Keene Personal Injury Lawyer

Were you injured in an accident in Keene, NH?

At Welts, White & Fontaine, P.C., we handle personal injury claims on a contingency basis, and you owe no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you.

If you were hurt because of someone else’s negligence, a Keene, NH personal injury lawyer can help you pursue the compensation the law allows. Welts, White & Fontaine, P.C. has represented injured people across New Hampshire for close to five decades, and our attorneys bring that experience to every claim we accept. We take on car crashes, falls, and other injury claims for people throughout Keene and the wider Cheshire County area. Reach out to our office to discuss your situation with an attorney who can explain your options and what a claim might involve.

Personal Injury Lawyer Keene, NH

A personal injury claim is a civil action brought by someone who was hurt through another party’s careless or wrongful conduct. It lets the injured person recover money for losses such as medical bills, lost income, and physical pain. New Hampshire law puts the burden on the injured party to prove that another person’s negligence caused the harm.

Cheshire County, where Keene serves as the county seat, recorded four traffic deaths in 2022 in NHTSA highway safety data. The state’s Driving Toward Zero program tracks the crashes that cause the most serious harm, and far more residents are hurt each year in wrecks, falls, and similar incidents that never reach a courtroom. A Keene personal injury attorney can review how the law applies to your circumstances and identify who may be held responsible.

Types of Personal Injury Cases We Handle in Keene

Our attorneys handle the full range of injury claims that arise in and around Keene. Some begin with a motor vehicle crash, others with a fall on unsafe property or an encounter with a dangerous animal. Each type carries its own evidence and its own path to proving fault.

• Car accidents. Collisions on Route 9, Route 101, and city streets produce many of the injury claims we handle. We gather crash reports, medical records, and witness accounts to establish who was at fault. Insurers often dispute these claims, and we prepare each one for the possibility of trial.
• Truck accidents. Crashes involving commercial trucks tend to cause severe harm and involve more than one responsible party. We examine driver logs, maintenance histories, and the federal rules that govern carriers. Trucking companies and their insurers move quickly, and prompt investigation protects your claim.
• Motorcycle accidents. Riders face a high risk of serious injury when drivers fail to yield or fail to watch for them. We work to counter the bias that riders sometimes meet from adjusters and juries. Our attorneys document the full extent of every injury before any figure is discussed.
• Pedestrian accidents. People walking in downtown Keene and along busy corridors can suffer catastrophic injuries when a driver is inattentive. These claims depend on careful reconstruction of where each party was and what each could see. We handle the medical and legal sides together.
• Bicycle accidents. Cyclists share the road with far heavier vehicles and often absorb the worst of a collision. We pursue drivers who fail to give riders room or right of way. Medical documentation sits at the center of these claims.
• Slip and falls. Property owners in New Hampshire owe visitors a duty to keep their premises reasonably safe. Wet floors, ice, and poor lighting cause many of these injuries. We work to show what the owner knew, or should have known, about the hazard.
• Dog bites. New Hampshire holds dog owners responsible for injuries their animals cause in most situations. These cases involve medical treatment, scarring, and sometimes long recoveries. We pursue the owner’s insurance coverage on your behalf.
• Wrongful death. When negligence takes a life, surviving family members may bring a claim for their loss. We handle these claims with sensitivity to the family and careful attention to the financial losses they have suffered. State law defines who may recover and what damages are available.
• Premises liability. Injuries on someone else’s property reach beyond falls to inadequate security, falling objects, and other unsafe conditions. We identify the party responsible for maintaining the space. Recovery depends on the visitor’s status and on the owner’s knowledge of the danger.
• Workers’ compensation. Employees hurt on the job may claim benefits for medical care and lost wages. We help injured workers respond when a claim is denied or benefits are cut short. These claims follow a separate process from an injury lawsuit.

Why Choose Welts, White & Fontaine, P.C. as my Personal Injury Lawyer in Keene, NH?

Decades of New Hampshire Trial Experience

Our firm has practiced law in New Hampshire for close to fifty years. Michael J. Fontaine has represented injured clients since 1985 and handles personal injury and workers’ compensation claims alongside other litigation. Jack S. White has tried civil cases in the state’s courts for more than four decades and was named to Best Lawyers in America for plaintiff’s personal injury litigation. A proven trial record is what an injured client should expect from a personal injury lawyer in Keene, NH when an insurer refuses to make a fair offer.

