Personal Injury
A legal claim for physical, emotional, or financial harm caused by another person's wrongful act or negligence.
Personal injury refers to a legal case where a person is harmed because of someone else’s wrongful conduct, usually negligence. The injured person (the plaintiff) files a lawsuit seeking compensation — called damages — for things like medical bills, lost income, pain and suffering, and other losses caused by the injury.
In Minnesota, you generally have six years from the date of injury to file a personal injury lawsuit, though some types of claims have shorter deadlines. Minnesota’s comparative fault system means your compensation may be reduced if you were partly responsible for your own injury. Most personal injury cases settle out of court, but they can go to trial if the parties cannot agree.
Why it matters: A personal injury claim may be the only way to recover the cost of medical treatment, replace lost income, and get compensation for the impact the injury has on your daily life. Missing the filing deadline means losing the right to sue.
Example: A customer slips on an unmarked wet floor in a store and breaks their wrist. They file a personal injury claim against the store, seeking compensation for their emergency room visit, physical therapy, and time missed from work.
Car accidents, slip-and-fall incidents, medical malpractice, product injuries, workplace injuries