Rapid City Personal Injury Attorney
It’s a Matter of Law
At Whiting Hagg & Dorsey, PLLC, your Rapid City personal injury lawyer has spent over 40 years holding negligent drivers, property owners, and employers accountable for the injuries they cause. You pay nothing unless we win.
- Google Reviews
- No Fee Unless we win your case
- 60+ Jury trials tried by John Stanton Dorsey
Recent Result
$2.8 Million
Recovered for a husband and wife seriously injured in a rear-end collision.
“They made the experience as effortless and smooth as possible.”
- 2400+ Clients represented
- 1100+ Personal injury cases
- 100+ Years combined experience
- $85M+ Total compensation recovered
A serious injury rarely comes with a warning. A car accident on I-90, a fall on an icy sidewalk downtown, a dog bite in a Rapid City neighborhood, or hit by a car in the crosswalk can leave you facing medical bills, lost income, and an insurance company already building a case against your claim. Whether your injury happened on the road, on someone else’s property, or on the job, South Dakota law gives you a limited window and a specific set of rules to recover what you’re owed. This is how we can help.
Our Firm’s Approach to Handling Your Personal Injury Case in Rapid City
Free Case Evaluation with John Stanton Dorsey
You will benefit from a free case evaluation to discuss the circumstances of your injury, where we explain your rights under South Dakota law and outline the options available to you. If your injuries make it difficult to travel, we can meet with you at your home to complete this initial evaluation.
Injury Claim Evaluation
Our firm reviews your medical records and related documentation to assess the full scope of your injury, including current and future medical expenses, lost income, and the long-term impact on your daily life. This evaluation forms the foundation of your claim.
Investigation and Claim Development
We obtain official reports, gather witness statements, and collect any additional evidence needed to establish liability. Where appropriate, we consult with medical and industry experts to support the claim. With almost half a century of legal experience, our firm has the resources to prepare a thorough case file.
Settlement Negotiations
Once your claim has been fully developed, we present it to the insurance company and negotiate on your behalf. We do not recommend accepting a settlement offer until it reflects the true value of your claim.
Court Representation
If a fair settlement cannot be reached through negotiation, our firm is prepared to represent you in court. John Stanton Dorsey has tried more than 60 jury trials over the course of his career, and every case we handle is prepared with that same level of thoroughness.
We have all the benefits of a large firm with the compassion and client-focus of a small boutique law office.
Call now for a free consultation!Personal Injury Claims We Handle in Rapid City
Rapid City’s mix of interstate traffic, a growing tourist economy, and a large civilian and military workforce connected to Ellsworth AFB creates injury risk in more places than just the road. Here’s where our experience runs deepest.
Car Accidents
A car accident on I-90 or Mount Rushmore Road is still the most common way people get hurt here, and insurance companies move fast to limit what they pay.
Motorcycle Accidents
Rapid City sees a spike in motorcycle accidents every summer, especially during the Sturgis rally, and riders often face an uphill fight against biased assumptions from insurers.
Pedestrian Accidents
A pedestrian accident near a crosswalk or downtown intersection can leave a victim with catastrophic injuries and little protection of their own.
Bicycle Accidents
Cyclists sharing the road with vehicle traffic face serious risk, and a bicycle accident claim often turns on proving exactly how a driver failed to yield.
Slip & Fall and Premises Liability
Rapid City winters make icy sidewalks and parking lots a real hazard, and a slip and fall or broader premises liability claim depends on proving a property owner knew about a hazard and failed to fix it.
Dog Bites
South Dakota law holds owners accountable for a dog bite that causes injury, even when it’s a first offense.
Product Liability
A defective product can injure you without warning, and a product liability claim can reach the manufacturer, distributor, or retailer responsible.
Serious and Catastrophic Injuries
Amputations, brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, burn injuries, and paralysis change the course of a life, and these serious injury claims require proving the full scope of future medical needs, not just past bills.
Wrongful Death
When a loved one dies because of someone else’s negligence, an accidental and wrongful death claim can help surviving family members recover for their loss.
Federal Tort Claims
An injury caused by a federal employee or on federal property, including at Ellsworth AFB, follows a different set of rules, and a federal tort claim has its own strict filing deadlines.
