Cleveland Personal Injury Lawyers

Accidents happen. No one leaves their home in the morning expecting to be injured, but it happens every day — and an injury can have a serious effect on your quality of life, your family, and your financial wellbeing.

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“Accidents” happen all the time, but they are often avoidable. If you’ve been injured because another person acted negligently, you may be entitled to compensation. That’s true whether you were injured in a car crash, suffered a slip and fall injury on someone else’s property, were the victim of medical malpractice, or were in any way injured because someone else didn’t live up to their responsibilities.

If someone else’s negligence caused your injury, you shouldn’t have to bear the cost. When injuries prevent you from returning to work or performing life’s daily activities, the personal injury attorneys at Plevin & Gallucci will fight to recover the compensation you deserve for pain and suffering, lost wages, medical bills, and property damage.

55 Public Square #2222
Cleveland, OH 44113
(216) 861-0804

Open 8AM – 5PM
Monday – Friday
Weekend appointments are available.

Filing a Personal Injury Claim in Ohio

Personal injury law is designed to make sure you don’t suffer financial hardship as a result of someone else’s negligence. “Negligence” is a technical legal term. It means that the person who caused your injury failed to act with a reasonable level of care. That may come in the form of an action (such as running a red light because they were texting while driving) or an omission (like failing to muzzle a dog that has bitten someone before). By acting negligently, the other person has legally caused your injuries and is responsible for the costs of that injury.

Personal injury law in Ohio can be very complex; there aren’t clear black-and-white rules for what kinds of actions and omissions are negligent. There may also be a lot of factual questions to deal with as far as the circumstances of the accident. Any case involving an injury involves a lot of technical medical evidence and may require expert testimony, not to mention dealing with the insurance companies. In other words, a personal injury case isn’t something most people can handle on their own.

If you’ve been injured through the negligence of another person, we’re here to help. Our experienced personal injury attorneys have handled thousands of cases throughout Ohio stemming from car crashes, motorcycle and trucking accidents, premise liability accidents, dram shop (liquor establishment) accidents, aviation accidents, and more, obtaining millions of dollars on behalf of our injured clients.

Cleveland Personal Injury Lawsuits

Not every injury claim requires a personal injury lawsuit. In some situations, your Cleveland personal injury attorney will be able to negotiate a settlement with the responsible party’s insurance company without filing suit. Often, though, you’ll need to file a lawsuit to secure the compensation you deserve.

How Does a Cleveland Personal Injury Case Work?

In Ohio, you typically have up to two years to file a personal injury lawsuit. But, it’s generally not a good idea to delay speaking with a personal injury lawyer. Some types of claims may require you to act sooner, and it’s usually easier to gather the evidence you need to build a strong case shortly after the incident that caused your injury.

The first step is to investigate what caused or contributed to the incident and your resulting injuries. An experienced personal injury attorney can gather evidence on your behalf and help make sure you have identified all possible responsible parties. Your personal injury lawyer can help in many other ways, too, including:

Gathering evidence and interviewing witnesses to build your case
Managing technical and procedural requirements most people who have suffered injuries aren’t aware of
Ensuring that all deadlines are met
Getting between you and an insurance company that may try to trick you into settling early for less than you deserve or doing or saying something that will hurt your claim
Hiring and working with expert witnesses as needed to establish what caused the accident and who was responsible
Hiring and working with expert witnesses to establish the value of your claim
Negotiating with the responsible party’s insurance company and their attorney to try to reach a settlement that’s in your best interest
If it’s the best approach for your case, fighting for fair compensation at a jury trial

In some cases, you may be able to settle a personal injury claim on your own. This is especially true if your injuries are minor, your damages are fairly limited, and the cause of the injury is straightforward. For more significant claims, though, it is generally in your best interest to hire a Cleveland personal injury lawyer right away.

