Understanding the Different Types of Personal Injury Cases

Injuries happen every day, but personal injuries are different. What makes a personal injury unique is that it occurs due to someone else’s negligence. When people are careless or even reckless, it can leave you with a mountain of medical bills and debts. You may wish to file a personal injury claim to cover the damages.

The key element in a personal injury case that unifies all different types is that the actions of someone else were negligent. In the absence of negligence, you may not have a case to pursue.

Common Personal Injury Cases

Accidents lead the way for injuries and deaths across the country. Here are the different types of personal injury cases and what they entail.

Auto Accidents

Car accidents are one of the most common types of personal injury cases, often leaving victims with serious and costly injuries. Not every accident is caused by someone else’s negligent acts, but when it is, you can file a claim to recover the damages from your property, medical bills, and lost wages.

Motorcycle accidents, truck accidents, and pedestrian accidents are all part of the category of auto accidents. Each of these can have devastating and life-long injuries for the victims.

Slip and Falls

Slip and fall accidents often happen at businesses. These usually occur when there are dangerous conditions on the property. Some examples are wet or slick floors that bear no signage to warn patrons, cracks in the sidewalk that have been neglected, or stairwells with loose railings.

A property owner is expected to enact a reasonable amount of care to a property. If you were injured and the property owner was aware of the danger, you may be able to file a personal injury claim. Discussing the particulars of your situation with a personal injury attorney is a wise idea after a slip and fall accident.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are some of the hardest working people out there. They provide care for the ill and injured as well as perform life-saving surgeries. However, some of these professionals provide substandard medical care. They may make a surgical error or misdiagnose your symptoms. You may have been given the wrong prescription with dangerous results too.

All of these things can put your life in jeopardy. It may make you afraid to get the treatments you really need, adding to your mental anguish. When you are the victim of medical malpractice, you need an attorney that can pursue compensation from a negligent doctor or hospital. Only an experienced lawyer will be able to retain the services of expert medical witnesses in cases that are this complex.

Product Liability

When a product is defective either in its design construction or was manufactured defectively and you suffer injuries, you can file a product liability lawsuit. Additionally, if a product doesn’t come with sufficient warnings about potential dangers and leads to injuries, you may have a case. In order for product liability cases to be successful, you must prove that the manufacturer or other parties in the product’s chain of distribution were at fault.

Workplace Accidents

In California, workers’ compensation should cover your accidents at work. However, there are instances where you may be able to file a personal injury claim against a negligent third party for the injuries you’ve sustained.

Wrongful Death

For all these types of personal injury cases and many more, wrongful death may occur. If you lost a loved one due to their injuries that were sustained by another person’s negligent acts, you may be able to file a wrongful death claim.

With the help of a personal injury attorney, you have a better chance of recovering compensation for any personal injury case.