Personal Injury Law 101

Personal Injury Lawyer

Sustaining an injury because of someone else’s actions isn’t easy to digest. People go about their lives believing that they can avoid disaster and injury by being cautious and safe, but they fail to take into account the other people around them. These occurrences are unfortunate and sometimes life-altering, which is why personal injury law exists to help victims get their lives as back to normal as possible.

What is a Personal Injury?

Personal injury is a very large umbrella in which multiple subcategories of injuries call home. However, it’s important to first define personal injury. A personal injury, by legal definition, is an injury sustained by one person(s) that was caused by the negligent actions of another person(s). Negligence would then be defined as the failure to take proper precautions when performing an action. A distracted driver, for instance, would be considered negligent because they failed to put the proper care into driving a motor vehicle (paying attention). If that driver were to then cause an accident in which someone else got injured, then the injured party could file a personal injury claim against the driver.

The injured party could also seek to recover punitive damages against the at-fault party because distracted driving is an extremely dangerous form of negligence, but we’ll get to that next.

Types of Damages

There are numerous types of damages that the injured party could potentially seek to recover through their personal injury suit. Not every damage is recoverable by every person and the specifics of each case determines the type and total compensation received. However, it’s important to know that you have the ability to recover more than one type of damage.

  • Loss of Wages: when an injury caused you to take time away from work and therefore you lost wages you otherwise would’ve secured.
  • Punitive Damages: a type of compensation that is typically significantly more than traditional settlements due to the nature of the crime – often used to punish the defendant.
  • Medical Expenses: injuries result in pretty hefty medical bills, which can be overwhelming if you hadn’t planned for them. Recovering these damages can help you cover the cost of medical treatment after your accident.
  • Property Damage: if any of your personal property was damaged or destroyed in the accident, such as your vehicle, you can suit to have the repair or replacement cost(s) covered.
  • Pain and Suffering: should the accident, your injuries, or any other aspect of the event cause you exceeding physical or emotional stress, you could potentially be compensated via pain and suffering damages.

You should consult with your personal injury attorney to discuss what types of damages you might expect to recover, as well as what your case could be worth when all factors are taken into account.

There is much more to personal injury law, so much more that you’d have to go to law school to learn it all. That’s why an experienced personal injury lawyer Milwaukee, WI offers is a perfect resource during your personal injury lawsuit. Don’t wait until it’s too late, call to set up a free consultation today.

Thanks to Hickey & Turim, SC for their insight into personal injury law.