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A personal injury lawsuit exists for people harmed by another party’s negligence: in a collision, in an institution that failed to protect them, or at the hands of someone an organization put in a position of trust.
Direct2Attorney reviews your situation for free. If it meets preliminary screening criteria, we connect you with an independent participating law firm.
What kind of injury are you dealing with?
Each guide covers who can file, deadlines and what a claim can cover.
Eligibility
Every case type has its own rules, but participating law firms start with the same basic questions.
A driver, a company, a platform or an institution was expected to act with reasonable care toward you.
Through carelessness, misconduct, ignoring a known danger, or failing to protect you from someone they placed in a position of trust.
A physical injury, or emotional harm such as anxiety, depression or PTSD. Both are recognized harms, not extras.
Medical bills, therapy, lost income, or a change in the life you were able to live.
Each state sets its own time limit, and it differs by claim type. Some are short; some last decades.
A parent may act for a child, and a family member or estate may be able to bring a claim for someone who died.
Not sure whose fault it was?
You do not need to work that out yourself. Sorting out who was responsible, and whether an insurer, a company or an institution shares the blame, is part of what a participating firm reviews.
This is preliminary screening only. Meeting these guidelines does not mean you have a valid claim. A participating law firm decides on its own whether to take your case. Direct2Attorney cannot judge the legal merits of your case, give legal advice, or file anything for you.
The basics
A personal injury lawsuit is a civil claim for harm caused by someone else’s negligence or misconduct, rather than by accident alone. Negligence means a person or organization did not take the care a reasonable person would have taken, and someone got hurt because of it.
That covers a collision caused by another driver, an assault an institution failed to prevent, abuse by someone an organization placed in a position of trust, or a business that ignored a known danger. If another party had a duty to keep you safe and did not meet it, that is the territory.
A civil claim is not a criminal case. It is separate from the police and the prosecutor, and it uses a lower standard of proof: more likely than not, rather than beyond reasonable doubt. The goal is compensation for what you lost, and in some cases accountability from the institution involved.
How a personal injury claim usually moves
Care and records
You get medical care, and the records begin to show what the injury cost you.
Investigation
Your firm gathers reports, photos, witness names and, in institutional cases, internal records.
Claim or lawsuit
The firm brings a claim against the insurer or files a lawsuit in court.
Negotiation
Insurers and defendants respond. Early offers are often low.
Settlement or trial
You decide whether to accept an offer. If not, the case can go to trial.
Active cases
Each case type below has its own page with the current state of the litigation, who can file, deadlines and what a claim can cover. New cases are added as litigation develops.
Personal Injury
Disability & Final Expense
Looking for claims against a church, school, care home or detention facility? See our sexual abuse lawsuit guides. Preliminary screening only: listing a case here does not mean you have a valid claim, and a participating law firm makes the final decision.
How these injuries happen
Personal injury covers a wide range of harm. These are the kinds of cases participating firms are reviewing now.
Car, truck and motorcycle collisions caused by another driver’s negligence, including uninsured and hit-and-run claims.
Passengers assaulted or sexually abused by an Uber or Lyft driver during a trip, and crashes involving rideshare vehicles. Federal Uber claims are consolidated in MDL 3084 over driver screening and in-app safety failures; Lyft claims proceed separately.
Families whose child was reached by an adult through Roblox may have a claim against the platform over how it protected young users.
Claims that Meta, TikTok, Snap and YouTube engineered compulsive use in minors; a Los Angeles jury returned the first plaintiff verdict in March 2026. Separate, emerging claims say game publishers designed reward systems to drive compulsive play, coordinated in California as JCCP 5363, with no federal MDL yet.
Claims against the institutions that placed an abuser in a position of trust and kept them there: churches, schools, care homes, camps, agencies and detention facilities.
Harm is not only physical
Anxiety, depression and PTSD are recognized harms. In abuse claims they are usually the core of the case.
What to do next
What you do in the first days and weeks protects your health and your claim. Evidence is easiest to collect early, so start as soon as you can.
General information only. If anyone is hurt or in danger, call 911 first.
