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Your Big Piney 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 Big Piney was someone else’s doing, start with the basics below and go at your own pace.
A quick note on what this page is: general information about Wyoming 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 To Ask A Big Piney Injury Attorney
Ask these in any first conversation:
- If you were partly to blame. Ask what happens to your award if a jury assigns you a percentage of fault (W.S. 1-1-109).
- The date. Ask for the specific last day to file in your case. The general rule is four years (W.S. 1-3-105(a)(iv)(C)).
- Any ceiling. Ask whether anything caps what you could recover. The Wyoming Constitution says no law may limit the damages for causing injury or death (Wyoming Constitution Article 10, section 4(a)).
- 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
Walkers and cyclists hurt by a vehicle should write down the location, the time of day, the lighting and the signals as soon as they can. Witnesses who stopped are valuable, so ask for their contact details before they leave.
Falls and unsafe property
Slips, trips and falls come from spills, uneven surfaces, poor lighting and broken stairs. What matters is who controlled the place and how long the problem was there, so document the hazard and tell the owner or manager promptly.
Wrongful death
If a loved one died because of another person’s wrongful act or omission, a different set of rules applies. Wyoming law requires a wrongful death action to be brought by the wrongful death representative for the exclusive benefit of the beneficiaries (W.S. 1-38-102). You do not have to sort this out alone or quickly; an attorney can explain who is allowed to act and what the dates are.
Injured in Big Piney? Get matched with an attorney now.
Sharing Blame Without Losing Your Claim
People often assume that if they made a mistake, they get nothing. Wyoming law is more forgiving. Under W.S. 1-1-109, contributory fault does not bar a recovery if the claimant’s fault is not more than fifty percent of the total fault of all actors, and the damages are diminished in proportion to the claimant’s share.
The same statute has the jury decide the total damages without regard to fault and the percentage of fault of each actor, and then the court reduces the award by the claimant’s percentage. Each defendant is liable only to the extent of that defendant’s own proportion of the total fault, so who else shares the blame matters.
What Wyoming Does Not Cap
Many states limit pain and suffering awards. Wyoming’s Constitution takes a different position: no law shall be enacted limiting the amount of damages to be recovered for causing the injury or death of any person (Wyoming Constitution Article 10, section 4(a)). That means compensatory damages in an ordinary injury or death claim are not capped by a statute.
Claims against a governmental entity are different. Under the Governmental Claims Act, liability is generally limited to $250,000 for any claimant for claims arising out of a single transaction or occurrence, and $500,000 for all claims of all claimants from that occurrence (W.S. 1-39-118(a)), subject to the exceptions written into the statute.
How Long You Have To File
Civil actions for an injury to the rights of the plaintiff that do not arise on a contract and are not covered by a more specific rule must be brought within four years after the cause of action accrues (W.S. 1-3-105(a)(iv)(C)). A wrongful death action must be commenced within two years after the death (W.S. 1-38-102). Because one rule is twice as long as the other, the type of claim decides the date, so ask about it in your first conversation.
If you were a minor or under another legal disability when the claim arose, W.S. 1-3-114 allows three years after the disability is removed or any other statutory period, whichever is greater. That rule does not cover claims about licensed or certified health care services.
What The Other Driver’s Policy Must Cover
The minimum liability limits for a Wyoming owner’s policy are $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for injuries, and $20,000 for property damage (W.S. 31-9-405(b)). They are minimums, not a measure of what your claim is worth.
When the other driver carries only the minimum and your injuries are serious, any other policy that applies to the crash becomes important, and an attorney can help identify it.
The Courthouse for Big Piney
Look up Sublette County in the Wyoming Judicial Branch’s court locator: the Ninth Judicial District’s district court is in Pinedale, at 21 S South Tyler, Pinedale, WY 82941. Big Piney lies within Sublette County.
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.
Making Your First Contact In Big Piney
Use the form at the top of the page to tell us what happened. We connect you with an attorney who takes injury cases in the Big Piney area. There is no charge to submit it, and submitting it does not hire anyone.
Meanwhile, jot down the facts while they are fresh: date, time, place, who was there, what care you have had and what work you have missed. Save every bill and every message from an insurer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a limit on damages for an injury in Wyoming?
No statutory ceiling applies to ordinary injury or death claims, because Article 10, section 4(a) of the Wyoming Constitution forbids one. Governmental entities are the exception, with limits in W.S. 1-39-118(a).
How much insurance does the other driver have to have?
An owner’s policy must provide at least $25,000 for injury to one person, $50,000 for injury to two or more in one accident, and $20,000 for property damage (W.S. 31-9-405(b)).
What should I save for my claim?
Save treatment records and bills, photographs, the report number if there is one, pay stubs that show lost work, estimates for repairs, and every letter or email from an insurance company.
Should I speak with the other driver’s insurance company?
You are free to talk to them, but you are not required to give a recorded statement immediately. Saying that you want advice first is a reasonable answer.
What if a city, county or other government body caused my injury?
Yes. The claim must first be presented to the entity as an itemized written statement within two years of the act, error or omission (W.S. 1-39-113(a)), and suit must be commenced within one year after the claim is filed (W.S. 1-39-114).
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.
How long do I have to file an injury lawsuit in Wyoming?
For most injury claims, four years from when the claim accrues (W.S. 1-3-105(a)(iv)(C)). A wrongful death action must be commenced within two years after the death (W.S. 1-38-102(d)).
Can I still recover if the accident was partly my fault?
Yes, as long as your share is not more than fifty percent of the total fault, and your award is reduced in proportion to it (W.S. 1-1-109(b)).
If You Were Hurt Somewhere Else In Wyoming
The same matching service covers more of Wyoming. Pick the community closest to where it happened.
