Explaining Personal Injury Accidents
Accidents are an unfortunate fact of life; when the victims sustain serious injuries they may have a right to monetary compensation. It’s important to discuss a personal injury accident with an attorney who can help you pursue damages from the legally liable party.
Individuals and corporations have a responsibility to those around them to keep them free from harm. People can’t go around living life without taking the proper precautions to prevent accidents. Accidents can happen anywhere at any time. This can be observed with auto accidents, airplane accidents or pedestrian accidents.
People are prone to human error, nobody is perfect but they are still expected to exercise a reasonable level of care in the way they go about things. Errors can be deadly, whether they happen in the emergency room, or when handing the wrong prescription to a patient, or when administering anesthesia, or when forgetting to properly maintain an elevator. A simple momentary lapse in judgment can have devastating consequences for the unwitting victims. All it takes is being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Personal injury law is that aspect of law that deals with accidents and injuries. Accidents are not intentional violent acts, they involve negligence and carelessness. When people fail to take the proper precautions, or when they fail to exercise an acceptable standard of care, they can “accidentally” injure others in the wake of the event. Causing accidental injury does not mean that the responsible party is exempt from legal liability, quite the contrary. In America, causing accidental injuries or death to another individual is not tolerated. Victims of such injuries often have the right to sue in a civil liability lawsuit for damages.
Fortunately, many state laws require that individuals and businesses retain insurance for such mishaps. Most personal injury claims are filed against insurance companies. Whether the insurance company is an auto insurance company, a workers’ compensation insurance company or a homeowners’ insurance company, most unfortunate accidents are covered by such policies.
Common personal injury accidents can involve automobiles including: car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, bus accidents, bicycle accidents and pedestrian accidents. Car accidents are one of the leading causes of death in this nation, therefore, their claims comprise a significant amount of all insurance claims in the industry.
Another area of personal injury accidents involves premises liability. When people are injured on another person’s or business’s property, then it would most likely fall under premises liability. Such lawsuits would include swimming pool drowning, elevator accidents, amusement park accidents, dog bites and attacks, slip and fall injuries and much more.
Workplace accidents are covered under personal injury law. When an employee or worker is injured during the course of their work, they may have grounds for a workers’ compensation claim. Under certain circumstances the injured worker may also be able to file a third-party claim against a sub-contractor or a manufacturer of a defective or dangerous piece of machinery or equipment. In the cases where the worker was killed on the job, their spouse and dependents may be able to receive death benefits from the employer’s workers’ compensation insurance carrier.
Patients who suffer undue injury or death at the hands of a medical doctor, physician or other medical professional may have grounds for a medical malpractice lawsuit. Victims of nursing home abuse or neglect may be able to pursue compensation for damages as well. If you or a loved one were injured by another person or company, you may have the right to file a claim against them. Don’t hesitate to contact a personal injury attorney right away to find out if you have a valid claim.
By: The Law Offices of Stipe & Belote
Article Source: http://www.hg.org/article.asp?id=23489
