Life is sometimes full of unwelcome surprises. Unfortunately, these events often result in someone suffering from personal injuries. It’s vital to understand what constitutes a personal injury. However, this is something that many people find confusing. In this post, you’ll learn how to determine whether a personal injury has occurred.
Understanding When a Personal Injury Occurs
It’s understandably confusing to determine whether you have a legitimate personal injury claim. In order to determine this, your claim needs to meet a few requirements. The first is determining the extent of your injuries. For instance, someone who skinned their knee on a sidewalk might have a tough time winning a personal injury battle. On the other hand, someone falling on their head is likely to suffer from more extensive injuries.
The next step is to figure out who’s to blame for your injury. To have a strong case, it’s important to find out if your injury was the result of negligence. This negligence isn’t always the responsibility of a single person or group. In some cases, an entity is held responsible for the aftermath of injuries.
Lastly, your injuries need to qualify for damages. If you’ve been injured, it’s likely that you’re going to need medical treatment. Most personal injury lawyers recommend their clients receive as much medical treatment as needed to fully recover. That being said, medical treatment for treating injuries often comes with expensive bills. Seeking damages helps to recover the money you’ve lost while dealing with the aftermath of a personal injury.
Common Types of Personal Injuries
You might find it helpful to learn about common personal injury causes. If you’re dealing with any of these situations, it’s wise to contact a lawyer right away. With that in mind, here are three situations that warrant filing a personal injury claim.
- Motor Vehicle Accidents
Statistics show that 3 million people are injured each year from car accidents taking place throughout the United States. Considering that, many people file personal injury claims after this event happens. Automobile accidents are certainly costly events. You’ll likely need to pay for medical treatment as well as a new vehicle. Filing a personal injury claim might help you recoup the costs associated with a car accident. - Prescription Drugs
The United States is the leading consumer of both medical devices and prescription drugs. While you depend on medications to keep you healthy, this isn’t always the case. Unfortunately, situations happen that cause unsafe medications to be released to the public. The first drug recall occurred in 1937 with a product known as S.E. Massengill Co.’s Elixir Sulfanilamide. Unfortunately, the FDA confirmed that eight children and one adult died from using this product. - Defective Products
Unfortunately, defective products aren’t only limited to medications. Each year, many people suffer injuries from using defective products. Design effects are those that happened before a product entered the manufacturing stage. A manufacturing defect usually occurs after the design phase. There are also marketing defects that have more to do with false advertising claims.
To summarize, it’s important to understand what constitutes a typical personal injury claim. The victims of these injuries often have to deal with losing money and time from their jobs. Therefore, many people contact personal injury attorneys to file a claim. While no case is ever guaranteed to be a victory, it’s wise to have a lawyer on your side. Navigating the complexities of a personal injury case is tough to accomplish on your own. If you’re wanting to recoup the costs associated with personal injuries, it’s wise to contact a lawyer right away.