Nebraska Personal Injury Law Overview

Personal injury law is a very broad area of law that encompasses cases such as medical malpractice, vehicle accidents, premises liability and defective products. Personal injury can also mean financial injury and emotional injury as seen in identity theft and defamation claims, respectively.

Statute of Limitations

All fifty states have time limits, or statutes of limitations, that dictate how much time you have following your injury to file a personal injury claim. In Nebraska, you have three years to file a personal injury claim; however, certain personal injury cases allow only two years to file. Two examples of the shorter statute of limitation are medical malpractice and wrongful death.

Negligence

Nebraska law follows the doctrine of "modified comparative negligence," which states that even though you are partly to blame for your injuries, you can still receive monetary compensation from other responsible parties (as long as you are less than 50% to blame).

Compensation

If you win a personal injury award in the state of Nebraska, you may be entitled to compensation for:

• Past, current, and future medical expenses
• Lost wages, including wages lost for time taken off to attend medical appointments
• Lost earning capacity
• Permanent disability
• Permanent disfigurement
• Emotional distress
• Interference with family relationships
• Other costs incurred as a direct result of your injury

Nebraska does not put limits on non-economic or punitive damages (damages intended to punish the responsible party). Non-economic damages would be pain and suffering and/or emotional distress.

Liability

Nebraska law follows the doctrine of "several liability," which means that each defendant is responsible for his share of the award. If one party cannot pay, the other parties cannot be held responsible for his share.

If you live in Nebraska and feel you may have a valid personal injury claim, please contact an experienced Nebraska personal injury lawyer in your area today.