Most injured people don’t have the knowledge of Ohio law and court procedures necessary to effectively present their claims in court. And, insurance companies don’t always play fair. Settling your claim without knowledgeable guidance coul leave you without sufficient compensation to cover your injury-related losses, such as medical bills, ongoing costs of medical care and therapy, and lost wages or diminished earning capacity.

An experienced local personal injury lawyer will understand the law governing Cleveland injury cases and the tactics insurance companies use to avoid paying full compensation. They’ll know how to obtain the evidence you need and how to present complex medical or technical information to a jury. And, when you put your case in the hands of an experienced advocate, you can turn your attention back to rest and recovery

Don’t Delay: Timing of Your Case is Crucial

Ohio law only gives you a certain amount of time to file a personal injury claim, but there’s another reason you should contact a lawyer as soon as possible: you need to protect the evidence for your case. For example, there may be security footage or other records of the accident. There may be paperwork or damaged property. There may be evidence at the scene of the accident. The more evidence you have, the stronger your case will be. Once you contact Plevin & Gallucci, we can help you send a “spoliation” letter to the relevant parties to ensure that they don’t destroy or alter any of that evidence.

We can help you evaluate your case and understand your options. We’ll handle the logistics of filing your claim and gathering evidence. We’ll deal with the insurance companies. We’ll help you negotiate a settlement or, if we can’t get to a fair settlement, we’ll take your case to court.

Finding the Right Personal Injury Attorney for You

The search for a Cleveland personal injury law firm can be overwhelming. The internet is a sea of websites that often seem interchangeable. Some make big promises that they may or may not be able to keep. Recommendations from friends and family may or may not be helpful, depending on what type of case they had and how it compares to yours.

A free consultation can be your best tool in finding the right lawyer for your case. The consultation will give you a chance to ask questions about your case, learn more about the lawyer’s and the law firm’s experience with cases like yours, and make sure that you are comfortable with the people you’ll be working with. This last point is often overlooked, but it’s critical that you feel comfortable asking your attorney questions and being honest when discussing sometimes-sensitive subjects.

Here are a few key factors to consider when choosing a personal injury lawyer:

Focus on Personal Injury Law

The law is complex, and no attorney has a comprehensive knowledge of every area of law. When choosing an attorney for a Cleveland injury case, make sure that you look for a lawyer who has extensive experience with personal injury cases in general and with your specific type of case. It’s also to your advantage to work with an attorney who has experience with the courts in the county where your case will be tried. They’ll generally have a better understanding of local procedures and more knowledge of the law firms representing the insurance companies and what to expect from them.

With decades of experience representing a wide range of injury victims in Cuyahoga County and throughout Ohio, Plevin & Gallucci has both the legal and practical experience you need.

Client-Centered Advocacy

Some law firms boast of being among the highest-volume filers of personal injury cases or workers’ compensation cases in an area, or even the country. That may sound impressive, but think about what it really means to you. Do you want to be one of hundreds of cases an attorney is trying to get through the process as quickly as possible, or do you want personal attention and an approach adapted to your case and your priorities? Make sure the attorney you work with is listening to and responsive to your concerns, and that they see you as an individual whose needs are important and not Case #A17B-5.

Reputation

Looking at reviews from past clients and other attorneys–or awards the firm or lawyer has received–tells you something about what kind of service you can expect from your lawyers. But, it tells you something else, too. Your attorney’s reputation matters when they’re negotiating with the insurance company’s lawyers, and it matters when they appear in court on your behalf.

A History of Success

A law firm’s history of securing compensation for their clients is an important indicator of what they can do for you. Keep in mind, though, that questions like “What percentage of cases do you win?” aren’t generally useful. That’s because the vast majority of personal injury cases are settled. Instead, look at settlements or awards the firm has secured for clients, and ask about how many cases like yours they’ve tried. Even though most cases settle, you need an attorney who is willing and able to take your case to trial if that’s the best approach in your case.

