Do not hesitate to call Marzzacco Niven & Associates if you’ve recently been assaulted in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. You may have the right to file a lawsuit against the perpetrator and other parties – including property owners and businesses. Our Lancaster assault injury lawyers can help you make the most of your fight for compensation.
Since 2008, Marzzacco Niven & Associates has been a champion for injury victims and grieving families in Lancaster. As award-winning Pennsylvania trial attorneys, we’ve helped our clients win tens of millions in life-changing monetary wards.
Benefit from a top-rated legal team with over 120 years of experience successfully handling complex personal injury cases like yours. Contact our Lancaster, PA, law office to set up a free consultation now or call 717) 616-2954.
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How Marzzacco Niven & Associates Can Help if You’ve Been Assaulted in Lancaster, PA
It’s illegal to assault another person. The person who attacked you might face criminal charges for their actions. However, those criminal charges won’t pay for your medical bills or help to compensate you for the trauma and suffering you’ve experienced.
Fortunately, you can seek justice of your own through a civil assault lawsuit – and our Lancaster personal injury lawyers can help.
At Marzzacco Niven & Associates, we understand how much life can change when you’re brutally attacked. We understand that it will take time to recover and move forward with your life. However, you don’t have unlimited time to pursue compensation.
When you turn to our law firm for help after an assault, you’ll be able to lean on us for support while you take the time you need to get better.
Our team will handle all aspects of your legal claim:
- Review police reports and investigations conducted by local law enforcement
- Launch an independent inquiry into your assault
- Gather evidence that will be critical in building a solid foundation for your civil assault lawsuit
- Determine who, other than the person who assaulted you, might be liable for your injuries
- Bring in experts to provide insight as we calculate what your assault injury case is worth
- Defend against claims that you provoked the attack or somehow share responsibility for your injuries
- Negotiate with the defendant and insurance companies on your behalf
- Navigate any procedural challenges that might arise due to related criminal assault charges
- Bring your assault injury lawsuit to a jury in Lancaster County if you don’t receive a fair settlement offer
Between hospital bills, ongoing medical treatment, therapy, and a sudden loss of income, an assault can be costly. Hiring a personal injury lawyer should make things easier, not add to the stress you’re under. That’s why our assault injury attorneys in Lancaster work on contingency. You pay nothing unless we win compensation for you.
Contact us today to speak with a member of our compassionate legal team and set up a time for a free, confidential case evaluation.
Representing Clients in All Types of Civil Assault Matters in Lancaster, PA
At the end of the day, experience matters when you’re navigating a civil assault lawsuit.
That’s why Marzzacco Niven & Associates should be your first call for help.
Our personal injury attorneys in Lancaster have decades of experience representing clients in assault injury cases involving:
- Muggings
- Robbery
- Bar fights
- Fights between acquaintances
- Domestic abuse
- Sexual assault
- Institutional sexual abuse
- Bullying
We’ve helped victims of assault stand up to their attackers, take on liable parties, and recover life-changing monetary awards. Now let us put the full force of our law firm behind your assault injury case, too.
What Is Civil Assault in Pennsylvania?
In Pennsylvania, assault is both a crime and a tort. Specifically, assault is an intentional tort. Unlike negligence, intentional torts involve willful misconduct.
In other words, another person engages in a specific action with the intent to cause harm.
Courts in Pennsylvania have defined assault as “an assault is an act intended to put another person in reasonable apprehension of an immediate battery, and which succeeds in causing an apprehension of such battery.”
More simply put, an assault occurs when someone intentionally engages in some type of conduct to make you fearful of imminent physical harm and is successful in eliciting that fear.
Examples include:
- Threatening to hit you while making a fist and moving in close physical proximity
- Throwing a glass bottle at you with force
If you are physically attacked after threats are made, it’s considered a battery.
What Do I Have To Prove To Win My Civil Assault Case in Lancaster?
