There are numerous facets to the concept of “personal injury”. If an individual is harmed or in a accident, they might have a case against the other party. They, of course, must be able to prove that the accident was the other party’s fault. If the injured party is facing a loss of income, doctor’s visit expenses and, needs to replace their vehicle, this must also be taken into account.
In a different situation, it is possible that an individual may have been hurt by an license or registered professional, such as a physician. If that is the situation, then the injury comes under the umbrella of “malpractice”. “Malpractice” means essentially that the professional did not follow the standard of care that is considered reasonable to a professional standard. If an individual is harmed by a product, such as a piece of machinery, or a prescription medication, then the case would still be considered personal injury caused by “product liability”.
A claim may also be for “negligence”, which implies the individual was harmed by the other person’s carelessness. A vehicle accident is a prime example of a negligence case. Someone operating their vehicle in a careless manner causes harm to another individual or their property. Another instance of careless maintenance of a business or store may cause a “slip-and-fall” that is caused by failure to maintain a safe environment for the customer, or failure to notify customers of a dangerous situation. This is called “premises” liability – a type of personal injury case.
In a cases like these, selecting the right attorney becomes an immediate concern. People often question whether or not an attorney is necessary for their particular situation. Insurance companies can make that question easy to answer. Insurance companies prefer, for the most part, that you not seek legal assistance. To that end, they may offer a fast, cash settlement which is tempting. Unfortunately, those offers are usually less than what you could have received with a competent attorney. Because of this, personal injury victims should consider contacting a personal injury attorney to work with the insurance company before accepting any offer.
