We’re in the middle of another Minnesota winter, and for many people, that also means that it is snowmobile season. Hitting the trails or crossing the frozen lake on a snowmobile can be an exhilarating experience, but snowmobile accidents also send hundreds of Minnesotans to the emergency room each year. In today’s blog, we take a closer look at how you can pursue an injury claim if you are injured by another snowmobiler’s actions.
Snowmobile Injury Compensation In Minnesota
If you are injured while snowmobiling or by another snowmobiler, the first thing you should do after receiving appropriate medical care is to contact an injury law firm like Hey Workers. We’ve helped collect compensation for a number of snowmobilers in the past, and we can do the same for you.
Once you’ve connected with an attorney, one of the first things we’ll do is start to establish who is liable for your injuries. If you are thrown off a snowmobile or struck by one, the driver of the sled may be the liable party. However, different parties can also be liable in other forms of snowmobile accidents, including:
- Other individuals on the snowmobile trail
- Snowmobile rental companies
- Snowmobile manufacturers
- The government agency responsible for maintaining the trail
- A bar or restaurant that overserved an intoxicated driver
Once liability has been established and you’ve decided who you will be pursuing a claim against, you have to determine how much to ask for in damages. In Minnesota, a person can recover both economic and non-economic damages after this type of personal injury. Economic damages are anything that has a tangible dollar amount to it, like medical bills or lost income. Non-economic damages can’t easily be measured in dollars, and include things like pain and suffering, mental anguish and a decreased quality of life. A lawyer can help examine all aspects of your life and come up with a fair assessment of current and future economic and non-economic damages associated with your snowmobile accident.
From there, it’s a back and forth process between the at-fault party’s insurance company and your personal injury lawyer. Your lawyer will keep you informed throughout the process and in many cases, you’ll be able to entertain a potential settlement offer without needing to step foot in court. However, some cases do proceed to trial, at which point both sides would state their claims to a judge who would then render a final decision.
For a standard snowmobile accident with injury caused by negligence, you have six years from the date of the accident to bring forth a claim. However, you should start the process as soon as possible when details are fresh and evidence can be better collected to strengthen your claim. So if you have been thrown from a snowmobile or injured by another snowmobiler, consider reaching out to the team at Hey Workers to see what we can do to get you the compensation you deserve. For more information or for help with your injury claim, give our team a call today at (844) 439-9675.
