Every year in America, over 39 million people require medical treatment for personal injury cases. That leads to the use of a lot of legal services and different types of attorneys.
If you’re considering hiring a lawyer, it’s important to understand the most common types of personal injury cases first. Choosing the right personal injury attorney for a specific case can make a giant difference in its outcome.
The following guide will explore different cases to help you get the best personal injury settlement possible.
Vehicle Accidents
Accidents involving vehicles are one of the most frequent kinds of personal injury cases that occur. You can break this kind of personal injury case down into several categories based on the vehicle type.
Car accidents are the most frequent kind of personal injury claim involving vehicles. In 2020, there were over 5 million reported accidents involving cars.
Motorcycle accidents are another common type of personal injury claim. Unfortunately, they usually lead to much more severe kinds of injuries.
Trucking accidents also lead to serious injuries quite often. However, commercial truckers usually have excellent insurance coverage. If you’ve been in this type of accident, contact a local truck accident lawyer for the best outcome.
Pedestrian accidents happen all too often in crowded metropolitan areas. Some of these accidents even lead to more severe cases like wrongful death claims.
Rideshare accidents involving services like Uber and Lyft are very common today. Like truckers, Uber and Lyft drivers usually have excellent insurance to cover accidents.
Medical Malpractice
Medical malpractice happens when a healthcare worker such as a physician causes an injury to a patient. The injury must result from improper medical care.
Examples include things like surgical accidents, wrong diagnoses, or not diagnosing harmful conditions. Issuing the wrong prescription might even prompt a malpractice case in some situations.
To win a medical malpractice case, you usually need the help of an expert medical witness. Also, malpractice cases usually involve an understanding of complicated scientific terminology.
Product Liability Claims
Some of the most unique personal injury cases involve product liability claims. These claims occur when someone gets injured from a hazardous consumer product.
Keep in mind that the person making the claim doesn’t have to be the one who bought the dangerous product. However, they must demonstrate that the product contained either a design defect, manufacturing defect, or poor warning labels.
In some cases, people can win claims against manufacturers without proving fault by the manufacturer. Instead, other parties in the product’s distribution chain get sued with adequate proof.
Wrongful Death
If an injury results in death, a claim might become a wrongful death case. It’s important to note that different states have specific wrongful death laws and they’re usually very intricate.
The deceased person’s probate estate and specific family members file a lawsuit and receive compensation based on if the victim was a child or an adult. Settlements also cover things like funeral and burial costs reimbursement.
Accidents at Work
Workers’ compensation insurance covers most injuries that occur while a person is on the job. You don’t need to prove that your employer was at fault which is a huge advantage of workers’ comp cases.
It’s important to note that a major drawback to this case type is that the person can’t receive damages for pain and suffering. But you can leave the system for workers’ compensation to sue for noneconomic damages if you want to.
Premises Liability
Premise liability involves the responsibility of a public establishment or private home to provide safety for others on the premises. That could mean mail carriers or even trespassers in some cases.
Businesses typically receive liability claims more than individuals do. The best example of premise liability claims is slip and fall personal injuries.
An owner or manager of premises might discover something on their property that could cause harm. In this case, they must post adequate warnings or make repairs to avoid liability claims.
Injuries from Animals
Dog bites account for many personal injury cases concerning animal attacks. Some states have a “one bite rule” that lets the animal owner evade liability if their animal hasn’t shown signs of aggression before. The owner is liable for injuries if a second bite occurs.
The “one bite rule” usually doesn’t apply to victims performing legal tasks. For example, if a dog bites a mail carrier, the owner is liable even if the dog hasn’t ever done it before.
Keep in mind that people need permits to have wild animals as pets. You might be liable in certain states if you have an animal like a fox as a pet and it hurts someone, which makes it easier for that person to win their claim.
Other Common Cases
The number of personal injury scenarios is almost never-ending with things like brain, head, and spinal cord injuries. Civil battery, whiplash, food poisoning, boating accidents, plane accidents, and asbestos exposure are other examples.
Personal injury cases involve damages such as medical expenses, lost wages, and expenses paid out of pocket. Pain and suffering, mental anguish, and depression also count as damages.
So, damages can either be tangible or intangible under different circumstances. You can add punitive damages to different claims.
Understanding Types of Personal Injury Cases
Now you know common types of personal injury cases and what they involve. Remember this guide if you’ve been injured and deserve compensation.
