If you’ve gotten hurt in a car accident in Mansfield, Ohio, because of someone else’s negligence, you deserve compensation to help you move forward with your life. Call Wisehart Wright Trial Lawyers at (419) 910-2605. Our Mansfield car accident lawyers have the experience you’ll need to maximize your recovery.
Wisehart Wright Trial Lawyers has been a trusted advocate for crash victims in Mansfield and throughout North Central Ohio for more than seven decades. Backed by 181 years of collective experience, our nationally recognized Ohio trial attorneys have helped clients win more than $100 million in damages from insurance companies, manufacturers, and government agencies.
Force the results you deserve by trusting our award-winning litigators with your car accident case. Contact our Mansfield, OH, law office today to set a time for a free consultation to learn more.
How Can Wisehart Wright Trial Lawyers Help You After a Car Accident in Mansfield, OH?
You’re going to be dealing with a tough insurance company after your car accident. Insurers are known for prioritizing profits over what claimants need and deserve. Needless to say, it will be critically important for you to level the playing field and force the insurance company to negotiate fairly. That’s where our Mansfield personal injury lawyers can help.
At Wisehart Wright Trial Lawyers, we’re recognized as SuperLawyers, Top 40 Under 40 Attorneys by the National Trial Lawyers, and are members of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum. We’re passionate about giving everyday people the opportunity to stand up to powerful corporations and demand justice. Our results – which exceed $100 million in settlements and jury awards – are a testament to our commitment to our clients.
When you ask for our help after a car accident in Mansfield, OH, we’ll be prepared to:
- Investigate your crash to determine causation and liability
- Gather evidence needed to build a successful legal claim for damages
- Collaborate with trusted experts and specialists
- Calculate what your car accident case is worth
- Answer any questions or concerns you have throughout the claims process
- Help you understand your options and make important decisions about your case
- Negotiate a life-changing settlement agreement
- Force the defense to go up against our top-rated Ohio litigators at trial if they refuse to make you a fair settlement offer
You don’t have to navigate this difficult time in your life on your own. Concentrate on your physical health and emotional well-being, and leave the rest to our Mansfield car accident attorneys in Mansfield.
There is no charge for your initial case evaluation, so reach out to our Mansfield personal injury lawyers to get started today.
Why Should I Hire a Car Accident Lawyer?
The last thing the insurance company wants is for you to hire an attorney. Why? Insurance company research revealed that claimants who hire car accident attorneys are more likely to win their cases and get better results. In fact, people who hire lawyers to help them take on insurance companies tend to win up to 3.5 times more in compensation than those who don’t.
Here’s why:
- The insurance company loses any advantage it might have had and is forced to negotiate in good faith
- You benefit from the law firm’s resources – including access to respected expert witnesses who can testify on your behalf
- You’ll be more prepared to accept or reject a settlement offer because you’ll know what your car accident case is worth
- Unsubstantiated claims of contributory negligence won’t be effective
Hiring a car accident attorney in Mansfield also gives you the much-needed opportunity to concentrate on getting better.
How Much Money Can I Get From a Car Accident Case?
Every car accident is different. Every victim will have a different experience in the days, weeks, and months that follow a collision. As a result, every claim for damages is different, too.
Several factors will play a role in the valuation of your car accident case:
- What types of physical injuries have you suffered?
- What parts of the body have been affected?
- Are you temporarily or permanently disabled?
- Can you still work?
- Has your earning capacity changed?
- How old are you?
- What is your life expectancy?
- Was that changed by the accident?
- Are you partly to blame for the auto accident?
- What has the accident cost you out of pocket? (e.g., property repairs, the cost of a rental vehicle)
- Did the collision aggravate a pre-existing medical condition?
- How has the wreck affected your overall quality of life?
Knowledge is power, especially when you’re dealing with an insurance company. The more you know about what your car accident case is worth, the better prepared you’ll be to accept, counter, or reject a settlement offer.
Learn more about your case and what it might be worth by calling Wisehart Wright Trial Lawyers. Our Mansfield car accident attorneys are here to evaluate your situation, offer insight regarding its potential value, and help you fight for a maximum recovery.
How Long Do I Have to File a Car Accident Case?
Whether you’ve been injured or suffered the wrongful death of a family member in an Ohio crash, a two-year statute of limitations will typically apply to your case.
While there are some exceptions, they’re few and far between. Most often, an exception applies when a child is injured in a Mansfield car accident. In these situations, the child can have until their 20th birthday to file a car accident lawsuit if a claim has not already been filed on their behalf.
Missing the filing deadline cannot be an option. Once the statute of limitations runs out, you lose the right to seek compensation from a negligent motorist, insurance company, or another liable party.
What Damages Are Available to Crash Victims in Mansfield?
Two types of compensatory damages can be awarded to crash victims in Mansfield, Ohio: economic and non-economic.
