You have undoubtedly heard advertisements for various law firms, advocating for a personal injury lawsuit. Given the wide, varied range of law specialties out there, it can be hard to keep track of exactly what particular specialty pertains to what. After all, given the complexity of terminology within any legal framework, sometimes certain terms can be slight misnomers.

            A personal injury lawsuit is a prime example of one such misnomer, as it kind of sounds like it could pertain to violent crime, in spite of that being in entirely different thing. Thus, today, we’d like to look a little closer at what a personal injury lawsuit is, the criteria generally associated with such cases, and what the goal of such cases generally tends to be.

            We will also address general decorum in choosing whether or not to pursue such a case, as beneath a certain point, they can be considered Patty and do run the risk of being thrown out by certain judges if the injury and its consequences are not sufficiently severe.

What is personal injury in this context?

            Personal injury is basically any sort of injury to one’s physicality resulting from negligence of some sort. A common, prime example of this would be injuries resulting from vehicular accidents. While the negligence in this case may not be malicious, and in fact rarely is, it is still negligence and one party or the other is almost always faulted in the end.

            Other examples would be a lack of proper signage in a public space indicating a wet floor or other injury hazard, resulting in a customer or other innocent bystander being injured in a fall, etc. Similarly, unsafe work conditions can result in injuries, and this may be negligence on part of the employer, or negligence on part of coworkers. Either way, a party is at fault, and a personal injury case may be pressed in these circumstances.

            These are just some examples, as there are countless others. Another example that one may encounter in daily life would be an injury from an escaped pet. An aggressive dog inflicting a bite wound on someone could result in both personal injury lawsuits and various other negligence-oriented suits being pressed in such a circumstance.

What is the goal of a personal injury lawsuit?

            Generally, there are three goals involved in a lawsuit of the sort. The first and foremost is to cover any medical expenses incurred upon the victim of the injury, as it’s only right that the negligent party be held financially responsible for this. A secondary goal is to ensure proper financial compensation for any lost wages during this time, as the need for medical attention and recovery time may result in the victim being unable to work for a certain amount of time.

            Finally, there is the seeking of punitive damages, which are additional compensation for what is generally, albeit incorrectly phrased as “pain and suffering”, though there is never a guarantee, even if the case is found in favor of the victim, that pain-and-suffering will be awarded.

When should I pursue a personal injury lawsuit?

            If an injury to your person has resulted in significant pain, need for medical attention as a result, and is impacting your quality of life for any significant period of time during recovery, it is wise to pursue a personal injury lawsuit at that point.

            If the injury does not require any recovery time, is only painful for a few moments, and does not require any sort of medical attention, many judges will often find the pursuit of a personal injury lawsuit rather petty under those circumstances. If you’re unsure, please contact us Lawlor, White & Murphey to help you determine if you have a case.