Personal Injury

Hurt by someone else’s carelessness? You have a limited window to act.

An injury is not only a medical problem. It is lost income, a stack of bills arriving before any settlement, and an insurance adjuster who is paid to resolve your claim for as little as possible — often while you are still in treatment and least able to push back.

From our office in the IDS Center in downtown Minneapolis, we represent injured people across the Twin Cities metro and Greater Minnesota. We do not represent insurance companies.

What We Handle

• Car and truck collisions: Including the no-fault and underinsured/uninsured motorist layers most people do not know they have.
• Pedestrian and bicycle injuries: Where fault is often disputed and the injuries are frequently severe.
• Dog attacks: Governed by a Minnesota statute that is considerably more favorable to injured people than the common-law rule in many states.
• Premises liability: Falls and injuries caused by a property owner’s failure to maintain safe conditions.
• Wrongful death: Brought by a court-appointed trustee on behalf of the surviving family.

Three Minnesota Rules Worth Knowing Now

The clock is shorter than you think. The general limitations period for injury to the person is six years. Minn. Stat. § 541.05, subd. 1(5). But that general rule is not the one that governs many claims — notice periods for claims involving government entities and the separate wrongful death limitation are far shorter. Deadlines are the one part of a case that cannot be fixed later.

Partial fault is not a bar. Under Minn. Stat. § 604.01, your damages are reduced by your share of the fault, and recovery is barred only if your fault is greater than that of the party you are seeking recovery from. An adjuster telling you that you were “partly at fault, so there’s nothing here” is describing a legal conclusion, not a fact.

A car crash has a threshold. Minnesota’s no-fault act pays your medical expenses and wage loss regardless of fault, but to recover noneconomic damages from the at-fault driver your claim must clear Minn. Stat. § 65B.51, subd. 3 — more than $4,000 in qualifying medical expense, or permanent injury, permanent disfigurement, death, or a disability of 60 days or more.

What To Do Before You Call Anyone’s Insurer

Get medical attention and follow the treatment plan — gaps in treatment are the first thing a defense adjuster looks for. Photograph everything while it is fresh. Keep every bill, receipt, and out-of-pocket expense. Do not give a recorded statement to the other side’s insurer, and do not sign a medical authorization for them, until you have talked to a lawyer.

How We Work

We evaluate honestly. If your claim is worth more than an insurer is offering, we will tell you, and we will say so plainly if it is not. We prepare every case as though it will be tried, because a case the other side believes will actually be tried is the case that settles well.

Sources verified against the Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes: § 541.05 (six-year limitation, subd. 1(5)); § 604.01 (comparative fault); § 65B.51 (no-fault tort threshold, subd. 3); § 347.22 (dog owner liability).

This page is general information about Minnesota law, not legal advice about your situation, and reading it does not create an attorney–client relationship. Deadlines and thresholds turn on facts specific to each case. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do I have to file a personal injury lawsuit in Minnesota?

Minnesota's general limitations period for an injury to the person is six years under Minn. Stat. § 541.05, subd. 1(5). Other deadlines are much shorter — claims against government entities, wrongful death claims, and certain intentional torts run on different clocks, and no-fault benefits have their own notice requirements. Because the wrong deadline is fatal to a claim, have the specific dates reviewed early rather than assuming six years applies.

What if I was partly at fault for the accident?

Minnesota uses modified comparative fault under Minn. Stat. § 604.01. Being partly at fault does not automatically bar recovery — your damages are reduced in proportion to your share of the fault — but recovery is barred if your fault is greater than the fault of the party you are seeking recovery from. Insurers often assert comparative fault early, which is one reason not to give a recorded statement before you have talked to a lawyer.

Minnesota is a no-fault state. Can I still sue after a car accident?

Yes, but only if your claim clears the statutory threshold. Under Minn. Stat. § 65B.51, subd. 3, you may pursue noneconomic damages if your qualifying medical expense exceeds $4,000, or if the injury involves permanent injury, permanent disfigurement, death, or a disability lasting 60 days or more. Your own no-fault (PIP) benefits pay medical expenses and wage loss regardless of who caused the crash.

What are my rights if a dog bit me?

Minn. Stat. § 347.22 provides that if a dog, without provocation, attacks or injures a person who is acting peaceably in a place where the person may lawfully be, the owner is liable for the full amount of the injury. The statute reaches anyone harboring or keeping the dog, not only the registered owner. Photograph the injuries, identify the dog and its owner, and get the animal-control report.

What does a personal injury lawyer cost?

We handle most injury matters on a contingency fee, meaning there is no attorney's fee unless we recover for you. Case costs — filing fees, records, expert witnesses — are handled separately and explained in writing before you sign anything. The initial consultation is free, and we will tell you honestly if we do not think a claim is worth bringing.