Personal injuries are a result of third party negligence or intentional acts. An attorney can obtain compensation to cover your damages.
Personal injury describes any mental or physical injury that occurs as a direct result of another’s fault, whether accidental or intentional. Personal injuries can result from any number of situations and may result in physical harm like broken bones or spinal injuries or mental anguish and emotional distress. Depending on the severity of your injury, you may be left with expensive medical bills, lost wages, reduced earning capacity or property damage. Unfortunately, these cases are all too common and the most common forms of personal injury include auto accidents, slip and fall injuries and motorcycle or commercial vehicle accidents. Some cases even involve intentional harm. Personal injury lawsuits are civil lawsuits filed against the responsible party, which may be an individual, several people or even a business.
The Importance of Hiring a Personal Injury Lawyer
If you’ve been injured as the result of someone else’s fault, a lawsuit can help you recover compensation to cover your damages and help you move on with your life. An experienced personal injury attorney will go over your case with you, protect your legal rights and help preserve the financial security of your family.
With representation from an attorney, you have a greater chance of proving your claim as most cases of personal injury are very complex. Regardless of the type of injury you’ve suffered, the at-fault party will use every available legal defense to challenge your claim. This is especially true when you’re injured in an auto accident as the at-fault party’s insurance company will try to claim you were responsible or that you are exaggerating your injuries. Without experienced legal representation, it’s likely that the fact finder in the case will find legal merit in the case presented by the defense, resulting in a ruling against you. An experienced personal injury attorney will negotiate with the insurance company to recover a suitable settlement or take the case to court and protect your best interests.
Common Examples of Personal Injuries
Personal injury cases involve any type of injury you sustain as a result of another person’s fault. This includes:
- Auto, motorcycle and commercial trucking accidents
- Wrongful death
- Sexual abuse or assault
- Medical accidents
- Slip and fall injuries
- Boating accidents
- Work-related injuries
- Injuries caused by product malfunctions
- Dog bites
Negligence
The vast majority of personal injury cases revolve around something called negligence, which simply means that someone acted carelessly and resulted in someone else being injured. Proving negligence requires proving three factors:
- Duty of care: The other party had an obligation to act with care to avoid injury to you.
- Direct cause: The other party’s action or lack of action directly resulted in your injury.
- Harm: You suffered a loss as a result of the other party’s action or lack of action. Losses include medical bills, lost income or pain and suffering, for example.
Personal injury describes any mental or physical injury that occurs as a direct result of a third party’s negligence, strict liability or intentional acts. Personal injuries can result from any number of situations and may result in physical harm like broken bones or spinal injuries or mental anguish and emotional distress. Depending on the severity of your injury, you may be left with expensive medical bills, lost wages, reduced earning capacity or property damage. Unfortunately, these cases are all too common and the most common forms of personal injury include auto accidents, slip and fall injuries and motorcycle or commercial vehicle accidents. Some cases even involve intentional harm. Personal injury lawsuits are civil lawsuits filed against the responsible party, which may be an individual, several people or even a business.
Premises Liability
Premises liability refers to a property owner’s legal responsibility for accidents and injuries that occur on their property. Many cases of premises liability deal with defective or hazardous conditions, such as broken concrete, defective stairways or slippery floors, all of which pose a substantial risk to guests.
Most injuries from slips or falls are mild, although some can lead to very serious injuries that include broken bones, spinal injuries or even wrongful death. The four most common types of premises liability cases include slip and fall accidents, inadequate security, defective conditions and inadequate maintenance.
Commercial Accidents/Injuries
Commercial accidents involving large trucks or semi-trucks are much more likely than the average car accident to cause very serious injuries or even death as these accidents involve very heavy vehicles colliding with something much lighter. Unfortunately, these accidents are made all the more likely as commercial truck drivers are driving under extreme pressure to make deadlines and may have been on the road for many hours. Like any auto accident, a commercial accident typically involves some form of negligence.
Common injuries involving a commercial accident include whiplash, sprains, traumatic brain injuries and worse. Your first priority after the accident should be proper medical treatment and a thorough evaluation to uncover any injuries that may not be apparent immediately after the accident. It’s very common for commercial truck companies to send their lawyer and own investigators to the accident scene right away. Afterwards, they will work very hard to prove their driver was not at fault so their insurance company can deny your claim. This is why it’s so important to get representation from a commercial accident attorney as soon as possible.
Commercial accidents may occur on the roadway, although they can also involve commercial ships or cruise ships, trains or planes. If you’ve been involved in a commercial accident and suffered injuries through no fault of your own, it’s important to contact an experienced personal injury lawyer right away to protect your rights and recover the compensation you deserve. If an adequate settlement can’t be reached with the other driver’s insurance, a lawyer will represent you in court to obtain a verdict in your favor.
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Disclaimer: The information presented on this site should not be construed to be formal legal advice, nor the formation of a lawyer or attorney client relationship. Any results set forth here were dependent on the facts of that particular case and the results will differ from case to case. Our past results do not guarantee the same results in the future as each case depends on its own unique set of facts and circumstances. To get specific legal advice regarding your personal injury, auto accident, motorcycle accident, bicycle accident, brain injury, workers’ compensation claim or wrongful death claim; please contact the law offices of Adams, Hill & Hess. This web site is not intended to solicit clients for matters outside of the State of Oregon and may be considered advertising by the Oregon State Bar Rules.