WHAT IS A PERSONAL INJURY?
A “personal injury” is an injury to a person’s body, mind or emotions caused by the fault of another individual or company. A lawyer can help the person suffering that personal injury to obtain fair compensation from the at-fault party. A personal injury can result either from the negligence or intentional act of another. A personal injury caused by negligence is the most common type of claim. “Negligence” can consist of doing or not doing what a reasonable person would have done under similar circumstances. Common types of personal injury negligence cases involve slip and fall accident, workplace accidents, motor vehicle accidents and professional malpractice.
The compensation for personal injury caused by the negligent or intentional act of another is usually allowed for the following types of losses or damages:
1. Past and future medical expenses.
2. Past lost wages and loss of future earning capacity.
3. Disfigurement.
4. Pain and suffering.
5. Loss of ability to enjoy life.
The courts usually allow the spouse of an injured person to pursue a claim for loss of the care, comfort and society of the injured person suffered because of the injury. The source of recovery in the vast majority of personal injury cases comes from liability insurance purchased by the at-fault party. Injured motorists may also make a claim against the “uninsured motorist coverage” that they purchased to protect themselves from the fault of motorists with little or no insurance.
Insurance companies are staffed by trained professionals with years and years of experience. Their only goal is to dispose of a claim as quickly and cheaply as possible. Non-lawyers are simply not equipped to “do battle” with these professional claims people.
