A slip and fall accident at a business can result in serious injuries that can keep you from earning a living. Unfortunately, slip and fall accidents are not always taken seriously, and you could be accused of faking an injury to make money off the business where you fell. If you have fallen on the premises of a business and sustained serious injuries due to their negligence, you need to hire an attorney versed in personal injury law to help with your case.
Going to Court
If one of the personal injury lawyers in Charlotte, NC thinks you have a case, then he or she will file the necessary documents to take the case to court. The court that hears the case will depend on how much compensation is being sought for your injuries. If the amount of compensation is less than $5,000, then your case would go to the Small Claims court in the county in which the business is located. For amounts between $5,000 and $10,000, your case would be heard in the District Court.
If an attorney is filing a lawsuit that seeks more than $10,000 in damages, the case will be heard in the county’s Superior Court. It is important to hire a lawyer familiar with personal injury law in Charlotte, NC because there are some caps on how much you can be awarded for your injuries. For punitive damages, you cannot be awarded more than three times the actual damages or $250,000, but there may not be limitations on non-economic damages, such as pain and suffering.
Time Limitations
It is also important to note that in personal injury law cases, plaintiffs have three years in which to file a lawsuit. If they don’t file within that time, then the court can refuse to hear the case and you may not receive any compensation.