In every country, the laws are designed to promote a certain standard of behaviour and conduct. There are different reasons for these laws, but one reason is to protect people from having their person or well-being harmed through the acts or omissions of another person. The law provides remedies when injury has been suffered so that victims can be compensated for their injuries.
In many countries throughout the world, there are personal injury lawyers who specialise in seeking compensation for clients who have been injured as a result of someone else’s negligent or irresponsible actions. An experienced personal injury lawyer will have dealt with a wide variety of cases involving all sorts of accidents and injuries, from minor cases such as slips and falls up to catastrophic injuries due to major incidents like motor vehicle accidents, assaults, explosions and workplace accidents.
Personal injury cases are extremely fact specific, meaning that each case is basically judged on its individual merits because there are no two personal injury cases that are the same. There are, however, some general areas of law which Sarasota personal injury lawyers should specialise in to maximise their chances of success for their clients. Here is a list of ten types of personal injury claims or actions together with an explanation as to what qualifies as “personal injury” in terms of likely ground for litigation:
1. Motor Vehicle Accidents
What it means: The term used here for this broad category is “automobile accident”, which really just means any kind of motor vehicle that uses public roads including cars, motorcycles, trucks, buses, trains, aircraft, boats, ships and hovercraft.
The most common form of this type of personal injury case is a motor vehicle accident that causes physical injuries to occupants or drivers/passengers of the vehicles involved in the accident. Personal injury claims may also arise where pedestrians are injured after being struck by an automobile or other road vehicle, bicyclists who suffer injuries when they are hit by cars or trucks, people who are hit while riding their bicycles on public roads or children left in automobiles on hot days when the temperature inside exceeds what would be considered safe for human habitation.
If you have suffered personal injuries which are related to a motor vehicle accident in any way then you should consult with a personal injury lawyer.
2. Spinal Injury
What it means: This is a very wide area of personal injury law because spinal injuries can affect many parts of the body, either by injuring the central nervous system or by causing damage to the rest of the body. Cervical spine injuries are usually serious and may cause paralysis in varying degrees. Injuries to any part of the spinal cord or nerves that come from it can also result in paralysis, loss of sensation in particular areas, pain and other effects which can severely limit your ability to live your life normally. Additionally, there are often no visible signs that you have suffered an injury but this does not mean that something is not wrong with you even if you sense nothing.
3. Head Injuries
What it means: Head injuries are often very serious, resulting in broken bones of the skull, bleeding into or around the brain, damage or loss of sight or hearing, loss of consciousness and many other serious conditions. It is common for people who have suffered head injuries to suffer from neurological damage which can affect their ability to function normally for the rest of their lives.
4. Spinal Cord Injuries
What it means: ALS (also known ALS/MND) is a progressive disease that affects the nerves in the spinal cord which subsequently control all voluntary muscles in the body. This includes all of your muscles below your neck including those involved in breathing and speaking plus any other voluntary muscles you may consciously choose to move including your heart. As this process continues over time, the patient becomes unable to control any of his muscles and eventually may become totally paralysed.
5. Burns
What it means: If you have suffered burns on your body which are sufficient in extent to warrant hospitalisation then you probably know that pain is only a mild part of your problem because you need to understand that your skin will never be the same again unless extensive treatments are undertaken. Your face is particularly vulnerable but so are other parts of your body including feet, hands, front of legs, back of legs etc. You can suffer permanent scarring or loss of hair within burn areas. One good thing about burns injury cases though is that they deal with specific medical treatment issues without having to worry too much about anything else except how bad the burns are.
6. Catastrophic Injury
What it means: This can range from amputations to paralysis, blindness and other permanent disabilities which make it impossible for you to continue with your normal life without ongoing assistance. It may be possible to claim compensation for the cost of medical treatment after this kind of injury but there is little or no possibility of claiming compensation for loss of future earnings or similar kinds of damages that would normally be awarded in less serious injuries cases.
Contact award-winning personal injury lawyers sarasota fl at Matthews Injury Law. When you have been injured, and it wasn’t your fault, it can feel like the whole world is against you. For a free consultation call us at (941) 877-5800.
7. Spinal Cord Injuries
What it means: A spinal cord injury occurs when damage is inflicted upon the spine either by an accident, disease or any other problem that interrupts the flow of messages between the brain and all parts of the body necessitating action below the neck. Damage to the spinal cord can result in damage to lungs, heart and other vital organs.
8. Birth Injuries
What it means: The full extent of birth injuries is often not known until months or years later even though there may be signs at the time that something was wrong with your child’s development after they were born from problems such as delayed speech and walking or inability to control their bladder and bowel functions. However, by this time you will have returned to normal life and routine and forgotten about any problems that your baby seemed to suffer unless you receive information which makes you think back on these issues again. That could be because a doctor has given you new information which prompts you to investigate further or perhaps because someone has decided to take legal action. This is a fast growing area of litigation in the UK currently and affects thousands of families every year. If you have been affected by this kind of injury then it’s important to get legal advice without delay.
9. Brain Injuries
What it means: The brain itself cannot suffer damage because there are no pain sensors within the brain but anything which interferes with its normal functioning can cause significant problems for sufferers from birth injuries or other kinds of head injuries including loss of memory, loss of proper body co-ordination etc.