Safety first
Call 911 if anyone is hurt. See a doctor promptly, even if you feel fine, and keep every record and bill.
Make it official
Report a crash to police. A report helps where one exists, but its absence does not close the door.
Evidence
If it is safe, photograph the vehicles, the scene and any injuries.
Witnesses
Exchange insurance details and keep names and phone numbers of anyone who saw what happened.
Insurers
Avoid giving a recorded statement to the other side’s insurer until you have spoken with an attorney.
Every day
Note your pain, missed work and the activities you can no longer do. It helps show what you lost.
What holds people back, and what is true
These are the reasons people most often give for not asking. Most are based on a misunderstanding.
What holds people back
People assume a civil claim needs a charge or a conviction first.
What is true
Civil cases are separate from the criminal system and use a lower standard of proof. Many successful claims involve conduct that was never charged.
What holds people back
A quick offer can feel like the fair end of the matter.
What is true
The adjuster decides what the claim is worth to the insurer. Once you have an attorney, the firm handles those conversations and negotiates for you.
What holds people back
People expect a bill just for asking.
What is true
The review is free. These claims are normally handled on contingency, so no attorney fee is owed if there is no recovery.
What holds people back
Fear of being named publicly stops many survivors.
What is true
In sexual abuse and assault matters, courts routinely allow survivors to file under initials or as John or Jane Doe. The court decides case by case.
Quick self-check
If you can say yes to most of these, it is worth asking for a free review.
Were you, or someone you care for, hurt because of what another person, company or institution did or failed to do?
Did the harm lead to medical care, therapy, missed work or lasting changes in daily life?
Did it happen in the last few years, or involve a child or an institution, where deadlines can be longer?
Are you willing to share the basics, such as when, where and roughly what kind of harm?
Requirements
You do not need to prove any of this to start. A participating firm builds the proof. But every claim rests on these four things.
A duty of care
The other party was expected to keep you safe.
A failure
They were careless or ignored a known danger.
A link to your harm
That failure caused your injury.
Real losses
Bills, lost income, pain or emotional harm.
What a claim covers
Damages usually come in two kinds. Economic damages cover measurable losses. Non-economic damages cover pain, distress and the loss of the life you had. What can be recovered depends on your state’s laws.
Emergency care, surgery, rehabilitation, therapy and counseling, including the care you will still need years from now.
Time off work, a job you could not go back to, and the difference between the career you had and the one you were left with.
Physical pain, anxiety, depression and PTSD are recognized harms, not extras. In abuse claims they are usually the core of the case.
Internal records produced in discovery, findings on the public record, and in some states enhanced damages where a cover-up is proven. Courts award punitive damages only in rare cases of extreme misconduct.
No one can tell you what a claim is worth in advance, and no one can promise you will recover anything. Past results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome. Fees, costs and liens come out of any recovery.
How your case moves
Our role ends at the match. Your attorney-client relationship is with the law firm, not with Direct2Attorney. Meeting screening criteria does not guarantee a claim, case acceptance or recovery.
A short form or a call with our intake team. About two minutes, and you share only what you are comfortable sharing.
Our team and 24/7 call center check eligibility against each case’s criteria, including the deadline in your state.
Qualified cases go to an independent participating law firm. They take it from there, and you decide whether to proceed.
READY WHEN YOU ARE
Step 1 takes about two minutes.
Filing deadlines
It depends on your state and the type of claim, and the range is wide. It costs nothing to have the right deadline checked.
Deadlines for ordinary injury claims are often measured in two or three years, depending on the state.
Claims involving childhood sexual abuse can run for decades, or have no deadline at all in some states.
Claims against a city, county or state agency can require formal notice within months, long before the main deadline.
The deadline usually follows the state where the injury happened, which matters if you were traveling or have since moved.
This is general information, not legal advice, and it is not a calculation of your deadline. Only an attorney licensed in your state can tell you which deadline applies to you. If a deadline passes, a claim is usually barred for good, so it is safer to ask early.
Not sure if you are still in time?
A free review checks the deadline for your state and your type of claim.
