Personal Injury Law

What Is
Personal Injury Law?

Personal injury law covers a multitude of different injuries. The one thing all personal injury law cases have in common are:

A legal duty existed
Another person or business breached that legal duty (i.e., intentional and/or accidental acts of negligence)
That this breach of legal duty directly harmed or injured you
You can show you lost money (i.e., damages) due to that breach of duty which an attorney can recover from the defendant

In plain English, it means you personally suffered an injury or loss of some kind because someone else messed up. However, you should know that personal injury law specifically governs civil cases. While there are many examples of the same accident resulting in both criminal and civil cases, they are two separate things. In other words, personal injury attorneys do not prosecute or defend individuals who face criminal charges. Since personal injury law covers a lot of different claim types, we’ll list the most common ones below.

How Can a Personal Injury Lawyer Help You?

Many people mistakenly believe that they can simply file an insurance claim to recover enough money to cover their losses. However, homeowner’s, renter’s and workers’ compensation insurance policies often specifically refuse to cover the cost of certain injuries. Dog bites are just one example; slipping and falling in an icy parking lot outside of work is another. You might think if a company recalls something dangerous or defective, they’ll automatically pay anyone with injuries from that product. Unfortunately, that assumption is almost always incorrect.

Without an attorney who specializes in personal injury law, small claims court might be your only recourse. The amount you can win there without representation can vary widely. For example: In some states, the maximum payout is $2,500. However, no small claims court in the U.S. can award you more than $10,000 in damages.

If your medical bills are more than a few thousand dollars, consult an attorney who specializes in personal injury law!