Are you about to file a personal injury claim? If so, you must have undergone an accident that involves a physical injury, psychological distress, or permanent disability.
Personal injury incidents involve car accidents, medical malpractice, wrongful death, slip and fall accidents, workplace accidents, dog bites, product liability, etc. When injured because of the carelessness of another person, you have the right to pursue financial reimbursement.
Nevertheless, legal liability isn’t the outcome of all injuries. Therefore, a personal injury attorney is the best professional to hire when dealing with such an unfortunate situation.
These are the seven most popular types of personal injury cases.
Car accidents
Motor vehicle accidents are to blame for the injuries of millions of people worldwide. These types of accidents generally occur because of the carelessness of a driver who fails to follow the road rules. When being injured in a car accident as a driver, pedestrian, or passenger, you have to seek financial compensation for the injuries you have suffered because of the recklessness of another party.
After being involved in a motor vehicle accident, it’s common for individuals to feel alright and seek no medical assistance. Nevertheless, going to the ER is considered essential, as doctors need to look for signs of internal bleeding. Also, the medical documents you receive following the check-up/treatment are provided as proof to the insurance company, along with a police report. The insurance company won’t think of your injury as serious unless you have sought medical attention.
Another aspect to bear in mind in such cases is documenting all the expenses incurred throughout the treatment. These expenses include medications, transport to the hospital, and all the other costs resulting from your physical disability. For example, if the injury impedes you from cleaning, you should document the cleaning service fees. If possible, you are expected to collect all the receipts from the incurred expenses.
The injuries caused by car accidents are either impact or penetrating injuries. The former is usually caused when the body of the driver/passenger hits some part of the vehicle’s interior. The latter refers to cuts and scrapes.
Soft tissue injuries are among the most common, involving damage done to the connective tissue. Find out more about the body’s connective tissue. The sudden movements of the head and neck in the accident usually lead to a whiplash injury and muscle sprains in the mid and lower back. Scrapes and cuts are caused by a loose object thrown inside the car’s interior, such as a phone, a purse, a book, etc. These cuts are predominantly minor, requiring no medical treatment.
Head injuries are also a common outcome of motor vehicle accidents, particularly if the vehicle stops or switches direction unexpectedly. In such scenarios, the heads of the driver and passengers might hit the steering wheel or the side windows, resulting in a concussion or brain damage. Drivers are most likely to sustain chest injuries like bruises, contusions, internal bleeding, broken ribs, etc. The individual sitting behind the steering wheel usually has no freedom of movement when his/her body is thrown forward.
Moreover, leg and arm injuries often happen in motor vehicle accidents, usually to the passengers. These are usually scrapes and bruises but might also be sprains and breaks. The symptoms of car accident injuries might not be apparent immediately. Therefore, you should ask for medical treatment the moment you notice signs of discomfort.
Medical malpractice
Medical malpractice is another type of personal injury case stemming from the negligent behavior of medical professionals. Medical negligence turns into malpractice when the treatment received by a doctor, nurse, or other health worker results in an injury. It involves misdiagnosis, surgical error, birth injuries, pharmacy errors, cancer diagnosis failure, etc.
Anyone who has been injured because of medical treatment performed or prescribed by a health professional is considered a victim of medical malpractice. There is a myriad of personal injury attorneys who know everything about this type of law and provide personalized legal representation. Victims aren’t only entitled to compensation when suffering from a physical injury but also from the emotional distress induced by medical negligence. They are strongly recommended to hire a reputable attorney to handle their claims and compensate for their loss.
Wrongful death
Wrongful death is another kind of personal injury case, describing the death of someone due to another’s carelessness. These scenarios usually happen as a result of truck or car accidents, medical malpractice, airplane or construction accidents, etc. In wrongful death cases, the family of the victim is eligible for receiving compensation for financial losses and companionship.
In addition, the individuals named in the will of the deceased are the only ones entitled to seek reimbursement. For instance, the parents, child, spouse, or adoptive sibling can seek compensation. It’s important to inform yourself about the legal expenses you’ll be expected to pay when winning or losing the case.
Slip and fall accidents
Slip and fall accidents are common in tort law, happening in public places such as supermarkets, shops, restaurants, pubs, hospitals, sports venues, colleges, etc. Property owners are legally obliged to keep their facilities safe and hazard-free for people on their properties to avoid getting injured. It means the premises have to be cleaned, maintained and inspected regularly.
Additionally, not all injuries earned from slip and fall accidents lead to liability. The best way to protect your claim is by reporting the accident as quickly as possible, either to the owner of the premises or the city, depending on the location of the incident. It’s vital for victims of slip and fall accidents to take pictures of the accident scene and get the names of witnesses. Also, you should receive immediate medical treatment if necessary.
Broken bones are the most usual outcome of slip and fall accidents, occurring when the bones are exposed to more pressure than they can withstand. Wrist, ankle, and hip fractures happen most frequently in such incidents. In contrast, soft tissue injuries aren’t as obvious, as the symptoms might appear after days or weeks following the fall. These are usually wrist and ankle sprains or torn ligaments. This link, https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/understanding-sprains-strains#1, explains the difference between sprains and strains.
