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Your Golden Valley Personal Injury Attorney
Getting hurt rarely comes at a convenient time. You may be in pain, missing work and answering calls from an insurance company while trying to learn what you are owed. If your injury in Golden Valley was someone else’s doing, start with the basics below and go at your own pace.
Nothing on this page is legal advice, and NeedAnAttorney.net is not a law firm. It is a service that connects injured people with attorneys. The rules described here are quoted or summarized from Minnesota’s own statutes so that you can check them yourself.
Before You Hire: Questions For A Golden Valley Attorney
Bring these to your first call, whoever it is with:
- The date. Ask the attorney to name the exact last day to file in your case. Minnesota has more than one time limit for injuries, and the claim decides which applies (Minn. Stat. 541.05, Minn. Stat. 541.07).
- Pain and suffering after a crash. Ask whether your injuries meet the no fault threshold for noneconomic damages, which depends on medical expenses or on a lasting injury (Minn. Stat. 65B.51).
- Your share of fault. Ask how a finding that you were partly at fault would change the numbers. In Minnesota your fault does not bar a claim if it was not greater than the fault of the person you sue (Minn. Stat. 604.01).
- Who will work on it. Ask who handles your file day to day and how fast messages are answered.
- Fees and costs. Ask what the fee is, when it is paid, and which expenses are deducted from a settlement.
Injury Claims People Ask About
Vehicle crashes
Whether the collision was minor or serious, the same early steps help: get checked by a doctor, photograph the vehicles and the scene, exchange insurance information and keep any repair estimates.
Pedestrian and bicycle injuries
If a driver hit you while you were on foot or on a bike, note exactly where it happened, what the signals and lighting were like, and who saw it. Ask the people who stopped to leave their names and numbers.
Falls and unsafe property
Wet floors, icy steps and broken railings cause injuries that turn on how long the hazard existed and who was responsible for it. Photograph the hazard as soon as you can and report the fall to whoever runs the property.
Wrongful death
When a death is caused by someone else’s wrongful act or neglect, the claim works differently from an injury claim. Minnesota law has a trustee bring the death action, and the jury awards what it finds fair and just for the damages the person suffered before death and for the pecuniary loss from the death, for the benefit of the surviving spouse and next of kin (Minn. Stat. 573.02). This is a hard moment to decide anything, and an attorney can walk you through the steps without hurrying you.
Injured in Golden Valley? Get matched with an attorney now.
How Shared Fault Is Counted
Minnesota assigns blame by percentage. A claim survives shared fault as long as the injured person’s fault was not greater than that of the defendant, and the award is diminished by the injured person’s share (Minn. Stat. 604.01). Because the comparison is with each defendant, who is named in the lawsuit can matter.
The exceptions are narrow. Minn. Stat. 604.02 makes a person whose fault is greater than 50 percent jointly and severally liable for the whole award, along with people who act in a common scheme and those who commit an intentional tort. Ask an attorney how the percentages could play out in your case.
Limits That Can Apply To A Claim
Two rules decide a lot after a Minnesota crash. First, the no fault threshold: under Minn. Stat. 65B.51, no one recovers damages for noneconomic detriment unless medical expense benefits exceed $4,000 by the statute’s count or the injury results in permanent disfigurement, permanent injury, death or disability of 60 days or more. Disability means the inability to engage in substantially all of the injured person’s usual and customary daily activities.
Second, benefits already paid or payable come off the top. The court deducts basic economic loss benefits from any recovery, and that deduction is made before the award is reduced for your share of fault (Minn. Stat. 65B.51). Punitive damages are a separate matter and are allowed only on clear and convincing evidence of deliberate disregard for the rights or safety of others (Minn. Stat. 549.20).
Time Limits To Know
If a city, county or other municipality may be responsible, the deadline for notice is much shorter than the filing deadlines above. A person claiming damages from a municipality must present a notice to its governing body within 180 days after the loss or injury is discovered (Minn. Stat. 466.05). When the claim is for a death, the notice may be presented within one year after the injury or loss that resulted in the death (Minn. Stat. 466.05).
Claims against the State have a similar 180 day notice to the attorney general (Minn. Stat. 3.736). These notice rules sit alongside the filing deadlines of Minn. Stat. 541.05 and Minn. Stat. 541.07, so ask an attorney about both.
What Auto Policies Must Cover
Minnesota auto policies must carry residual liability limits of not less than $30,000 for bodily injury to one person in an accident, $60,000 for two or more people, and $10,000 for injury to or destruction of the property of others (Minn. Stat. 65B.49). Those are minimums, and a serious injury can cost far more.
Your own policy matters too. Each policy must provide separate uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, with minimum limits of $25,000 for one person and $50,000 for two or more people in an accident, and every owner must maintain that coverage (Minn. Stat. 65B.49).
Where Treatment and Court Happen in Golden Valley
Hennepin County belongs to the Fourth Judicial District under Minnesota Statutes section 2.722, which lists the counties of each district. The Census Bureau counts Golden Valley in Hennepin County. On the Minnesota Department of Health Trauma System Hospitals list, Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park, also in Hennepin County, is a Level III trauma hospital. Maple Grove Hospital in Maple Grove, also in Hennepin County, is listed the same way, as a Level IV trauma hospital.
Records matter later. Get the complete chart and an itemized bill from each place that treated you, and write down the date of every visit, including any transfer to another facility.
Your First Step After Getting Hurt In Golden Valley
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 Minnesota. 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
What is the Minnesota statute of limitations for an injury claim?
Two time limits appear in the statutes: six years under Minn. Stat. 541.05 for injuries not arising on a contract and not listed elsewhere, and two years under Minn. Stat. 541.07 for assault, battery, false imprisonment or other tort resulting in personal injury. Ask an attorney which fits your claim.
Can I still recover if the accident was partly my fault?
Yes. Contributory fault does not bar recovery if it was not greater than the fault of the person against whom recovery is sought, and the award is reduced in proportion to your share (Minn. Stat. 604.01).
What is the no fault threshold in a Minnesota crash case?
After a motor vehicle crash covered by the no fault law, noneconomic damages are available only if medical expense benefits exceed $4,000 by the statute’s count or the injury results in permanent disfigurement, permanent injury, death or disability for 60 days or more (Minn. Stat. 65B.51).
How much insurance does the other driver have to have?
Stated limits of liability must be not less than $30,000 for bodily injury to one person, $60,000 for two or more people in one accident, and $10,000 for property damage (Minn. Stat. 65B.49).
What documents should I keep after an injury?
Medical records and bills, photographs, the police or incident report number, pay stubs showing missed work, repair estimates and every letter or email from an insurer.
Do I have to give the other insurer a recorded statement?
Not right away. You may decline a recorded statement until you have talked to someone about your options, and saying so is fine.
What if a city or county caused my injury?
Yes. Notice must be presented to the governing body of the municipality within 180 days after the loss or injury is discovered (Minn. Stat. 466.05), and liability is limited to $500,000 to any claimant for claims arising on or after July 1, 2009 (Minn. Stat. 466.04).
What should I do right after being hurt?
Get medical care, report the incident to the police or the property owner as appropriate, photograph the scene and your injuries, and write down what happened while you remember it.
Injury Attorney Pages For Other Minnesota Communities
People are hurt in every part of Minnesota. These pages cover other communities.