Compensation Available After a Personal Injury in Rapid City
A serious injury can affect nearly every part of your life. Depending on the facts of your case, your Rapid City personal injury attorney can help you recover the following economic and non-economic damages:
- Medical expenses, including future treatment and rehabilitation
- Lost wages and diminished future earning capacity
- Pain and suffering and emotional distress
- Property damage
- Loss of enjoyment of life for permanent or disfiguring injuries such as brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, or amputations
If a loved one was killed due to someone else’s negligence, South Dakota law allows surviving family members to pursue a wrongful death claim for funeral costs, lost financial support, and loss of companionship. In cases involving extreme recklessness or intentional misconduct, punitive damages may also be available.
“In a truck case, the evidence that decides your claim — the logs, the black box, the maintenance file — belongs to the company that hit you. Every day you wait is a day they control it”
Since 1977, our firm has fought for injured Rapid City families across South Dakota. Don’t let the insurance company decide your future.
Call today for a free consultation!$85+ Millions Recovered for South Dakota Families
Forty-one years of practicing law in Rapid City means John Dorsey has seen just about every version of what an insurance company will try before they’ll pay a fair claim. These results reflect that experience: cases built carefully, negotiated hard, and taken to trial when a fair settlement wasn’t on the table. No two cases are alike, and past results don’t guarantee future outcomes, but they show the kind of preparation behind every file we open.
$2,800,000
Car Accident
Clients, a husband and wife, were rear-ended and suffered serious injuries.
$800,000
Car Accident
Workers were denied a promised severance after a manufacturing plant was sold.
$675,000
Car Accident
Client was injured on her way to work in motor vehicle collision that resulted in multiple fractures and lost wages.
Why Rapid City Families Have Been Choosing Whiting Hagg & Dorsey, PLLC Since 1977
Caring, understanding, and competent, with a staff that works hard for every client and treats them like family – that’s how our clients have described us for nearly 50 years, and it’s still how we approach every case that comes through our door. If you’ve been hurt in an accident or on the job anywhere from downtown Rapid City to Ellsworth Air Force Base, you get co-founder and attorney John S. Dorsey working on your case personally.
A Proven Trial Lawyer
Insurance companies settle differently with attorneys who have decades of trial experience. John Dorsey’s record speaks for itself:
- Tried more than 60 jury trials, along with numerous court trials and administrative hearings
- His name appears on more than two dozen reported decisions from the South Dakota Supreme Court and federal appellate courts
- Selected to Super Lawyers for personal injury every year since 2009
- Board certified in Civil Trial Law by the National Board of Trial Advocacy
- AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest distinction a lawyer can receive from their peers
- Member of the American Board of Trial Advocates
Personal Attention From Day One
If your case falls within the scope of our law firm, you will get a personalized and free case evaluation with John. Our office responds to new inquiries within the hour, by phone first and text if we can’t reach you. If your injuries make it hard to travel, we’ll come to you.
Local Knowledge That Protects Your Claim
South Dakota’s contributory negligence rule can bar your claim entirely if you’re found even slightly at fault. Our law firm knows exactly how local judges and insurance adjusters apply that rule in this specific courthouse.
Decades of Experience
Between our team members, Whiting Hagg & Dorsey PLLC brings over 100 years of combined experience to every case, along with the relationships we’ve built with local doctors and experts who help prove exactly how serious your injuries are.
No Recovery, No Fee
We work on contingency, so you pay nothing upfront and nothing at all unless we secure compensation for you.
We have a proven track record of determination and passion for practicing law.
Call now for a free consultation!50 Years in the Service of South Dakota Clients
Most of our clients never expected to hire a personal injury lawyer, but they all needed someone to take their case seriously, explain what was happening, and see it through. Here’s what a few of them had to say after we did.
Talk to a Rapid City Personal Injury Lawyer Today
Personal injury claims move on the insurance company’s timeline unless you push back. Contact Whiting Hagg & Dorsey, PLLC today for a free, no-obligation consultation with an experienced Rapid City personal injury attorney. Call us now to get started!
You can find our law firm inside Rapid City’s historic 1903 Old City Hall building on 6th Street, a piece of this city’s history, much like our firm has become, having spent nearly 50 years serving this community.
Frequently Asked Questions
Personal injury claims raise questions that vary by case type and circumstance. Below are answers to the questions we hear most often from Rapid City clients.
South Dakota gives injury victims three years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit under SDCL § 15-2-14. Wrongful death claims carry the same three-year deadline, running from the date of death.
South Dakota uses a "slight/gross" comparative negligence rule under SDCL § 20-9-2. You can still recover damages as long as your own negligence was slight compared to the other party's, but courts weigh this case by case rather than using a fixed percentage cutoff.
Nothing upfront. We work on a contingency fee basis, so our fee comes only from the compensation we recover for you. If we don't win your case, you owe us nothing.