In addition, traumatic brain injuries occur when victims of slip and fall accidents hit their heads on the ground or an object, resulting in bumps, bruises, concussions, or serious consequences like skull fractures or hematomas. Conversely, hip fractures are incredibly common in such accidents, usually requiring surgery and hospitalization. Traumatic brain injuries can cause extreme damage for your health. An experienced brain injury lawyer can help you to check the damages and work for the compensation you deserve.
Sprained ankles and wrists stem from making an uneven step. If your wrist or ankle ligament is torn while falling, the outcome is most likely a sprain or strain. Given the low amount of blood ligaments receive, it’s not surprising sprains, and strains take longer to heal. These injuries unquestionably affect the lives of victims.
Knee damage might also occur in slip and fall accidents if the victim twists during the fall. Knees take a long time to heal due to the numerous bones and ligaments in this body area. Apart from tearing your ligament, there is a risk of dislocating your patella, which requires knee reconstruction. Falls might also result in back, spinal cord, shoulder, and neck injuries.
Workplace accidents
Workplace accidents, as the term implies, happen to employees while at work. Usually, these accidents lead to injuries, but sometimes the consequences are fatal. In such cases, workers are supposed to ask for help from the first-aider in their workplace, after which they should head to the nearest hospital. Even if you feel well, a medical assessment is vital for evaluating the severity of the consequences.
When involved in a workplace accident, workers shouldn’t file a personal injury lawsuit against their employers but under the workers’ compensation act. The workers’ compensation law isn’t identical in all states, which means you need to hire a professional lawyer to guarantee the protection of your rights.
Dog bites
Dog bites are another form of personal injury case, which take place whenever a person is attacked by a dog. Victims are eligible for compensation if they neither attacked nor provoked the dog to bite them. The compensation should cover the medical expenses, pain, and suffering. Dog bite injuries include abrasions, lacerations, punctures, infections, rabies, scarring, nerve damage, emotional damage, etc.
For instance, abrasions refer to the grazes and scrapes victims receive when attacked by a canine. They only affect the epidermis and cause no significant bleeding. Although abrasions can be treated at home, victims are suggested to ask for medical attention to help them with the lawsuit.
Lacerations, on the other hand, are much deeper cuts, which find their way past the epidermis into the muscles and nerves. These wounds often cause severe bleeding, hence requiring stitches and medical attention. Punctures are smaller but much deeper than lacerations, occurring when canines puncture the skin of victims with their sharp teeth. Even if the bleeding isn’t excessive, the risk of infection is tremendous.
In addition, almost fifteen percent of dog bites result in infections. They’re caused by the germs and bacteria in the mouth of canines. Consequently, the wound has to be cleaned properly to minimize the risk of getting infected. The most common signs of infection are swelling, redness, pain, and pus. Nevertheless, the worst infection to catch from a dog bite is undoubtedly rabies.
Unless the canine that bit you has received a rabies shot, you have to rush to the emergency room. The symptoms of rabies might appear as early as in a few days or after a year. They include confusion, aggressiveness, speech difficulties, muscle spasms, paralysis, sound sensitivity, etc.
Facial and body scarring are common in individuals being bitten by dogs when the wound doesn’t heal completely. The scarring has long-term effects on the lives of victims, as it affects their self-confidence and might even require them to undergo reconstructive surgery. The compensation victims receive covers not only their pain but also the loss of self-confidence and the cost of surgery.
Canines have the power to bite extremely deep, thus damaging the nerves in the arms, legs, neck, and faces of people. Nerve damage caused by dog bites might result in mobility issues and chronic pain even if the wound from the attack is already healed. Post-traumatic stress and emotional damage are common in victims, especially kids. Children bitten by canines report nightmares and fear of leaving the house.
Bone fractures are also frequent in dog bite accidents, particularly when large canines are involved. Large breeds are characteristic for their tremendous jaw force, powerful enough to fracture, crush, or break the bones of victims. Besides the fractures, victims also earn muscle and soft tissue injuries.
Product liability
Another type of personal injury case is product liability, which involves hazardous and defective products. These products might cause injuries in victims not just in their homes but in their workplaces and public spaces as well. Inappropriate operation manuals and warnings are also held responsible for such incidents.
Moreover, defective products include dangerous foods, children’s products, drugs, faulty vehicle parts, and medical devices, poisonous materials, toxic chemicals, etc. The parties held responsible for such cases can be individuals or businesses, which manufactured or marketed defective products. In case you have been harmed by using a defective product, don’t waste time hiring a personal or brain injury lawyer to investigate the product, assess your sufferings, and identify the parties responsible for its manufacturing or marketing.
Product defects can be of three types, design, manufacturing, and marketing defects. Design defects stem from poor product design or incorrect testing of the items. Conversely, manufacturing defects occur in the creation of products, not during the design process. Marketing defects have nothing to do with manufacturing but the warnings and instructions that come with the products. Unclear instructions and warning labels make the manufacturer liable.
To sum up
If you ever find yourself in one of these situations, always rely on the help of an attorney.
You deserve to get reimbursed for the pain and financial loss you’ve suffered!