Idaho Law Blog
You took a car trip over the holidays, and got in a wreck. Now you are recovering from personal injuries caused by someone who lives in another state. It looks like you will have to sue to get compensation. What do you do?
You will probably have to sue in some other state. In all likelihood, the courts in your home state lack “jurisdiction” over the responsible driver. The U.S. Constitution and state laws make it difficult to drag someone into court in a distant state with which she has few connections.
If you must sue, you will have to find a court that has jurisdiction over the responsible person. Under the laws in almost every state, that means the state in which the responsible person resides, or the state where the accident occurred. Every state has a law which allows its courts to exercise jurisdiction over persons who come into the state and cause an injury there.
You will need to find a lawyer licensed in that state to pursue your case. If you were injured in Idaho, for instance, you will need an Idaho personal injury lawyer to file suit in Idaho courts. You can contact us, and we will be happy to discuss the matter with you at no charge. We generally take personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis, which means that we do not get paid unless and until we collect damages for our injured client.
You can also contact a lawyer in your own state, who can evaluate your case and, if necessary, refer you to a personal injury attorney in the proper state. Your local attorney may even take the case himself, and associate with lawyers in the other state as needed. Many lawyers are licensed in more than one state. At Racine Olson, for example, we have attorneys licensed in Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Washington, Missouri, and other states
If you have any questions about personal injuries or any other legal issue, call or email Racine Olson.