Economic Damages
Economic damages are awarded to help you handle verifiable costs and projected losses related to your car accident and might include money for:
- Medical bills
- Lost wages
- Disability
- Diminished earning capacity
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Nursing care
- Rehabilitation
- Funeral expenses
- Property damage
Damages are limited to what you can prove with wage statements, hospital bills, invoices, receipts, and expert-backed projections.
When you receive an award of economic damages, it should be as if the auto accident never happened – at least in terms of your bank account.
Non-Economic Damages
The consequences of a motor vehicle accident don’t always have an established financial value. However, they’re no less important than other, more objective consequences of a collision. That’s where non-economic damages come into play.
Non-economic awards help to offset difficult-to-value trauma experienced by a crash victim, such as:
- Chronic physical pain
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Loss of consortium
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Disfigurement
- Physical scarring
- Embarrassment
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
These types of damages are very difficult to value because severity can vary from one person to another. Our car accident lawyers in Mansfield will bring in experts to help us not only identify your damages but also fully understand how the crash has altered your life.
How Much Does it Cost to Hire a Car Accident Attorney?
It costs nothing upfront and nothing out-of-pocket. Getting into a car accident is costly enough on its own. When you hire Wisehart Wright Trial Lawyers, our car accident attorneys in Mansfield will take your case on a contingency fee basis.
We’ll front the costs needed to pursue compensation from the insurance company or another responsible party.
You’ll only pay for our help if and when we recover compensation for your car accident claim.
If we don’t win your case, you pay nothing.
When we win, our fee is a percentage of your financial recovery – typically between 33 and 40 percent. It comes right off the top after case-related expenses have been deducted.
Can I Get Money If I Was Partly At Fault For a Car Accident?
Maybe. Ohio is a modified comparative negligence state. Anyone who contributes to a car accident is liable – including crash victims themselves. Under Ohio state law, shared fault can limit or bar a financial recovery from a third party.
Damages are reduced proportionately to fault up to 50 percent. Once liability exceeds half, you will lose the ability to get compensation from another liable party.
For instance, let’s say you were injured in a recent fender bender at an intersection in Mansfield. Your case is valued at $50,000. However, you’re assigned 25 percent of the blame for the traffic accident because you were distracted. As a result, your maximum financial recovery will be limited to $37,500.
The more of a role you played in causing a wreck, the less money you’ll be able to get for resulting injuries and trauma.
Will My Car Accident Case Go to Trial?
Most car accident cases do not get in front of a jury. However, every case is different.
At the end of the day, several factors can influence whether your car accident lawsuit goes to trial.
- Has the insurance company made you a fair settlement offer?
- How far apart are the parties in terms of valuation?
- Is liability being contested or disputed?
- How strong is the evidence supporting your claim?
Going to trial can be time-consuming, expensive, and stressful. The best way to avoid a trial is by hiring an experienced Ohio trial attorney to handle your car accident case.
When you hire a respected and successful litigator, the defense will take note. When you choose Wisehart Wright Trial Lawyers, they’ll know that lowball settlement offers or bad faith tactics won’t stand a chance. You’re prepared to go the distance, and they know it. As a result, this can force better conversations about getting you the compensation you need to move forward.
What Should I Do After a Car Accident in Mansfield?
Everything you do after a car accident will have an impact – positive or negative – on your ability to recover compensation through an insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit.
Here’s what you should (and shouldn’t do) after a wreck in Mansfield, Ohio:
- Report the collision by calling 911
- Stay near the scene of the accident until police and other first responders arrive
- Document the crash by taking pictures of the scene, tire tracks, damaged property, and your injuries
- Exchange information with other parties involved in the wreck, but do your best not to apologize or admit fault
- Get to the closest emergency room in Mansfield for prompt medical treatment if you’re not brought to the hospital in an ambulance
- Resist the urge to accept an insurance company’s initial settlement offer, especially if you have not consulted a personal injury attorney
- Hire an experienced car accident lawyer near you in Mansfield to represent you and help you explore your legal options
At Wisehart Wright Trial Lawyers, we appreciate that car accidents are anything but convenient. They can happen anytime, anywhere. That’s why our legal team is always standing by to help – 24 hours a day, seven days a week. No matter when you get hurt, we’ll be there to answer your call and offer the support you need to move forward.
Types of Car Accident Cases We Handle
The insurance company handles different types of car accident claims every day. If you want to successfully recover a top-dollar monetary award from your claim, it’ll be important to put experience in your corner, too.
Wisehart Wright Trial Lawyers represents clients who’ve been injured or lost close family members in all types of car accidents, including:
Rollovers
Rollovers occur when a vehicle trips on an object in the road or makes a sharp turn at a high rate of speed. While SUVs and pickup trucks are involved in most rollover accidents, any vehicle can roll under the right circumstances.
Head-On Collisions
Head-on crashes, or frontal collisions, occur when the front ends of two vehicles collide. Many times, these devastating accidents occur when a vehicle is driven on the wrong side of the road or a driver is distracted and loses control of their vehicle.
