North Dakota Personal Injury Law Overview

Personal injury law is a broad area of law that includes cases that result in injury or death due to someone else's negligence. Some of the most common North Dakota personal injury cases are workplace accidents, medical malpractice, vehicle accidents and defective products.

Compensation

If you win a personal injury settlement in North Dakota, you may be entitled to receive compensation for:

• Past and future medical bills
• Lost wages
• Lost earning capacity
• Permanent disability
• Permanent disfigurement
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Loss of companionship
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Property damage
• Other expenses directly caused by your injuries

Punitive damages are awarded to the plaintiff to "punish" the defendant. In North Dakota, punitive damages are limited to twice the compensatory damages or $250,000, whichever is greater.

Statute of Limitations

All states have certain time limits to file a personal injury claim; these limits are referred to as statutes of limitations. Most personal injury claims in North Dakota can be filed up to two years from the date of the injury. However, in product liability cases, you have ten years after the purchase date of the product to file your personal injury claim. If you injuries were the result of exposure to asbestos, you have three years from the time you found out about your illness.

Negligence

North Dakota law follows the doctrine of "modified comparative negligence," which means that each if the plaintiff is less than 50% responsible for his injuries, then he can collect damages from other responsible parties.

Liability

North Dakota law follows the principle of "several liability," which means that each of the responsible parties is responsible for their share of the damages. If one party cannot pay, the plaintiff cannot collect more money from the other parties.

If you live in North Dakota and feel you may have a personal injury claim on your hands, please contact an experienced North Dakota attorney in your area today.