Personal Injury: All you Should Know

People sometimes suffer from injuries to their bodies, mind, and emotions due to someone’s negligence, recklessness, or misconduct. These may cause unplanned medical bills due to bodily harm, emotional distress, or severe pain and suffering. In some cases, the victim may not be able to return to their regular life due to the permanent damage to their body. Such injuries are called personal injuries.

One major culprit of personal injuries is accidents. “Accidents come as a surprise and may have more lasting effects than initially thought”, says personal injury lawyers at Sbrogna, Brunelle & Donius, LLP. “Your entire life could be negatively affected by an injury caused by a car accident, a slip and fall, a negligent act, or medical malpractice”.

Victims of personal injury might be able to sue the responsible person or entity to get financial compensation for the harm they caused. However, this may only be possible when affected individuals prove that the accused is responsible for their harm. The type and gravity of injury incurred determine the compensation, usually from a few hundred to millions of dollars.

Common Causes of Personal Injury 

Road Accidents

People break road traffic rules, which endangers the lives of other road users. Their negligent attitude often results in car, truck, pedestrian, motorcycle, or bicycle accidents.

Drivers, passengers, or pedestrians who get hurt from such accidents may be eligible for financial compensation for their injuries and monetary loss.

Using Defective Products

Products such as toys, drugs, or consumer products should be safe for the end users. When they are defective, they cause harm to the consumers.

When a consumer gets injured from using a defective product, the manufacturers, sellers, or entities involved in the distribution may be held liable. The victim is also entitled to maximum compensation.

Construction Site Accidents

Various hazards can cause injuries to workers on a construction site. Structures may fail and collapse, or heavy items may fall from a height. Construction site owners must therefore provide personal protective equipment for the workers.

When safety protocols and measures are not established, an injured site worker is legible to receive compensation for their medical bills and other losses.

Plane Accidents

Factors like bad weather, air personnel error, or mechanical failure often cause plane accidents. This means that the airline may not be responsible for an air accident. However, a person who was hurt in an accident within the aircraft, or while boarding or disembarking can file a claim against the airline.

Additionally, the families of people who may have died in a plane crash can seek compensation for their loss.

Accidents in a Work Place

Accidents may happen in a work environment and cause injuries. Common workplace accidents are slips, falls, trips or muscle strain.

An employee who suffers harm due to unsafe or defective work equipment, inadequate safety procedures, or the irresponsible behavior of another employee can file a claim.

Sport Activities

Sports injuries such as head, leg, and shoulder injuries, concussions, broken bones, fractures, and strains sometimes happen to participants. Also, fans may become injured while watching a sporting event.

A participant or sports fan may be entitled to hold the negligent party accountable for their injuries if another player’s carelessness, defective sports equipment, or negligence on the part of the supervisory organization caused it.

Boat Accidents

A boat accident that causes personal injury is handled similarly to a car accident. A common cause of boat accidents is a collision with another boat, a submerged object, or the coastline. Also, when a boat operator fails to have personal safety equipment such as life jackets or vests, and someone gets personally injured, they may be liable for negligence.

Victims of a boating accident may be entitled to compensation for their medical expenses, pain and suffering, lost wages, and diminished earning ability.

Personal Injury Compensation

The type of injury and extent of damage done to a victim determines the compensation they receive. There are two types of compensatory damages; special and general compensatory damages.

Special Compensatory Damages

This kind of damage quantifies the outcome of an accident and then pays the victim back for any financial losses they may have sustained from their injury. This often includes all medical expenses, costs incurred due to property damage, lost income, and loss of priceless assets.

General Compensatory Damages

This kind of damage compensates a person for the non-financial impact of a personal injury. This includes unquantifiable damages such as emotional suffering, pain, physical impairment, reduced quality of life, e. t. c.

What to do Following a Personal Injury

Victims of personal injury who do not know their next steps can follow this simple guide.

First, seek medical attention. It’s best to be healthy and strong enough to follow through with the demands of a possible claim or lawsuit.

Then talk to a personal injury lawyer. They have experience and understand the legal requirements of this type of claim. They can work with you to keep a record of every piece of evidence required to win.

Finally, the window of opportunity to file a personal injury lawsuit varies. The sooner a lawyer is involved, the higher the chances of success.