An accident lawyer is a lawyer who handles personal injury litigation. This type of litigation can be categorized in several ways. That is because this area covers the subject of negligence. If you have been injured because of someone else’s negligence, you can receive compensatory damages for one of various personal injury law claims. Following are a list of the types of cases that are covered.
1. Vehicle Accident Claims
These types of claims result from collisions and crashes between vehicles or vehicles and pedestrians, cyclists, buses, or other forms of transport. They are the most common personal injury accident cases in North America. If someone does not follow the rules on the road, he or she is bound, after a while, to cause a crash and hurt someone. The plaintiff has the right to claim damages for medical expenses, pain and suffering, and loss of wages within a certain period, usually two years from the date of the mishap.
2. Medical Malpractice Cases
These types of claims occur when a physician or other health care provider does not use reasonable care in treating a patient. In turn, the patient is injured from this type of oversight or negligence. Medical malpractice cases can be quite complex and therefore this type of settlement must be carefully reviewed.
People can experience medical malpractice, for instance, if medical implements are left in their bodies after surgery or infections are not treated properly. As a result, medical practice is not clear-cut in many instances. You need the assistance of a lawyer to learn more about your rights and how to support your claim. Wrongful death cases spring from medical malpractice cases as well.
3. Slip-and-Fall Claims
Another common personal injury law case is the slip-and-fall claim. This type of claim holds owners of properties responsible for the safety and use of a property. For example, if you trip over a broken step and the owner knew about the hazard and did nothing to fix it, you may have a viable claim. However, all injuries that happen on property do not lead to slip-and-fall claims. How the issue is decided is dependent on where the accident occurs and exact legal obligation of the landowner in that venue.
4. Dog Bite Cases
In most instances, a dog owner is financially responsible if his or her dog bites someone who is not trespassing on his or her property. However, if the injured party was illegally trespassing or provoked a dog, he or she does not have a solid claim. You need to be innocent of any wrongdoing if you want to proceed with a dog bite case.
5. Assault and Battery
Whilst most personal injury claims cover personal negligence, assault and battery or a similar intentional tort is based on the intent of the person who causes an injury to another person. Therefore, these cases are normally part of a criminal case that the victim has raised against the defence.
6. Libel or Slander
Defamation of character is another form of personal injury. In this case, the plaintiff has suffered injury to his or her reputation because of the untrue statements made by another party.
