Eagan Personal Injury Lawyer
A personal injury can change your life in an instant. If someone else’s negligence caused your injury, you could be eligible for financial compensation for your losses. Sieben Polk P.A.’s team of Eagan personal injury lawyers is ready to advocate for the best possible outcome.
Award-Winning Eagan, MN Personal Injury Law Firm
Experience matters when you’re facing a life-altering injury. At Sieben Polk P.A., we have over 50 years of experience representing injured individuals in Eagan, Bloomington, Edina, Eden Prairie, Hastings and beyond. In that time, our team has recovered millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts for our clients.
We offer the best features of a large firm while preserving our local firm environment. You can count on us to provide the personalized attention you deserve and a strong legal strategy tailored to your unique case. Our glowing client testimonials speak to the high quality of our services.
Car Accidents
Minnesota’s roads and highways had 70,266 traffic crashes in 2022. These accidents resulted in 444 deaths and 23,704 injuries.
Our Eagan car accident lawyers are here to help if you were injured in a crash due to someone else’s negligence. Our team will work with experts to investigate the cause of your accident and build the strongest case possible to secure a favorable settlement or verdict.
Truck Accidents
Commercial trucks can weigh up to 80,000 pounds, and their sheer size creates an immense amount of force in a collision. Occupants of smaller vehicles can suffer catastrophic injuries in crashes with large trucks. Trucking companies, truck drivers, loading crews, and vehicle parts manufacturers are just a few of the parties who may be liable for your Minnesota semi truck accident.
Wrongful Death
No amount of money can make up for a loved one’s death, but legal compensation can help you and your family secure a measure of justice and accountability. If your loved one died due to someone else’s carelessness, our Minnesota wrongful death attorneys can represent your family in a wrongful death lawsuit. We understand the delicate nature of these cases and will handle yours with utmost compassion, sensitivity, and attention to detail it deserves.
Other Personal Injury Claims
Personal injury law is diverse, and our practice areas run the gamut. We represent clients facing a wide range of scenarios in which they were injured by the carelessness of others, including those involving mesothelioma, construction accidents, slip and fall accidents, medical malpractice, and more.
Millions Recovered for Injured Minnesotans
Our case results speak for themselves. The settlements and verdicts we have achieved in Minnesota personal injury cases include:
What Compensation Am I Entitled to for My Injuries?
Personal injury compensation normally includes both economic and non-economic compensatory damages. Economic damages have a specific monetary value, such as medical expenses, lost wages, lost earning capacity, and property damage. Non-economic damages are more subjective and may include pain, suffering, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life.
In addition to compensatory damages, you may also be entitled to punitive damages. Courts do not award punitive damages often, and they are typically reserved for cases where the defendant’s actions were intentional, malicious, or grossly negligent. These damages are meant to punish the wrongdoer and deter similar behavior in the future.
What Do I Need to Prove Liability?
You can only recover personal injury compensation if you can prove that someone else is liable for your damages. Most cases are based on negligence. There are four elements of negligence that you must establish to prove liability:
- Duty of Care – The defendant owed you a duty of care to act in a reasonably safe manner. This duty exists in many situations, including driving on the road, treating patients in a medical facility, and keeping properties safe for lawful visitors.
- Breach of Duty – The defendant breached their duty of care by acting negligently or recklessly. This could involve things like speeding, failing to put out a wet-floor sign, or providing substandard medical care.
- Causation – The defendant’s breach of duty must have been the actual and proximate cause of your injuries and losses.
- Damages – You must have suffered actual damages to recover compensation. These can include physical injuries, financial losses, and emotional harm.
What Do I Need to Prove Liability in Minnesota?
- Duty of Care
- Breach of Duty
- Causation
- Damages: Physical, Financial, and Emotional
Minnesota Personal Injury Laws
Several state laws will come into play when seeking compensation for a personal injury in Minnesota.
