up your free consultation. At The Cagle Law Firm, we don’t let personal injury cases go uncontested, and we will never stop fighting for you.