Personal Injury: a legal term most commonly used to define an instance wherein a person has been hurt (be it emotional or physical) due to the negligent actions of another person.
Thus begins the cycle of the legal process with the injured person filing a lawsuit against the person causing the injury.
As the personal injury is a vast term, it is important to understand some of the most common types of personal injury cases that a person might come across:
1. Motor Vehicle Accident:
A Motor Vehicular Accident is one of the most common types of personal injury.
This usually stems from the negligent act of another person.
These injuries can cause a minor or a monumental change in the lifestyle of a person.
That greatly depends upon the severity of the injury suffered by the injured person.
Many factors need to be considered in order to determine the legal liability.
For example, common law violations and driving code violations are some of them.
2. Negligence and Public Liability:
Negligence (slip & fall) and public liability (premises liability) are other kinds of personal injury claims.
These injuries can occur in a personal property of a person or a public premises.
They are usually a result of negligence on the part of the personal property owner or the owner of the public premises.
Slip and fall cases can be messy, however, if one has the evidence to show the negligence of the public premises owner, he can be made accountable for the injuries that were sustained by the client.
3. Occupational Injuries:
There are instances when the negligence on the part of an employer to follow safety compliances can result in workplace injuries.
This lack of compliance includes failure to follow workplace safety codes that are necessary to provide a secure working environment for the employees.
Depending upon the contributory negligence on the part of the employer, the severity of the claim can be determined.
4. Medical Negligence:
This is one of the rising trends in modern society.
Medical malpractice or negligence results from the negligence on the part of the healthcare facility when there is a lack in the standard of care payable to the injured person.
5. Assault:
An assault occurs when an individual establishes physical contact with another person without their consent with an intention to do harm.
Depending upon the gravity of the situation, one is liable to claim compensation for the injury suffered as a result of such assault.
6. Wrongful Death:
These are tragic cases.
No compensation can seem enough when a death of a close relative is involved.
However, law entails that for any personal injury caused by the actions of another resulting in the death of a person should be compensated not only for the usual medical bills and expenses but the victim’s family should potentially be compensated for the costs of the funeral.
Families are also considered eligible to receive other damages like compensation for the pain & suffering as a result of such a negligent act.
7. Dog Bites:
Dog bites are far more serious than they usually appear.
Those who have been bitten by someone else’s pet can, upon the determination that the victim was not involved in any kind of provocative act, potentially file a lawsuit against the owner and their homeowners’ insurance (should it apply) and they will be entitled to receive compensation for their medical expenses and emotional distress.
To conclude, if you believe you have a personal injury case, do not waste any more time and talk to an experienced attorney about your situation.
However, one should also remember the fact that there might be instances when it would be best if the case does not go for trial and instead is solved through arbitration or mediation.