Broadside Collisions
Broadside collisions are sometimes known as T-Bone car accidents. In these types of collisions, the front end of one vehicle drives into the side of another vehicle. Most often, broadside accidents happen at or near intersections when drivers run red lights or make risky left-hand turns.
Rear-End Collisions
Rear-end collisions occur when the front end of one vehicle slams into the back end of another vehicle. These types of accidents are frequently seen at intersections and in stop-and-go traffic. Distracted driving is one of the most common causes of rear-end crashes.
Hit and Run Accidents
Even though drivers are required to remain at the scene of most traffic accidents, not everyone does. In a hit and run accident, a party to a crash leaves the scene without exchanging insurance information or waiting for the police to arrive. Hit and run accidents can make it even more challenging for crash victims to obtain compensation.
Intersection Accidents
More than half of all car accidents are reported at or near intersections. Most often, these intersection accidents occur because drivers get aggressive and attempt to beat red and yellow lights, are distracted because they’re texting at the wheel, or simply miscalculate the amount of time they have to execute a safe turn.
Accidents Involving Uninsured Drivers
Ohio has strict car insurance requirements, but not everyone follows the law. An uninsured driver’s involvement in a traffic accident in Mansfield can make a tough situation even worse. An experienced car accident lawyer in Mansfield can help injury victims seek necessary compensation through Uninsured Motorist Coverage, litigation, or other avenues.
Who Could Be Liable For My Car Accident?
Liability – or financial responsibility – for car accidents extends to anyone who plays a part in causing a wreck.
Depending on the specific facts of your car accident case, liable parties might include:
- The driver of another passenger vehicle
- Truck drivers
- Bus drivers
- Motorcyclists
- Pedestrians
- Bicyclists
- Uber and Lyft rideshare drivers
- Transportation companies
- Government agencies
- Vehicle manufacturers
Parties don’t have to directly contribute to a collision to be liable. For instance, a negligent party’s employer might be vicariously liable for resulting damages. If you got into a car accident with a large truck in Mansfield, the company by which the truck driver was employed might share responsibility for your resulting injuries.
Common Types of Car Accident Injuries
Where were you seated in the vehicle? Did you have your seatbelt on? Did the crash trigger the airbags? How fast was the vehicle moving at the time of impact? How fast was the other vehicle traveling? Was it a single-vehicle collision? What type of car accident was it?
Many factors will influence the types of injuries you’re most likely to suffer in a car accident and how severe they might be.
Some of the most commonly reported car accident injuries include:
- Broken bones and fractures
- Nerve damage
- Soft tissue injuries
- Chest injuries
- Crushing injuries
- Amputation injuries
- Degloving injuries
- Concussion injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Eye injuries
- Burn injuries
- Whiplash injuries
- Neck injuries
- Back injuries
- Thoracic injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Quadriplegia and paraplegia injuries
- Leg injuries
- Catastrophic injuries
- Wrongful death
At Wisehart Wright Trial Lawyers, we’re here to help you make sure you’re able to recover compensation for all of your crash-related trauma. Call our law office in Mansfield to schedule a free, no-obligation case assessment today.
What Are the Leading Causes of Car Accidents?
Negligence is the driving force behind most car accidents in Mansfield.
While almost any mistake or lapse of judgment can cause a collision, some of the most common contributing factors include:
- Distracted driving
- Drunk driving
- Fatigued driving
- Speeding
- Running red lights
- Rolling stops
- Braking errors
- Unsafe passing
- Illegal turns
- Tailgating
- Failing to yield
- Merging errors
- Vehicle malfunctions and defects
- Road defects
Knowing exactly why and how your car accident happened will be critical to success when you file a personal injury claim. Wisehart Wright Trial Lawyers will conduct a thorough investigation into your wreck and work closely with experts to understand the underlying cause(s) and pinpoint liability.
Mansfield Car Accident Statistics
Every year, thousands of car accidents are reported to the Mansfield Police Department in Richmond County, Ohio.
According to the Ohio Department of Public Safety, there were 1,210 car accidents in Mansfield, OH, in 2023.
While property damage is the most common consequence of Mansfield car accidents, injuries and fatalities aren’t uncommon. Roughly one out of every three auto accidents results in an injury or death. In 2023, at least two people were killed in fatal collisions in Mansfield, while another 415 sustained wide-ranging injuries.
Call our Mansfield Car Accident Lawyers for Help Today
You do not have to navigate the aftermath of a recent car accident in Mansfield, Ohio, on your own. Call Wisehart Wright Trial Lawyers, and trust our award-winning Mansfield car accident lawyers to help you understand your rights and work to recover the life-changing monetary award you need and deserve.
We’re top-rated Ohio trial attorneys with over 181 years of combined experience. As tireless advocates for our clients, we’ve successfully obtained more than $100 million in jury verdicts, benefits, and settlement agreements.
Discover how our respected legal team can make a difference in your life after a devastating crash, too. Your initial case evaluation is free, so contact our Mansfield law office to get started today.