Joint and Several Liability
In Minnesota, if multiple parties are at fault for an injury, they may be held severally liable. In this case, each party will be assigned a percentage of fault and will be required to pay their share of the damages. Depending on the circumstances, they may also be held jointly and severally liable, meaning all parties are equally responsible for fully compensating the plaintiff.
Modified Comparative Fault
Under Minnesota’s modified comparative fault rule, an injured party who is found to be partially at fault for their own injuries can still recover compensation as long as they are not more at fault than the defendants. The plaintiff’s compensation will be reduced by their percentage of fault.
Statute of Limitations for Personal Injury Lawsuits
The Minnesota personal injury statute of limitations normally gives six years from the date of the injury to file a lawsuit, but other deadlines apply to specific types of cases. For example, wrongful death claims must be filed within three years from the date of death. Further, medical malpractice and product liability claims (if based on strict liability) must be filed within four years from the date of the harm.
There may be exceptions that extend these timelines, but failure to file before the correct deadline will result in your case being dismissed in court. Therefore, do not hesitate to reach out to our Eagan personal injury lawyers if you believe you have a viable case.
Injured? Our Eagan Personal Injury Lawyers Are Ready to Help
You don’t have to bear the consequences of someone else’s mistake. If you suspect you have a viable personal injury case, allow us to guide you through your next steps. Contact us online or call (651) 437-3148 to schedule a free consultation with a top-tier personal injury lawyer in Eagan.
Eagan Personal Injury Attorney FAQs
It’s normal to have questions when considering a personal injury lawsuit. Here are answers to a few frequently asked questions we receive to help you understand your rights and options.
What Can a Personal Injury Lawyer Do for Me?
Our personal injury lawyers in Eagan can ease the burden that your injury has on your life. We’ll take care of all the legal details, from investigation to evidence building to negotiation, so you can focus on your recovery. With founding partner John P. Sieben at the helm, our attorneys will fight hard for maximum compensation that covers the full extent of your losses.
How Much Does Hiring a Personal Injury Attorney Cost?
We work on a contingency fee basis, so you can get quality representation with no out-of-pocket costs. With this arrangement, our fees will be calculated as a pre-determined percentage of your settlement or verdict. This means the cost of hiring our personal injury law firm is unique to each case. Ultimately, you pay nothing unless we win your case.
How Do Personal Injury Lawsuits Work?
The basic steps in a personal injury lawsuit involve identifying the liable parties, gathering evidence that proves their fault, and calculating the value of your damages. We then negotiate with insurance companies to reach a settlement. If a fair settlement is not reached, we file a lawsuit in court. Negotiations may continue. But, if your case goes to trial, we will advocate for you before a judge and jury to secure a favorable verdict.
How Long Do Personal Injury Lawsuits Take?
The timeline of personal injury lawsuits can be as short as a few months, but particularly challenging cases can take a year or more to reach a fair outcome. Each case has a different timeline that depends on unique factors like the severity of your injuries, complexity of liability, and cooperation from insurance companies.
What Questions Should I Ask During My Consultation With a Personal Injury Attorney?
Your free consultation is your opportunity to get to know our Eagan personal injury lawyers. It also allows you to understand your legal rights and options so you can make an informed decision about how to move forward.
Some questions you may want to ask during your consultation with any personal injury lawyer include:
- What is your track record of success in similar cases to mine?
- How long have you been practicing personal injury law?
- How often can I expect updates on my case’s progress?
- Who will be the primary point of contact for my case?
- How can I reach you if I have questions or concerns?
- What course of action do you recommend for my case?
- What are the potential outcomes of my case? What factors will influence the result?
- What are the potential downsides of pursuing legal action in this situation?
- What weaknesses do you see in my case? How will you address them?
- How long do you anticipate my case will take?
I’m Ready to File a Claim. What Are the Next Steps?
Reach out to our personal injury lawyers in Eagan for a free, no-obligation consultation. Our expert legal team is ready to listen to your story, inform you of your options, and start pursuing fair compensation on your behalf. Contact us online or call (651) 437-3148 to schedule a free case review. We are here to help.