Our Personal Injury Expertise

The attorneys at the Plevin & Gallucci have decades of experience in guiding clients through personal injury cases and making sure clients are compensated. In that time, we’ve represented people who have been injured in many ways. Some of the most common types of personal injury cases we handle are:

Car Accidents: If you’ve been injured because another driver was negligent, you are likely entitled to damages. This can include anything from an accident caused by distracted driving to a person who causes an accident while intoxicated. If you’ve lost a family member to the same type of negligence, you may have a wrongful death claim.

Work Injuries: Slip and falls, construction accidents, and other accidents on the job can lead to painful injuries that also mean lost income. In most work injury cases, you’ll be entitled to workers’ compensation. But, if the injury was caused by someone else’s negligence–for example, if you were hit by a car driven by a stranger while hooking up a broken-down car to the tow truck you were driving for your employer–you may also have a personal injury lawsuit against the person or entity that caused your injuries.

Medical Negligence: Most healthcare professionals perform their jobs with the highest levels of dedication and care. When they do not, patients can suffer devastating complications and injuries. Pharmaceutical errors, mistakes during surgery and inaccurate diagnoses are just some of the reasons to initiate a claim against a healthcare provider.

Wrongful Death: If you have endured the ultimate grief of losing someone close to you in an accident that was another party’s fault, a wrongful death claim may be your best legal option. Even though wrongful death may have occurred as a result of another type of accident, oftentimes, the laws surrounding the wrongful death claim are separate and distinct.

Dog Attacks/Dog Bites: These cases can be highly sensitive since the victim and pet owner may know each other and victims are often children. However, in those situations, the claim is often covered by the dog owner’s homeowner’s insurance.

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): These injuries often occur due to blunt force trauma to the head, though a TBI may also be caused by a penetrating injury. Car accidents, falls, an intentional violence are some of the most common causes of TBI. TBIs range in severity from a minor concussion that has few symptoms to permanent serious impairment.

Trucking Accidents: An accident with an 18-wheeler often results in serious injuries due to the enormous weight and size of these vehicles. A negligent truck driver may be wholly or partly responsible for injuries caused by a truck accident. But, there are other possible responsible parties as well, including the truck driver’s employer and others who may have loaded or been responsible for maintaining the truck.

Nursing Home Negligence: These types of cases encompass several areas of abuse towards the elderly including, but not limited to, physical abuse, financial exploitation, and staff neglect.

Defective Pharmaceuticals, Medications, and Medical Devices: When we take a prescription drug or use a medical device like a pacemaker or artificial joint, we trust it is safe and will relieve our symptoms or guide us through illness. Sadly, some pharmaceutical corporations and medical device manufacturers rush their products to the marketplace to make money before adequately ensuring user safety. When that happens, you may be entitled to compensation. In fact, this type of claim is often the subject of a class action or consolidated multi-district litigation due to the large number of people who may be affected.

Time Limit to File an Ohio Personal Injury Claim

The time limit for filing a lawsuit is called the “statute of limitations.” In Ohio, the statute of limitations for personal injury claims is typically two years. However, there are many related types of claims, such as medical malpractice claims and workers’ compensation claims, that may have different statutes of limitations. And, certain claims, such as claims against a governmental entity, may have special notice requirements. So, you’ll want to talk to an injury lawyer as soon as possible after your accident.

Our Expert Personal Injury Lawyers in Cleveland are Here to Help

We have fought tirelessly to achieve justice, taking our clients’ cases before the Ohio Supreme Court if necessary to demonstrate our commitment to our clients’ rights and provide the highest level of personal attention to every case.

No case is too big or too small for Plevin & Gallucci. Our attorneys provide personalized service to help real people with real problems. Each detail and fact of your case is examined. Your case will never be handed off to an assistant or paralegal or farmed out to another law firm. We do what is necessary to make things right during the time you need us most.

Since 1971, we have had a proven record of results to help you on your path to recovery. Turn to us and let our experience make the difference for you at three convenient locations in the heart of Ohio: Cleveland, Columbus, and Waverly.