If you were hurt in the Fox Valley because someone else was careless, an Appleton personal injury lawyer can help you recover the cost of medical care, lost income, and the ways the injury has changed your daily life. Lindner Law, LLC has an office in Appleton, and when you call, you speak with the attorneys who will actually handle your case, not a call center.
Our Appleton office holds a 5.0-star rating across 150+ Google reviews. Consultations are free, you pay no attorney fee unless we recover compensation for you. Contact us anytime 24/7 at (414) 271-5300 for a free case evaluation.
Our Appleton Office
Our Appleton office is located at 5793 W Grande Market Dr, Suite I, Appleton, WI 54913, just south of the Fox River Mall and close to I-41. The location is central for clients across the Fox Cities and the surrounding region, and free on-site parking is available.
We are a founder-led firm by choice. Rather than growing into a high-volume practice, we have kept our caseload at a size that lets our attorneys know their clients. Founding attorney Miles G. Lindner and attorney David J. Bischmann lead our team, and our Appleton clients work with the same attorneys and staff throughout their cases. When you have a question, you can reach someone who knows your file.
Communities We Serve From Appleton
From our Appleton office, we represent injured people throughout the Fox Valley and Northeast Wisconsin, including:
- Appleton, Grand Chute, and the Town of Menasha
- Neenah and Menasha
- Kaukauna, Kimberly, Little Chute, and Combined Locks
- Oshkosh and Winnebago County
- Green Bay, De Pere, and Brown County
- Fond du Lac, New London, and Shawano
Whichever of these communities you live in, the process of working with us is the same.
Most personal injury claims in Appleton are handled in Outagamie County, and a lawsuit would typically be filed in Outagamie County Circuit Court on South Walnut Street. Claims from Neenah, Menasha, and Oshkosh may be filed in Winnebago County, and claims from the Kaukauna and Green Bay areas may involve Brown County. We handle the paperwork and court filings wherever your case belongs.
Injury Cases We Handle in Appleton
We focus on a specific set of personal injury cases so that our attorneys know them well. Two of those areas, premises liability and traumatic brain injury, are where we concentrate most.
Premises Liability and Slip and Fall Injuries
Premises liability covers injuries caused by unsafe conditions on someone else's property. In the Fox Valley, we see falls on icy parking lots and sidewalks during long winters, spills and debris in retail stores, broken stairs and railings at rental properties, and hazards in restaurants and hotels.
Owners of public buildings and places of employment in Wisconsin are subject to the state's safe-place statute, which requires them to keep premises as safe as their nature reasonably permits. Wisconsin's civil jury instruction on the safe-place statute describes that duty as higher than ordinary care.
Most premises cases turn on whether the owner knew about the hazard or should have found it. Surveillance video, incident reports, and maintenance logs answer that question, and video in particular is often overwritten within days or weeks. Our published results include a $155,000 settlement for a Kaukauna client who slipped on icy stairs with no railing at a rental property.
Traumatic Brain Injuries
A traumatic brain injury can come from a car crash, a fall, or any blow or jolt to the head. Mild brain injuries often do not appear on scans, and symptoms such as headaches, memory problems, trouble concentrating, and mood changes may develop over time. Insurers routinely use normal imaging to argue that nothing is wrong.
We work with treating physicians and, when needed, specialists who can document how the injury is affecting your work, relationships, and daily routine.
Car Accidents
Fox Valley drivers share I-41, Highway 441, and busy corridors like College Avenue, Wisconsin Avenue, and the roads around the Fox River Mall, where heavy retail traffic and frequent turns lead to rear-end and intersection crashes.
Wisconsin is an at-fault state, and every auto policy must carry at least $25,000 per person in bodily injury liability and $25,000 per person in uninsured motorist coverage, according to the Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance. When those limits are not enough, we look to underinsured motorist coverage and every other policy that applies.
Our published results include a $190,000 settlement in an Appleton area case involving the aggravation of preexisting conditions.
Truck Accidents
The I-41 corridor between Oshkosh, Appleton, and Green Bay carries heavy commercial truck traffic. Truck crashes involve federal safety rules, commercial insurance, and multiple potentially responsible companies, including the driver, the motor carrier, and the company that loaded the cargo.
These cases reward early action because the carrier controls much of the key evidence, such as electronic driving logs and engine data.
Motorcycle and Bicycle Accidents
Riders have almost no protection in a crash and often face unfair assumptions about fault. Wisconsin's partial helmet law requires helmets only for riders under 18 and those with an instructional permit, and for adult riders who were not required to wear one, the choice not to wear a helmet cannot reduce recovery under Wisconsin law.
Pedestrian Accidents
Pedestrians in crosswalks and parking lots are among the most vulnerable people on the road. Our published results include a $100,000 settlement for a Kimberly client struck in a crosswalk by a tired driver.
Dog Bites
Under Wis. Stat. § 174.02, a dog's owner is liable for the full amount of damages caused when the dog injures a person, whether or not the dog had bitten before. Damages can be doubled when the dog bites hard enough to break the skin and cause permanent scarring and the owner already knew the dog had done so before.
