Violation of Civil Rights Leading to Injury
What Are Civil Rights?
Civil rights are civil liberties and rights that are guaranteed to citizens of the United States from the Constitution of the United States. This means that citizens have the right to declare certain things, believe certain things, and are free from certain things as well. Examples of civil rights include:
- The right to vote.
- The right to a fair trial.
- Freedom from unreasonable searches or property seizures.
- Freedom of religion.
- Freedom from being discriminated against based on one’s religion, race, gender, or orientation.
- And more.
Civil rights have been fought for by numerous people throughout the history of the United States and, therefore should be taken seriously. If you or someone you know has been injured in a civil rights claim then strongly consider taking legal action against the guilty party. By taking action there is a stronger chance that another person won’t become the victim of one of these incidents. There also may be compensation involved to make the victim whole again.
Civil Rights Injuries
Injuries can happen in a variety of places under a number of different circumstances. However, what separates a civil rights injury from a typical personal injury is in how it occurred. For example, a typical personal injury may be caused by a slip and fall incident at work. And, a civil rights injury may have happened as a direct result of a civil rights violation, like when a police officer uses excessive force against someone. Other examples of civil rights injuries include when someone is attacked for how they identify as a person and this leads to injury. While attacks for being a part of a certain religion, orientation, gender, or race are not extremely common they do in fact happen.
Is a Lawyer Needed For a Civil Rights Injury Case?
While it isn’t always necessary to hire a lawyer for a civil rights injury case it can be helpful. These cases can have some ambiguity to them where things may be difficult to prove. The other issue that may occur in these cases is that the opposing party may also have a strong legal defense team. Having an experienced civil rights injury lawyer in Oregon from a firm like Andersen Morse & Linthorst can be especially helpful for dealing with the opposing parties’ defense team. Lawyers who work in the realm of civil rights injuries also know how to deal with insurance companies and can create a strong negotiation strategy for dealing with them.
Questions to Ask a Civil Rights Injury Lawyer
If it has been decided that reaching out to a lawyer is the best option for you, then be sure to ask them questions that pertain to your circumstance and case. Consider asking them questions like:
- How long have they been a lawyer?
- How many cases have they worked on?
- What were their failures in cases?
- What were their successes in cases previously?
- And any other questions that are related to the case?
The above are just a few examples of the types of questions that will help you to find a good civil rights lawyer. It is also important to ask them questions that pertain to your specific circumstances. Make sure that you understand the lawyer and that the lawyer wants you to understand him or her.