Results for Injured Clients

We have recovered millions of dollars for injured people across New Hampshire, and each result reflects preparation built for trial. Recent outcomes include:

• $1,250,000 for a pedestrian struck by a motor vehicle
• $500,000 for a homeowner who lost a toe in a premises injury
• $450,000 for a supermarket customer who suffered a concussion in a fall
• $250,000 for a driver with a back injury from a collision

We accept personal injury cases on a contingency basis, so you pay no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you.

Understanding Personal Injury Cases

A personal injury claim brings together medicine, insurance, and law, and the pieces do not always move in step. Knowing how the parts fit helps you make sound decisions from the start.

Damages, Liability, and Compensation for Personal Injury Cases

New Hampshire law lets an injured person recover for the losses a negligent party caused. Damages fall into a few broad categories, and the value of a claim depends on the severity and the permanence of the harm. Liability has to be proven before any recovery is possible, which means showing that the other party owed a duty of care and broke it.

Common categories of compensation include:

• Medical expenses, both past and future
• Lost wages and reduced earning capacity
• Pain and suffering and other non-economic harm
• Property damage connected to the incident
• The cost of long-term care in serious cases

Under New Hampshire’s comparative fault rule, an injured person may recover as long as their share of fault is not greater than the defendant’s, though the award is reduced in proportion to that share. Claims that begin on unsafe property, such as premises liability cases, follow the same duty-and-breach framework.

What Are Important Aspects of a Personal Injury Case?

How a personal injury claim proceeds depends on a few key factors, and understanding them early helps protect your right to recover.

• Evidence can be lost as time passes, so photographs, records, and witness contact information should be preserved promptly.
• Insurance adjusters work to limit payouts and may request recorded statements that can later be used against you.
• Several common misconceptions about injury claims lead people to accept less than a case is worth.
• The full extent of an injury is not always clear at first, and that uncertainty affects the timing of any settlement.

What Is The Personal Injury Case Timeline?

Every claim moves at its own pace, yet most follow a recognizable sequence from injury to resolution.

• Medical treatment begins and continues until you reach maximum improvement.
• Your attorney investigates the incident and collects the supporting records.
• A demand is presented to the responsible party’s insurer.
• Negotiation follows, and a large share of claims settle at this stage.
• If no fair offer arrives, suit is filed, and cases in this area proceed through the Cheshire County Superior Court.

New Hampshire’s statute of limitations generally allows three years from the date of injury to file a lawsuit, and missing that deadline almost always ends the claim.

What Should You Bring to Your Personal Injury Consultation?

Bringing the right documents to a first meeting lets an attorney assess your claim more accurately.

• Any police or incident report
• Photographs of the scene and your injuries
• Medical records and bills related to the injury
• Insurance information and any correspondence you have received
• A record of missed work and lost income

The meeting is a chance to learn where your claim stands and what steps come next. There is no obligation to continue after that first conversation, and much of what you share helps us weigh the strength of the case.

Most Dangerous Locations for Car Accidents in Keene, NH

Keene sits where four state highways meet, and the corridors that carry the most traffic also see the most serious crashes. New Hampshire does not keep a single ranked list of dangerous roads, but regional corridor studies and state safety projects have flagged specific problem points around the city.

State routes that carry heavy traffic through Keene include:

• NH Route 9
• NH Route 10
• NH Route 12
• NH Route 101

Locations flagged in state and regional safety reviews include:

• NH Route 101 at Swanzey Factory Road, set for realignment to correct sight-distance problems at one of the region’s most dangerous crash locations
• The Route 9 corridor between Keene and the Vermont line, a high-volume stretch with a documented crash history

Busy commercial corridors such as Winchester Street and West Street add to that total, since dense local traffic and frequent turns raise the chance of a collision.

Reach Out to Welts, White & Fontaine, P.C. to Schedule a Consultation

If you were hurt in an accident in Keene, the attorneys at Welts, White & Fontaine, P.C. are ready to review your claim and explain your options. We work on a contingency basis, so you owe no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you. Contact us to arrange a time to speak with a member of our firm about what happened and where your case may lead.