The most common personal injury cases involve negligent actions of another person that cause injuries in a variety of circumstances.
The Most Common Injury Cases
Personal injury claims arise from a variety of accidents involving negligence or carelessness of another party. The most common personal injury cases include the following:
Car Accidents
Car accidents account for the highest number of personal injury cases in America. They often occur when a driver ignores traffic signals, drives recklessly, drives while impaired, or simply doesn’t pay attention to the road. In most cases, careless drivers can be held financially liable for property damages and injuries caused by their negligent actions.
Slip and Falls
Slip and fall accidents are a leading cause of injury and death. Personal injury claims are usually filed against property owners who have a legal duty to keep their premises reasonably safe and free of hazards. Many slip and fall cases involve negligence on the part of the property owner who knows about property hazards, but takes no actions to fix them.
Medical Malpractice
Medical malpractice claims arise when a healthcare professional violates the medical standard of care and a patient suffers injuries as a result. Common causes of medical malpractice claims include: failure to properly diagnose health conditions; failure to provide proper treatments; failure to properly inform a patient of treatment risks; surgical errors; and prescription errors. Due to a heavy burden of proof, a personal injury lawyer is essential in a case.
Dog Bites
Dog owners are financially liable for injuries caused by their dogs, but owner liability varies by state. In some states, strict liability laws make the owner liable in all injury cases, regardless of the dog’s aggressive nature or previous attacks. Other states have a “one bite rule”, where owners can only be held financially liable for dog bites and attacks after a previous history of such behavior is known or documented.
Intentional Torts
Unlike other types of cases handled by personal injury lawyers, intentional torts arise out of intentional harm, rather than acts of careless or negligent actions. Intentional tort cases include physical attacks and acts of violence against another person. These types of cases often have the added aspect of a criminal case where the perpetrator can face criminal charges and jail time. In intentional tort cases, the injury victim can also file a personal injury lawsuit in civil court demanding compensation for his/her injuries.
