What Is Injury Law?

The law of injury is focused on civil violations that could cause harm to your body mind and emotions. The goal of a successful lawsuit is to obtain the amount of money you paid for damages like medical bills and pain and discomfort.

It's hard to avoid injuries, but you need to protect yourself as much possible. If you're likely to fall forward, turn your head to protect it, and then use your arms.

Negligence

Anyone who suffers injuries or other losses as a result of negligence of another's can file a negligence suit and pursue financial compensation. To establish their case, the claimant will need to prove four things that are: breach of duty, causation and damages.

Negligence refers to the failure to act in a way that reasonable people would do in similar circumstances. A driver, for example should follow traffic laws to prevent accidents or harm to other road users. A doctor has a duty to provide patients with the same care that a similarly trained medical professional would give in similar situations. A lawyer may use expert testimony to prove that the defendant's conduct was short of the industry standards.

In order to win a negligence case, the plaintiff has to prove that the defendant's negligence was the main cause of the injury. This is known as legal causation. A competent personal injury lawyer will argue that the defendant's actions were the only possible cause of their injuries.

The plaintiff must prove that their injuries have caused tangible financial loss, such as medical bills and lost income. Gross negligence is a more serious type of negligence in that it involves a complete disregard for the safety of others. A nursing home that isn't able to change a patient's bandages over a period of several days is an example of gross negligence. In certain states, defendants may be able to use a defense known as contributory negligence to stop the plaintiff from claiming damage.

Statute of limitations

The statute of limitations is the time limit that you have to submit a claim when someone else's negligence or reckless disregard of your safety causes harm. This time limit, set by the legislature of the state, is designed to encourage speedy filing and prevent unreasonable delay.

The time frame for filing a claim is different from state to state and also from one type of injury to the next. For instance, in Pennsylvania personal injury cases, such as car accidents, you typically have two years from the date of your accident to submit an action. However, certain claims could be subjected to the discovery rule. This means that the statute of limitations is not set until the injury is discovered or could have been reasonably discovered.

In some instances, like cases involving intentional torts such as false imprisonment and assaults, as well as defamation and intentional infliction emotional distress, the limitation period is extended. A statute of limitations can be exempted or tolled in some circumstances, like when minors are involved, or an individual is serving in the military or incarcerated.

If you try to file a lawsuit after the time limit has expired your case will be dismissed without hearing. This is why it is crucial to consult an experienced injury lawyer before the statute of limitations runs out.

Damages

Many of the costs that result from an injury come with the potential for a cost. Special damages include medical expenses, out-of-pocket expenses, lost wages and the cost of repairing or replacing your property, in addition to fixed amounts. The law does not limit the amount of these damages you are able to recover.

Other losses don't come with a price tag and can be difficult to quantify for example, pain and suffering, loss of life enjoyment and other harms that are intangible. It isn't always easy to put an exact value on subjective losses like physical or emotional discomfort, but attorneys and insurance companies employ formulas to quantify them.

A plaintiff in a sever whiplash case, for instance could have suffered severe injuries that impact their daily life. They might be required to seek assistance with household chores, eat differently, and miss out socializing or enjoying leisure activities. The victim may experience an impairment in enjoyment and can recover this as general damages.

To determine the value of a claim of general damages, lawyers or insurance companies typically begin by calculating total of medical special damages. They then add the value of any lost income. Then, they will multiply this number by a number between 1.5 and 5. The higher multipliers are generally associated with more severe injuries.

Liability

In law, the term "liability" refers to a party who is found liable for injury or harm. This can be due to negligence or strict liability. Negligence is the foundation of the majority of lawsuits for injuries. Negligence refers to the failure to act with a reasonable degree of care in the particular circumstances. Jurors evaluate what reasonable people would have done in similar circumstances and decide if the defendant's act or inaction was a violation of this standard. However, certain injury cases are built on strict liability, such as when a defective product results in injuries.

Victims may also be entitled to compensation in addition, to economic damages as well as non-economic losses like discomfort and pain. The amount of these damages is hard to place a value on, but our experienced injury lawyers are skilled in maximizing the value of your claim.

Most personal injury attorney lawsuits involve a single plaintiff against multiple defendants, but some are multi-plaintiff suits such as class actions and mass torts. The plaintiffs could be companies, injury lawyer such as an insurance company or a pharmaceutical firm, or they could be individuals just like you. In these cases, multiple parties can be held liable depending on the evidence presented by each plaintiff and the results of a thorough investigation. If you've been hurt by someone else's negligence or wrongdoing get in touch with us immediately to discuss your case.