What is Comparative Negligence?
Comparative Negligence is a legal principle that could lower the amount of damages you are able to collect depending upon whether or not you are also found to also be negligent in the accident. So what does this exactly mean? Let’s say you’re a victim of an accident, especially a car accident. But there is evidence that you could have in part caused the accident and share fault in the accident liability. Depending upon what has happened and what the evidence says you could be found to be at least partially responsible for the accident.What are the Ohio Comparative Negligence Laws?
Ohio was the 35th state to enact a comparative negligence law (or shared-fault system). Under Ohio’s comparative negligence law if a party’s fault is found to be more than 50% then monetary recovery of any kind is not possible. This may sound scary, but it is exactly why it is so important to contact one of our personal injury attorneys. Our lawyers are here to navigate this world for you and fight to make sure you don’t reach that 50% threshold.Who Will Decide My Fault in the Accident?
The insurance company investigating the claim will be the one to determine your level of fault in the accident. It’s important to have all the facts straight after an accident in order to assess the accident liability. We want to make sure you have all the tools we need to fight for what is owed to you after an accident. Being in an accident is a disorienting and horrible experience. The moments after can be stressful. If you can, follow these steps to ensure that you can get the settlement that is owed to you.- Call the authorities right away.
- It’s important for the police to file a report.
- You may need medical attention, even if you aren’t sure your body may be in shock.
- If there are any witnesses, ask them to write down exactly what they remember.
- Take pictures of everything. Damages and injuries.
- Write down exactly what you remember.
- Contact one of our attorneys here at GSAS to handle the rest.