Accidents and injuries caused by someone else are very common. While no amount of money can undo the physical and emotional trauma, holding the at-fault party accountable and receiving compensation for damages can help you pay medical bills, replace lost income, and get back on your feet. To improve your chances of getting fair compensation, it’s essential to get help from a personal injury lawyer. Personal injury law covers many types of civil cases, but these five accidents account for the vast majority.
1. Motor Vehicle Crashes
Collisions between cars, trucks, motorcycles, pedestrians, bicycles, and other vehicles make up the bulk of personal injury claims, with 49,939 people dying in motor vehicle crashes in 2021. Typical causes include speeding, distraction, impairment, tailgating, illegal maneuvers, mechanical defects, and poor road conditions. Victims suffer harm such as broken bones, spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, disfigurement, disability, and wrongful death. Compensation may cover medical treatment, assistive devices, lost wages, and pain and suffering damages.
2. Slip and Fall Accidents
Slip, trip, and fall claims make up one-quarter to one-third of personal injury lawsuits, and according to data from the CDC, around one million Americans sustain a slip and fall injury each year. In addition, falls are responsible for 11% of job-related fatalities in men and 5% in women. Property owners and managers have a responsibility to ensure reasonable safety from hazards for people legally on their premises. Tripping over extension cords or slipping on a wet floor can cause fractures, head/brain trauma, sprains, strains, cuts, and bruises leading to high medical bills and lost income. Victims have a right to recover those losses when negligence was a cause.
3. Defective Products/Devices
When a commercial product malfunctions or contains flaws making it unsafe, the manufacturer may be liable for resulting harm under product liability law. Injuries from defective products rose by 7.8% in 2022. Common defective product claims involve medical devices, toys, household appliances, power tools, prescription drugs, automobiles, firearms, and consumer goods. Injuries range from minor to severe health conditions like poisoning, disfigurement, blindness, paraplegia, and wrongful death.
4. Dog Bites
Man’s best friend isn’t always so friendly. Dog attacks result in tens of millions of emergency department visits, with around 4.7 million people bitten in the US each year. Children are most often victims. Typical wounds include deep tissue injuries, slashes and punctures, crush injuries, broken bones, infections, blood loss, and permanent scars and disabilities. Holding the animal’s owner accountable includes compensation for complex medical care, cosmetic repair surgery expenses, PTSD counseling, lost income, and permanent impairment.
5. Dental/Medical Malpractice
We put great trust in healthcare providers for our safety and healing. When that trust is violated, patients may suffer life-altering harm. With over a quarter million deaths annually from medical negligence, it’s the third highest cause. Dental error is as common as doctor error for injuries like permanent nerve damage, surgical mishaps, medication overdoses, misdiagnosis, delays in treatment, childbirth injuries, anesthesia errors, and disabling conditions or loss of limb use. Economic, and non-economic damages provide wounded victims with vital resources for their recovery.
The financial, physical, and emotional devastation suffered by injury victims through no fault of their own can’t be overstated. Holding negligent parties fully accountable is the best way for victims to receive justice and critical compensation for their losses and recovery. An experienced personal injury attorney can best advise on your legal rights and alternatives.
