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Your Westborough Personal Injury Attorney
The short answer. In Massachusetts most injury claims must be filed within three years (M.G.L. c. 260, s. 2A). A child, or a person whose mental illness left them incapacitated when the claim arose, may have more time (M.G.L. c. 260, s. 7). The trial court for Worcester County sits in Worcester, at 225 Main St., Worcester, MA 01608. To talk it through, send the form on this page and we will work to connect you with an attorney in our network.
After an injury, ordinary life gets heavy. There are appointments to keep, bills arriving, and a claim that nobody explained to you. If another person’s carelessness hurt you in Westborough, it is reasonable to want a clear picture before you decide anything.
A quick note on what this page is: general information about Massachusetts injury law, written from the statutes, from a matching service that does not practice law. It is meant to help you ask good questions, not to decide your case.
Questions Worth Asking In Westborough
Bring these to your first call, whoever it is with:
- The date. Ask for the specific last day to file in your case. The general rule is three years (M.G.L. c. 260, s. 2A).
- Your share of fault. Ask how a finding that you were partly responsible would change the numbers (M.G.L. c. 231, s. 85).
- Any ceiling. Ask whether any rule restricts the amount you could recover in Massachusetts.
- The money terms. Ask how fees are calculated and which costs come out of a recovery.
- The people. Ask who will be in touch with you and how quickly they return calls.
Personal Injury Types of Cases
Premises Liability
Many premises liability claims are from a property owner’s duty to maintain a property in the way that does not endanger others. There are may ways a property owner can violate this duty.
- Broken Stairs
- Unlit alleyways
- Slippery Floors
- Surfaces that are uneven
- Places to receive burns
- Places to receive chemical exposure
- Dog bites
- and other dangerous conditions
Work Place Accidents
These types of personal injury lawsuits involve more that just a employee and employer. If you feel like your place of employment was negligent in some way, you might have a claim for compensation. These types of accidents can include.
- Slip and Fall
- Unsafe working conditions
- Unmaintained equipment
- Auto Accidents
- Death
- Electrical Hazards
- Occupational illnesses like COPD, contagious diseases, and asbestosis
- personal injuries at work
Motor Vehicle Accidents
As long as the person that was operating the vehicle that injured you was negligent in some way, you can could have a claim for compensation. This can include.
- Car Accidents
- Truck Accidents
- Bicycle Accidents
- 18 wheeler Accidents
- Motorcycle crashes
- Drunk Driving
- Distracted Driving
- Aggressive Driving
- and other types of motor vehicle accidents
Wrongful Death
When negligence leads to fatal injuries, a wrongful death suit can help the surviving family members hold the negligent company, persons, and or person accountable for what was done. A wrongful death case can involve different types of compensation from other personal injury claims. After a fatal accident, family members can ask an attorney to review what compensation the surviving loved ones may have a right to. These types of accidents can include.
- Auto Accident
- Maritime Accident
- Drowning
- Electrocution
- Falls
- Helicopter Accident
- Fire
- Firearm
- and other types of wrongful deaths
Injured in Westborough? Get matched with an attorney now.
Sharing Blame And Your Claim
Shared blame matters in Massachusetts, because it can reduce an award or end it. The source is M.G.L. c. 231, s. 85.
You can recover if your share of the fault is 50 percent or less, and your award is reduced by your share; above 50 percent the claim is barred (M.G.L. c. 231, s. 85). Insurers often press this point first, so keep notes about how the injury happened.
What An Award Can Include
The value of an injury claim in Massachusetts depends on what the evidence shows. Special rules can apply to particular kinds of claims, so ask about yours. For a car crash claim, you can recover for pain and suffering only if reasonable treatment costs pass $2,000, unless the injury causes death, loses a body member, causes serious and permanent disfigurement or a listed loss of sight or hearing, or is a fracture (M.G.L. c. 231, s. 6D).
The amount is a question of proof.
The Deadline To Sue
A lawsuit for most injuries in Massachusetts must be started within three years (M.G.L. c. 260, s. 2A). Extra time can be available for a child and in some other limited situations (M.G.L. c. 260, s. 7).
