If you were injured in an accident that was caused by someone else, it’s important to seek compensation through a personal injury lawsuit so you aren’t left paying for your medical treatment, lost wages, and other expenses out of pocket. Personal injury lawsuits hold individuals and companies financially liable for the harm they cause, and a personal injury lawyer can pursue the compensation you deserve.
Contact Maring Williams Law Office today for a free consultation with a highly qualified member of our legal team. We’ll walk you through your options for seeking the compensation you need after sustaining an injury and will answer any questions you have about the legal process.
A personal injury lawsuit is a legal avenue for injured victims to recover the damages (compensation) they need for their losses caused by their injury. Losses are the negative consequences of an injury, including medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, emotional distress, permanent disability, and more.
In most personal injury lawsuits, you must prove that the injured party owed you a duty of care, that they breached that duty, that their breach caused your injuries, and that your injuries caused compensable losses.
For example, if you were in a car accident, your lawyer would argue that the other driver had a responsibility to drive safely to prevent collisions. They could then use evidence that the driver failed to meet that responsibility by texting while driving. Because the driver was texting, they crashed into your vehicle, leading to your severe injuries and medical expenses.
Our firm handles personal injury cases throughout North Dakota, eastern Montana, and Minnesota. Common cases our clients bring to us include:
By filing a personal injury lawsuit, you can pursue economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages are compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, and other losses with tangible value. Non-economic damages are compensation for pain and suffering, emotional distress, permanent disability, and other losses with intangible value.
In many personal injury cases, the at-fault party’s insurance company will be liable for your compensation. This could be an auto insurance, business insurance, home insurance, or another type of insurance company, depending on the circumstances of the incident.
Comparative Fault and Your Compensation
If you were partly at fault for the incident that caused your injuries, comparative fault laws could apply. North Dakota, Minnesota, and Montana all follow modified comparative fault rules, where the courts may reduce a victim’s awarded compensation by a percentage equal to their degree of fault.
Additionally, each state has a cutoff point for injured parties to receive compensation if they contributed to the accident. In North Dakota, victims must be less than 50 percent at fault, and in Minnesota and Montana, they must be less than 51 percent at fault to recover compensation.
The time you have to file a personal injury lawsuit differs by state. In North Dakota and Minnesota, victims have six years to file lawsuits against the parties responsible for their injuries. However, in Montana, victims only have three years to file lawsuits. This timeline may be shorter depending on the at-fault party.
Our lawyers can file your lawsuit on your behalf so you don’t have to worry about missing these deadlines.
Taking the following steps after sustaining an injury can strengthen your legal case:
Dealing with the legal system can be overwhelming even when you aren’t recovering from an injury. Adding an injury on top of it only makes things worse. However, when you hire our personal injury firm to handle your case, you only have to focus on recovering from your injury. We’ll take care of everything else.
Our lawyers will start by speaking to you about and investigating the incident to identify the at-fault parties and gather supporting evidence. This evidence may include accident scene photographs and videos, eyewitness statements, expert witness testimony, and more.
We’ll then calculate the value of your case and file your lawsuit within the deadline outlined in your state’s statute of limitations. After that, we’ll negotiate with the at-fault party’s insurance company for a fair settlement that covers all your accident-related losses.
While personal injury lawsuits may end with a settlement, our lawyers are prepared to take your case to trial if the insurance company refuses to offer an appropriate settlement.
If you sustained an injury caused by someone else’s actions in North Dakota, Minnesota, or Montana, contact Maring Williams Law Office for a free consultation about your case. Our knowledgeable and experienced personal injury lawyers will explain the compensation you could recover and how our firm can handle even the most complex injury cases.
In North Dakota, the general statute of limitations for personal injury is six years from the date of the accident (N.D. Cent. Code § 28-01-16). However, if your claim involves a government entity in Bismarck or a medical malpractice case, the deadline is much shorter (often 2-3 years). It is critical to act quickly to preserve evidence like traffic camera footage or witness statements.
Yes. North Dakota follows a modified comparative fault rule (the “50% Bar”). You can recover damages as long as your fault is not greater than the fault of the other parties combined. For example, if you are 20% at fault for a collision on State Street, your total compensation will be reduced by 20%. If you are 51% or more at fault, you cannot recover any damages.
North Dakota is a no-fault insurance state. This means your own insurance policy’s Personal Injury Protection (PIP) usually pays for your immediate medical bills and lost wages, regardless of who caused the accident. However, if your medical expenses exceed $2,500 or you suffer a “serious injury” (such as a fracture or permanent disfigurement), you have the right to step outside the no-fault system and sue the negligent driver for additional damages.
We work on a contingency fee basis. This means there are no upfront costs or hourly fees. We only get paid if we successfully recover a settlement or jury verdict for you. Our fee is a pre-agreed percentage of that final amount, allowing you to focus on your recovery without financial stress.
At Maring Williams Law Office, we handle personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis. This means there are no upfront costs or hourly fees for you to worry about. We only get paid if we successfully recover compensation for you through a settlement or jury verdict. If we don’t win your case, you owe us nothing.
The deadline to file an injury lawsuit depends entirely on where the incident occurred:
Yes. North Dakota, Minnesota, and Montana all follow modified comparative fault rules. This means you can still recover damages as long as your percentage of fault does not exceed the state’s cutoff point:
Victims can pursue two main types of damages:
We strongly advise against speaking to insurance adjusters or signing any settlement offers before consulting an attorney. Insurance companies frequently offer lowball settlements early on, hoping you will accept quick cash before the full scope of your injuries and long-term medical needs are known. Once you sign, you waive your right to ask for more. Let our experienced lawyers handle all communications and negotiations on your behalf.
Every case is unique. A straightforward claim with clear liability and minor injuries may settle within a few months. However, complex cases involving severe injuries, multiple at-fault parties, or insurance companies that refuse to offer a fair settlement can take a year or longer—especially if the case goes to trial. Our priority is to ensure you receive full and fair compensation, rather than rushing into an inadequate settlement.