Fees
The review is free and carries no obligation. If a participating law firm takes your case, these claims are normally handled on contingency. The fee comes out of any recovery, and no attorney fee is owed if there is no recovery.
What that covers
What to ask about
Fee terms are set by the law firm you sign with, not by Direct2Attorney, and vary between firms and states. Ask any firm for the percentage in writing before you sign. You can check any lawyer’s license and discipline history on your state bar’s website.
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What Direct2Attorney is
A legal marketing and referral service. We check whether your situation matches what participating law firms are looking for, and connect you with one of them if it does.
What Direct2Attorney is not
We are not a law firm. We cannot give you legal advice, represent you, or file anything on your behalf. Only a law firm you sign with can do that.
Firms are reviewing new personal injury claims
If someone else’s carelessness left you paying for it, find out where you stand. You share only what you are comfortable sharing, and there is no obligation either way.
What happens after you ask
We check your answers
Usually the same business day
A participating firm may call you
At the time you choose
You decide what comes next
No cost and no obligation, ever
Questions
Still have a question? Ask it on the call. The review is free, and there is no obligation.
Start a confidential review →Any harm caused by someone else’s negligence or misconduct rather than by accident alone — a collision caused by another driver, an assault an institution failed to prevent, abuse by someone an organisation placed in a position of trust, or a business that ignored a known danger. If another party had a duty to keep you safe and did not meet it, that is the territory.
Nothing. The review is free and carries no obligation. If a participating law firm takes your case, these claims are normally handled on contingency, meaning the fee comes out of any recovery and no attorney fee is owed if there is no recovery. Ask any firm for the percentage in writing before you sign.
It depends on your state and the type of claim, and the range is wide. Ordinary injury claims are often measured in two or three years, while claims involving childhood sexual abuse can run for decades or have no deadline at all in some states. Claims against a city, county or state agency can also require formal notice within months. It costs nothing to have the right deadline checked.
No. Civil claims are separate from the criminal system and use a lower standard of proof — more likely than not, rather than beyond reasonable doubt. Many successful claims involve conduct that was never charged. A report helps where one exists, but its absence does not close the door.
In sexual abuse and assault matters, courts routinely allow survivors to file under initials or as John or Jane Doe. It is decided case by case by the court, so ask the law firm how it would work for your claim before you commit to anything.
Call 911 if anyone is hurt and report the crash to police. If it is safe, photograph the vehicles, the scene and any injuries, and exchange insurance details with the other driver. Get checked by a doctor promptly, even if you feel fine, and keep every record and bill. Avoid giving a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurer until you have spoken with an attorney.
Photos of the scene and your injuries, the police or incident report, names and phone numbers of witnesses, medical records and bills, proof of missed work, and any letters or messages from insurance companies. A short journal of your pain and the activities you have missed also helps. Evidence is easiest to collect in the first days and weeks, so start early.
Usually two kinds. Economic damages cover measurable losses such as medical bills, future treatment, lost wages, reduced earning capacity and property damage. Non-economic damages cover pain and suffering, emotional distress and loss of enjoyment of life. Courts award punitive damages only in rare cases of extreme misconduct, and what can be recovered depends on your state’s laws.
The insurer assigns an adjuster who investigates the incident, reviews your medical records and decides what the claim is worth to them. Early offers are often low, and adjusters may ask for a recorded statement or broad access to your medical history. Once you have an attorney, the firm handles those conversations and negotiates on your behalf.
Look for an attorney licensed in your state who regularly handles your type of case, puts the fee agreement in writing and explains it clearly, and answers your questions without pressure. You can check any lawyer’s license and discipline history on your state bar’s website. Direct2Attorney can connect you with a participating firm for a free, no-obligation review.
We are a legal marketing and referral service, not a law firm. We review your situation for free, check it against what participating law firms are looking for, and connect you with one of them if it fits. The attorney-client relationship is with that firm, and it forms only when you sign an agreement with them.
Most personal injury claims are resolved through a settlement rather than a trial, but every case is different. Your law firm will explain any offer, and you decide whether to accept it. If a fair agreement cannot be reached, the firm may recommend taking the case to court.