Wrongful Death
When someone's negligence causes a death, Wisconsin allows certain family members to bring a wrongful death claim for losses such as funeral expenses, lost financial support, and the loss of companionship. We handle these cases with care, understanding that no claim can replace a person.
How Wisconsin Injury Claims Work
A personal injury claim asks the person or company responsible for your injury, usually through its insurer, to pay for the losses the injury caused. A few Wisconsin rules shape nearly every claim.
Comparative Negligence
Under Wisconsin's comparative negligence statute, you can recover as long as your negligence is not greater than the negligence of the party you are pursuing, and your damages are reduced by your percentage of fault.
For example, if your damages total $120,000 and a jury finds you 25% at fault for a fall because you were looking at your phone, you would recover $90,000. If you were found more at fault than the property owner, you would recover nothing from that owner.
Deadlines
Most Wisconsin personal injury lawsuits must be filed within three years under the state's statute of limitations. A wrongful death claim arising from a motor vehicle crash generally must be filed within two years.
If a city, county, or other government body may be responsible, for example a fall caused by a defect on public property or a crash with a municipal vehicle, Wis. Stat. § 893.80 generally requires written notice within 120 days and generally limits recovery to $50,000 per claimant.
Other rules can change these deadlines, so it is worth confirming the dates in your case early.
Compensation
Depending on the facts, compensation may include medical expenses now and in the future, lost wages and reduced earning ability, pain and suffering, scarring and disfigurement, loss of enjoyment of life, and property damage.
A spouse may have a claim for loss of companionship. Wisconsin does not place a general cap on pain and suffering in most personal injury cases, although caps apply in specific situations such as claims against government bodies.
What to Do After an Injury in the Fox Valley
The steps you take in the first days after an injury can protect both your health and your claim:
- Get medical care right away, even if you feel fine at first. ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Appleton and Ascension St. Elizabeth Hospital both treat accident injuries.
- Report the incident to police or to the property owner or manager, and ask for a copy of any report.
- Photograph the scene, the hazard or vehicles involved, and your injuries.
- Get names and phone numbers of witnesses.
- Avoid giving a recorded statement to another party's insurer before you get advice.
Those steps give us something concrete to work with. If you have already missed some of them, you may still have a strong claim.
What Working With Our Appleton Office Looks Like
People often put off calling a lawyer because they do not know what to expect. With our firm, the process usually looks like this. We start with a free conversation about what happened, and we tell you honestly whether we think we can help.
If we take your case, we notify the insurers, gather reports and evidence, and send preservation requests for video and records that could be lost. While you focus on treatment, we collect your medical records and bills and keep track of how the injury is affecting your work and daily life.
Once your medical condition has stabilized, we prepare a demand that explains liability and the full value of your losses, and we negotiate with the insurer. Most cases resolve at that stage. If the insurer will not make a fair offer, we talk with you about filing a lawsuit and what that would involve. Throughout, the decision to settle is yours, and you can reach the people handling your case.
Frequently Asked Questions About Appleton Personal Injury Claims
How much does an Appleton personal injury lawyer cost?
Most Appleton personal injury lawyers, including Lindner Law, LLC, work on a contingency fee, so there is no upfront cost and no attorney fee unless money is recovered for you. The fee is a percentage of the settlement or verdict, and the first consultation is free. Ask any lawyer you speak with to explain the percentage and how case costs are handled.
How long does a personal injury case take in the Fox Valley?
A personal injury case in the Fox Valley with clear fault and completed medical treatment may settle within several months, while cases involving serious injuries, disputed fault, or a lawsuit can take a year or more. Most claims are not valued until treatment has stabilized, so the full cost of the injury is known. Your lawyer should give you a realistic timeline based on your facts.
Can I sue a landlord for a fall at my Appleton apartment?
A Wisconsin landlord can be responsible for a tenant's fall if the landlord failed to use reasonable care in maintaining areas it controls, such as shared stairways, entrances, and parking lots, or failed to fix a known hazard. The answer depends on who controlled the area and whether the landlord knew or should have known about the problem. Photos, written repair requests, and lease terms are often key evidence.
What should I do if the insurance company calls me after an accident?
If another party's insurance company calls you after an accident in Wisconsin, you can give basic contact information but are not required to give a recorded statement to that insurer. Adjusters often use early statements to argue that you were partly at fault or that your injuries are minor. Speaking with a lawyer before answering detailed questions helps protect your claim.
Do I have to come to the Appleton office to meet with a lawyer?
No, you do not need to visit our Appleton office to start a personal injury case, because much of the early work can be handled by phone, email, and document exchange. If you would rather meet in person, our Appleton office on West Grande Market Drive offers free parking. Call (414) 271-5300 to talk about what works best for you.
Talk With an Appleton Personal Injury Attorney
After an injury, you deserve straight answers about where you stand and what comes next. Our Appleton team is proud of the 5.0-star rating our clients have given us across 150+ Google reviews, and many of those reviews mention how easy it was to reach our team. We also serve clients from our Milwaukee office, so wherever you are in Wisconsin, we can help.
Call Lindner Law, LLC at (414) 271-5300, day or night, for a free consultation with our Appleton personal injury attorneys.
The information on this page is general and is not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Results depend on the specific facts of each case.