Taking care of yourself comes in many different ways. From watching your health and eating a healthy diet to being active throughout your life, there is a lot one can do to be at peak health and optimal wellbeing.
Then come smart life choices in the form of not drinking and smoking. However, being aware of your surroundings and using common sense are crucial. Not putting yourself in unnecessary danger can prevent so much and keep you from harm’s way.
Still though, unlucky situations and accidents can happen, often when you least expect it. The worse of these present themselves when innocents are hurt due to another person’s fault. These are called personal injuries and the silver lining in them is that you can seek compensation.
Injuries happen on a daily basis. In fact, the frequency is so high for unintentional injuries that they are a leading cause of death in the United States. To make matters worse, an alarming amount of these injuries occur due to someone’s ignorance, recklessness, or inaction.
This means those who have been wronged have ever right and reason to take the responsible party to court. In some states, such as Texas for example, when another person’s negligence results in your injury, you may have a case for a personal injury claim. Read more about these cases below and consult a local attorney to learn more.
What Is a Personal Injury?
“Personal injury” probably seems pretty clear and upfront. To the average person, it probably means “an injury that happens to a person.” From a legal standpoint, though, it refers to more than the nature of the injury. In fact, it factors in the cause and impact of the injury.
Every personal injury case involves two core concepts: liability and damages.
If you are in a car accident that breaks your leg, the insurance company looks at who is at fault and whether you are hurt. And if you are hurt, how so. For example, if the company concludes that the other driver ran a red light, you have a good foundation for a personal injury case and a high likeliness of winning it in the end.
- Liability falls to the driver who ran the red light and caused your injuries
- Damages include your medical expenses and property repairs, including legal costs
After an accident, you want to be able to answer three quick questions.
- Did I sustain an injury and how bad are they?
- Are those injuries someone else’s fault or mine?
- Will those injuries result in expenses you have to cover?
If you answer yes to all three, it is time to contact an attorney, more specifically a personal injury expert whose primary focus is helping personal injury victims get justice.
Motor Vehicle Accidents
Driving in certain cities is terrifying, and for good reason. Some of the most dangerous highways in the U.S. are grouped in certain states. Motor vehicle collisions are far too common and have the potential to be quite deadly. Even the most proficient drivers and those who respect traffic laws and show care to others in traffic may get injured due to the fault of careless drivers.
Slip and Falls
For some reason, these cases have a bad reputation for being baseless attempts to scam stores out of money. Moreover, media often laughs at falls and treats them as no big deal. However, the truth of the matter is that falls can cause some serious damage. In certain situations, multiple fractures occur. The fall itself can happen in so many ways.
When a person opens up their home or business to others, they have a duty of care to ensure the safety of the said others. If they fail to meet that duty, it is possible to hold them liable for injuries that occur on the property due to negligence.
Medical Malpractice
When you go to a doctor, their job is to treat your condition. So, what happens if they miss a diagnosis or make it worse? When you leave medical treatment worse than before, it is frustrating and infuriating because it is the exact opposite of why you need medical help.
Doctors have an ethical and legal obligation to provide the best care possible. If a doctor’s negligence causes you harm, they may be liable for your damages. It is an injury and harm that was not supposed to happen, and hence all the cause for legal action.
Product Liability
When you purchase a product, you expect that the manufacturer did their job. Part of that job is to ensure a product is safe. From development to distribution, there are many steps for a business to release a product.
Unfortunately, bad products squeak through every day and many people end up buying them. There are thousands upon thousands of products deemed unsafe for the public. If a business fails to meet due diligence, it can result in injury or even death. Obviously, there is grounds to get in touch with an attorney and get compensation.
Taking Control of Your Future
When another’s negligence has a negative impact on your quality of life, it is important to stand up for yourself and take back the control. When you file a personal injury claim, it is about more than the money. These cases help you gain access to the resources you need to move on with your life. You get help on multiple fronts and an easier way back to where you were. Some things may even prove easier following your legal case and compensation.
As you can see, personal injuries are sadly not that uncommon. Things like this happen all the time and usually to the people who least deserve it and who prepare for everything. If another party’s negligence caused your injury or caused harm to a loved one, the law may entitle you to damages.
Speak with a personal injury lawyer in your area to learn more about your options. Building a strong case will take time and you will eventually get that compensation. Make sure you include all the necessary information and trust the legal expert. They know what they are doing and they will give you advice all the way through.