A claim against a government body usually has its own claim or notice steps that must be followed before you sue, so ask early (M.G.L. c. 258, s. 4). If someone died, a separate set of rules can apply (M.G.L. c. 229, s. 2). Ask in your first conversation which date applies to your claim.
Courts and Hospitals Near Westborough
Westborough lies in Worcester County, according to Census Bureau place and county names. Worcester County’s superior court is listed in Worcester, at 225 Main St., Worcester, MA 01608. Another facility on the state list of trauma centers, UMass Memorial Medical Center University Campus in Worcester, is also in Worcester County; it is listed as a Level I trauma center.
In the federal Hospital General Information file, the closest Massachusetts acute care or critical access hospital to Westborough is UMass Memorial Medical Center (Marlborough Campus) in Marlborough, 6.8 miles, an acute care hospital (157 Union Street, Marlborough, MA 01752). After it come UMass Memorial Medical Center/University Campus in Worcester, 7.3 miles, an acute care hospital; then St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester, 9.1 miles, an acute care hospital. All distances are straight line miles from Westborough. UMass Memorial Medical Center (Marlborough Campus) is in Middlesex County, outside Worcester County.
A straight line is shorter than the drive from Westborough. Ask each provider for your complete records and an itemized bill, and note the date of every appointment.
Fourth and fifth on the list are AdCare Hospital of Worcester in Worcester, 9.1 miles, and Milford Regional Medical Center in Milford, 10.1 miles. Within 10, 25 and 50 miles of Westborough the file shows 4, 11 and 41 Massachusetts acute care and critical access hospitals, by straight line.
The nearest places in Massachusetts that this site has pages for, by the same coordinates, are Marlborough (6.7 miles northeast), Ashland (7.4 miles east) and Framingham (9.7 miles east). Boston is 31 miles east of Westborough and Worcester is 10 miles west.
What To Do Once You Are Ready To Talk In Westborough
The form at the top of this page is the starting point. NeedAnAttorney.net reviews your details and works to match you with an attorney in our network who may handle cases in Massachusetts. It costs nothing to use and does not commit you to anything.
While you wait, write down what happened and when, who saw it, what treatment you have received and how many days of work you missed. Put bills, letters and insurance messages in one folder.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do injury lawsuits from the Westborough area go?
An attorney will tell you which court has jurisdiction in your situation. Have the attorney name the court before you file anything. See the court information above for the location the state lists.
When must an injury lawsuit be filed in Massachusetts?
Within three years for most injury claims (M.G.L. c. 260, s. 2A). The period can be longer for a child, and a few other situations extend it too (M.G.L. c. 260, s. 7). An early start protects the evidence.
Does Massachusetts bar me from recovering if I share the blame?
The rule: you can recover if your share of the fault is 50 percent or less, and your award is reduced by your share; above 50 percent the claim is barred (M.G.L. c. 231, s. 85). How the facts are described matters from the start. Details from the day of the accident can matter.
Is there a maximum award for an injury in Massachusetts?
The amount is shown by the medical records and the proof of your losses; ask an attorney whether any limit applies to your facts. Special rules can apply to particular kinds of claims. Keep every bill, because the economic part of a claim is proved by records.
How much liability coverage must a driver in Massachusetts carry?
The minimums are $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident and $30,000 for property damage (M.G.L. c. 90, s. 34A and s. 34O). A crash with several injured people can use up limits quickly. It helps to learn early what other coverage may exist.
How far is the closest hospital from Westborough?
In a straight line the nearest Massachusetts acute care or critical access hospital is UMass Memorial Medical Center (Marlborough Campus) in Marlborough, 6.8 miles, an acute care hospital; UMass Memorial Medical Center/University Campus in Worcester is 7.3 miles and St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester is 9.1 miles. Call 911 in an emergency; not every hospital has an emergency room.
Which other places near Westborough does this site cover?
By Census coordinates the nearest are Marlborough, 6.7 miles northeast; Ashland, 7.4 miles east; and Framingham, 9.7 miles east, all in a straight line from Westborough.
What if the injury happened on public property?
There are special steps. Special claim or notice steps can apply (M.G.L. c. 258, s. 4). The notice step can come before any lawsuit. Ask an attorney at once if a public body may be responsible.
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