No one likes to get injured — it often means dealing with lengthy periods of pain and a pile of medical bills. But when it’s not even your fault, that can be worse. You’re left dealing with physical, emotional, and financial pain that someone else caused. Luckily, the legal system is fine-tuned to address this scenario. This is called “personal injury law.”
What is Personal Injury?
Personal injury law is a very specific type of civil law. A private individual plaintiff can file a lawsuit against someone they accuse of wrongful conduct that contributed to their injury. Personal injury attorneys in these cases will go to great lengths to advocate for their clients. This can include investigating the scene of the accident, questioning witnesses, working with medical experts, and sometimes even working with experts that can help reconstruct the accident, among other things.
Why File A Personal Injury Lawsuit?
An injury may not seem like grounds for a lawsuit at first, but it can cause lasting physical and emotional damage, leading to long-time pain and financial strain. If someone else caused a severe or lingering injury, you may be able to file a personal injury suit and gain compensation for your damages. Whether someone else can be held be responsible is key to determining if you have a lawsuit on your hands. With enough evidence that another party’s negligence caused your injury, you may be able to reach a settlement or take your case to trial.
At Morgan & Morgan, we have more than 300 lawyers nationwide with vast experience in various types of personal injury law and a reputation for helping people receive the compensation they need. Our attorneys have years of experience taking cases to trial, where we have been able to recover many times the amount of an insurance company’s initial settlement offer.
What Type of Personal Injury Lawsuits Do People File?
Here are some of the forms of personal injury lawsuits we have worked on, and the ways these injuries and lawsuits come about.
Motor Vehicle Accidents
Vehicles all bring with them a unique risk of injury, and a number of different types of lawsuits. The majority of these accidents are car accidents, but can also include motorcycle, trucking, and even boating accidents. Often, these personal injury claims stem from the negligence of another driver. From texting while driving and driving under the influence, these acts and more can cause lifelong damage to someone. Even lesser accidents can require long-term medical care. These lawsuits are often brought to get compensation for medical bills and future medical expenses, such as rehabilitation. There are also damages potentially available for lost time at work, and the physical and emotional suffering endured.
Premises Liability/Slip and Fall
Those who have slipped and fallen on someone’s property may find themselves with an injury that could have been avoided had the property owner acted more carefully in maintaining their property. This type of fall can cause an injury that lingers, resulting in lengthy, costly medical bills. Slip and fall lawsuits can be a lot of work at times, but if you have the evidence to show negligence, the owner of a restaurant, store, or other establishment may be held liable for your damages.
Construction Injuries
Construction jobs are inherently risky, and construction sites are home to many on-the-job injuries. And as such, many construction accident injury claims can also fall into other categories.
Dog Bites
Dog bites and attacks can be far more serious than they sound. Those who have been bitten by someone else’s pet can, if it’s determined that the victim was not provoking the dog, potentially file a lawsuit against the owner and their homeowners’ insurance (should it apply) and be entitled to compensation for their medical expenses and emotional distress.
Birth Injuries
Birth injuries are among the most dangerous forms of medical malpractice. A negligent mistake by an obstetrician can result in physical injuries to a newborn, and it can also lead to lasting disorders, such as cerebral palsy, paralysis, and brain damage. This can be traumatic to the children and the parents, as well as a major financial strain on the family. A personal injury lawsuit for a family dealing with an injury to their newborn during birth gives the family the potential to recover compensation for these tangible and intangible damages.
Brain & Spinal Cord Injuries
The most alarming types of injuries that can stem from car accidents, medical malpractice, and more are ones to the brain or to the spinal cord. In personal injury cases involving these specific injuries, there is potentially permanent physical and/or mental damage to the victim. As a result, a lot of work goes into proving there was negligence and a breach of care by the other party, because the potential compensation the victim and his or her family can get is much higher, as it would be for long-term medical expenses.
Burn Injuries
Burn injuries are some of the most dangerous injuries one can be inflicted with, as negligence can cause fiery motor vehicle accidents, faulty electrical wiring, scalding water, and more. These can cause horrific burns. There are different degrees of burns; some heal quickly. Others can lead to lifelong scarring and trauma. As such, compensation received in a burn injury lawsuit is often awarded for long-term medical expenses, as well as for pain and suffering.
Wrongful Death
Personal injury cases that have resulted in a fatality fall into the category of wrongful death. In addition to the usual medical bills and expenses one can attain in a personal injury lawsuit through compensation, the victim’s family can potentially be compensated for the costs of the funeral. Families could also be eligible to receive other damages.
For example, if the victim was the primary source of income, a spouse or family could possibly receive compensation for their sudden lost income. Compensation is also available for the pain and suffering, as well as the loss of companionship. These damages can help the family obtain some peace of mind after a sudden loss.
How We May be Able to Help
The ways that another person’s negligence can injure you are larger in number than you may have thought, and more severe. But there are options for you in the aftermath of your injury. Morgan & Morgan’s personal injury attorneys may be able to help you through these difficult times. Contact your local office for a free, no-obligation case evaluation form.