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Your Vadnais Heights 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 Vadnais Heights 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.
Questions To Ask A Vadnais Heights Injury Attorney
Ask these in any first conversation:
- 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).
- If you were partly to blame. Ask what happens to your award if a jury assigns you a percentage of fault. Damages are diminished in proportion to it (Minn. Stat. 604.01).
- The no fault threshold. Ask whether the threshold for pain and suffering damages after a motor vehicle crash applies to you and how your medical costs count toward it (Minn. Stat. 65B.51).
- 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.
Common Kinds of Injury Claims
Vehicle crashes
Vehicle injuries start with the same few steps: medical care first, then photographs of the scene, names and numbers of anyone who saw it, the other driver’s insurance information and any estimates for repairs.
Pedestrian and bicycle injuries
A collision on foot or on a bicycle is easy to dispute afterward. Record where it happened, what the road and signals were like, and who saw it, and keep any damaged clothing, helmet or equipment.
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
If someone you love died because another person was careless or at fault, the law treats it separately. 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.
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How Shared Fault Is Counted
Many people assume that a mistake of their own ends a claim. In Minnesota it does not. Under Minn. Stat. 604.01, contributory fault does not bar recovery if it was not greater than the fault of the person against whom recovery is sought, but any damages allowed must be diminished in proportion to the amount of fault attributable to the person recovering. The comparison is made against the person you are suing, not against everyone combined.
On request, the jury makes separate findings of the amount of damages and the percentage of fault of each party, and the court reduces the award by the injured person’s share (Minn. Stat. 604.01). A finding of 20 percent on a $90,000 loss would take $18,000 off the award.
Limits That Can Apply To A Claim
Claims against a city, county or other municipality have a dollar limit. Under Minn. Stat. 466.04, liability on a claim within the municipal tort claims law may not exceed $500,000 to any claimant, and $1,500,000 for any number of claims from a single occurrence, for claims that arise on or after July 1, 2009. A wrongful death claim has the same $500,000 limit.
Other rules apply to private defendants. Punitive damages require clear and convincing evidence of deliberate disregard for the rights or safety of others (Minn. Stat. 549.20), and after a motor vehicle crash the no fault threshold controls whether pain and suffering damages are available at all (Minn. Stat. 65B.51).
Filing Deadlines For Injury Claims
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.
Insurance Minimums in Minnesota
Minimum insurance is a floor, not a measure of your claim. Minnesota requires residual liability limits of at least $30,000 for one person, $60,000 for two or more people in one accident and $10,000 for property (Minn. Stat. 65B.49).
If a crash leaves you with more bills than the other driver’s policy pays, your own coverage may matter. Minnesota policies must include uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage with minimum limits of $25,000 and $50,000 (Minn. Stat. 65B.49). Before accepting a payment, ask an attorney to check every policy that could apply.
Courts and Hospitals in Vadnais Heights
For Census purposes Vadnais Heights is part of Ramsey County. Look up Ramsey County in Minnesota Statutes section 2.722 and you find it in the Second Judicial District. On the Minnesota Department of Health Trauma System Hospitals list, Regions Hospital/Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare in Saint Paul, also in Ramsey County, is a Level I trauma hospital. The same list names United Hospital in St. Paul, in Ramsey County, as a Level III trauma hospital.
Whichever provider treated you, request your complete records and an itemized bill, and keep a list of every appointment. If you were transferred to another hospital, ask for the paperwork from both ends of the transfer.
Your First Step After Getting Hurt In Vadnais Heights
Use the form at the top of the page to tell us what happened. NeedAnAttorney.net reviews your details and works to match you with an attorney in our network who may handle cases in Minnesota. There is no charge to submit it, and submitting it does not hire anyone.
Before the first call, collect the basics: the date, the place, names of witnesses, your medical visits and your missed work. A single folder for bills, letters and photographs saves time later.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Minnesota limit damages after a motor vehicle accident?
Yes, in a way. The no fault law sets a threshold for noneconomic damages: more than $4,000 in medical expenses by the statute’s count, or permanent disfigurement, permanent injury, death or disability for 60 days or more (Minn. Stat. 65B.51).
What are Minnesota’s minimum auto insurance limits?
At least $30,000 per person and $60,000 per accident for bodily injury, and $10,000 for property damage (Minn. Stat. 65B.49).
Which records matter most after an accident?
Keep your medical records and itemized bills, photographs of the scene and injuries, any police or incident report number, proof of missed pay, repair estimates, and all messages from insurers.
Can I talk to the other side’s insurance company?
You can, but you do not have to give a recorded statement right away. It is fair to say you are getting advice first.
Are there special notice rules for claims against the government?
There are. Municipal claims need a notice within 180 days (Minn. Stat. 466.05), and a claim against the State needs a notice to the attorney general within 180 days (Minn. Stat. 3.736).
How long will my injury claim take?
There is no fixed time. Claims often wait until you finish treatment so the total losses are known, and cases that go to court take longer than ones that settle.
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.
Does Minnesota bar me from recovering if I share the blame?
Not unless your fault was greater than that of the person you sue. Below that point you can recover, with damages diminished in proportion to your fault (Minn. Stat. 604.01).
If You Were Hurt Somewhere Else In Minnesota
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