While injuries happen every day, a personal injury case has specific legal requirements that must be met. In certain areas, you may qualify for a personal injury claim if you were injured due to the negligence of someone else. That “someone” can also be a company or organization and doesn’t need to be an individual person. For example, slipping and falling on a wet floor in a retail store, or being struck by a public bus while driving your car may be grounds for a personal injury case.
What are the Most Common Types of Personal Injuries?
The most common types of personal injuries are car accidents, work-related accidents, and slip-and-fall types of injuries that happen in public places or private businesses. While these aren’t the only ways a person can have a personal injury claim, they’re the types of injuries that are most often seen. Other types may include harm that comes from faulty products, or wrongful death claims. Understanding what qualifies as personal injury from a legal standpoint is important for fair compensation.
Sometimes, a person becomes injured but doesn’t realize that they may have a claim. That happens most often with issues such as slipping and falling in the grocery store, and similar kinds of injuries. If you’re injured in any way, make sure you document everything well. That includes taking pictures of the location and the injury, as well as keeping accurate records from doctor’s visits and other facets of the experience. Common injuries may lead to significant compensation, and proving liability is key.
What ISN’T Personal Injury?
There are some cases, even when a person is harmed, where they don’t have grounds to file a personal injury claim. For example, someone who witnessed the aftermath of a traumatic event will not have a personal injury claim. A family member who rushes to the scene of a car accident won’t be able to seek compensation for emotional distress because of what they see. It may be difficult and traumatizing, but it’s not personal injury for legal purposes.
A driver in a car accident will also not be able to seek personal injury compensation if they are found to be more than 50 percent liable in that accident. When people have significant liability in an accident where they were injured, they’ve contributed to that accident to a point that they’re not legally allowed to hold the other party liable for the harm that came to them. However, anyone whose liability is under 50 percent in a car accident may make a legal personal injury claim. Check out where to get legal advice over an injury claim in Houston.
What Should You Do if You Sustain a Personal Injury?
Filing a personal injury case needs to be done correctly, and the way to make sure it’s handled properly is by working with a legal professional. A personal injury attorney can help you through the necessary steps to get your claim filed. They can also talk with you about the compensation you may be able to receive, and what would be considered fair and just in your particular case. There are often many details to a personal injury case, so choosing the right legal professional is an important way to increase your overall chances of a successful, satisfactory outcome.