As the plaintiff in a civil assault lawsuit, you will have the burden of proving the following elements:
- The defendant’s conduct made you fearful for your immediate physical safety
- The defendant intended to elicit fear
- The defendant had the present ability to follow through on their threats
- Your fear was reasonable, and
- You’ve suffered damages.
Pennsylvania law requires you to prove your civil assault case by a preponderance of the evidence. This is much lower than the standard required in criminal assault cases – beyond a reasonable doubt.
Assault Victims Can Suffer Severe, Life-Changing Injuries
Victims of assault in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, often report severe injuries, including:
- Eye injury
- Dental injury
- Concussion
- Brain injury
- Neck injury
- Broken bones
- Internal bleeding
- Nerve damage
- Soft tissue injury
- Back injury
- Catastrophic injury
In some situations, assault-related injuries can be so severe that they result in a victim’s wrongful death.
Who Could Be Liable for Assault in Pennsylvania?
You can file a civil assault lawsuit against the person who physically assaulted you. You may also have the right to file a negligence-based action against other parties.
Depending on the circumstances of your assault, potentially liable parties might include:
- Employers. Your attacker’s employer could be responsible for negligent hiring practices or failing to adequately supervise their employees.
- Property owners and businesses. Property owners in Lancaster have a duty to protect invited guests from reasonably foreseeable harm – including criminal activity. Failing to implement adequate security measures can potentially result in liability for an assault.
- Schools. Schools can be responsible for the conduct of their employees – including teachers, coaches, and staff.
Count on Marzzacco Niven & Associates to carefully evaluate the circumstances of your assault and determine all potential options for financial recovery. If we determine that someone’s negligence contributed to your assault, we won’t hesitate to hold them accountable for the role they played.
What Damages Are Available to Lancaster Assault Victims?
As with other types of personal injury cases, both economic and non-economic damages can be awarded in civil assault lawsuits.
Economic damages offset the verifiable current and future expenses related to an assault, such as:
- Hospitalization, medication, medical devices, surgery, and other medical bills
- Physical therapy and rehabilitation
- Nursing assistance
- Out-of-pocket costs
- Diminished earning capacity
- Disability
- Funeral expenses if an assault is fatal
Non-economic damages make up for the life changes and trauma you personally experience as the victim of an assault, including:
- Chronic physical pain
- Reduced quality of life
- Loss of consortium
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Emotional distress
- Pain and suffering
- Embarrassment
Since assault is an intentional act, punitive damages can also potentially be awarded if your lawsuit goes to trial. Punitive damages are intended to punish the defendant for their malicious conduct and are awarded in addition to any compensatory awards you receive.
How Long Will I Have To File a Personal Injury Lawsuit After I’m Assaulted in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania has a two-year statute of limitations that applies to assault injury lawsuits.
This gives you until the second anniversary of the date you were assaulted to file a claim against your attacker or another liable party.
It’s important to note that your civil assault case can be tolled if the defendant is also charged with criminal assault. However, once the criminal charges are resolved, your civil lawsuit will resume.
The results of a related criminal assault case will not have a direct impact on your civil case. You can still prevail even if the defendant is not convicted. However, a conviction can certainly be persuasive evidence in your fight for compensation.
Schedule a Free Consultation With a Trusted Lancaster Assault Injury Lawyer
Have you recently been assaulted in Lancaster, Pennsylvania? Don’t struggle with the devastating consequences alone. Call Marzzacco Niven & Associates and ask our Lancaster assault injury lawyers for help.
Collectively, our award-winning litigators have 120+ years of experience and a reputation for going above and beyond to help clients achieve top results. Count on us to put you first and fight to get the financial accountability you need and deserve.
We offer a free consultation. Reach out to our Lancaster law office to schedule a time for yours today.
Visit Our Law Office in Lancaster,PA
Marzzacco Niven & Associates
2173 Embassy Dr Ste 123, Lancaster, PA 17603
(717) 616-2954