Some Things To Think About When Making The Difficult Decision To Sue A Family Member For A New Haven Personal Injury Claim

Family dynamics are already quite tricky, but imagine you are visiting a family member and you get injured. Then you may have a choice. Should you pay for the injury yourself and let the family member “off the hook?” Or, should you file a New Haven personal injury lawsuit against your family member so you can be compensated for your injuries and heal properly? This is one of the trickiest situations you might run into if you become injured. When you’re injured at the hands of a stranger or a company there are very few reasons to skip litigation, but when it involves a direct family member things can get complicated very quickly.

When you’re visiting a family member you may want to take extra care to avoid any type of injury or accident so you are not faced with this type of situation. However, no amount of precautions will keep you completely safe and when an accident happens you have to be prepared to make a really difficult decision. While your decision may be something you agonize over you should always keep your best interest in mind so you are not sacrificing your well-being or health for the avoidance of a tough conversation or difficult strain on your relationship moving forward.

Some things you can do to keep yourself safe from being injured while visiting a family may include not taking any major risks. Let’s say for instance you notice that the stairs leading into your sisters house are wobbly and may be dangerous to climb, you can discreetly find a different way into her home so you can avoid the hazard. You may find yourself in a situation where your father-in-law’s dog is too aggressive for your liking and you are concerned it may lead to a dog bite injury for you or someone you are visiting with. You can politely ask that the dog be restrained or removed from the room so you can avoid an interaction with the animal and keep yourself safe. These are just two of a myriad of issues that could arise when you are visiting family. You will always want to assess the situation before and during your visit and make sure you are taking all of the steps you can take to keep yourself and your loved ones safe, even at a family member’s house.

You may be wondering why an interaction like this is complicated when it comes to family members and there really is no simple answer, again, it is complicated. The truth of the matter is when dealing with family there are any number of things that could happen if you’re considering filing suit against them for an injury you or another family member sustained. Some of the pitfalls of this type of action may include;

1.) Emotional strain. When an injury of this type occurs it is already stressful, but add in to the mix that it occurred at a family members home and a new layer of stress will mount. When you are feeling stressed it can play with your emotions and lead to you having a difficult reaction to the injury. To heal from an injury you really need peace and calm and when a family member is involved in causing the injury those may be the last things on your mind.

2.) Strained family relationships. You would like to think that if a situation like this were to arise that all family members would be well-meaning and understanding, but that is not always the case. A family member who is being sued may feel attacked which can cause stress in your relationship with them. All of the explaining in the world may not ease this stress so you need to be prepared for this if you’re considering taking this difficult step.

3.) Financial considerations. Whether you know your family member’s financial situation or not, a lawsuit and a finding in your favor could very well cause significant financial hardship for your family member. While this is something that is an unfortunate byproduct of the incident, the accident could also cause you significant financial hardship if you are not compensated for the injury and the following rehabilitation that may be required from any injury.

No one wants to think about getting injured and certainly no one wants to think about having to file a New Haven personal injury lawsuit against a family member due to an incident at their home. However, when an accident occurs you may need to clear your head about things and realize that you need to keep your own needs at the forefront of your mind. While you may want to consider the feelings and finances of your loved one, you will need to consider your feelings and finances first. This can be a tough decision to make so it may make sense to take the decision out of your hands and place it into the hands of an experienced attorney. Contact our office and one of our attorneys will review your situation and work with you to protect your long-term interests.