The term “personal injury” covers a variety of different types of cases that personal injury lawyers handle. Car accidents, motorcycle accidents, medical malpractice, dog bites, and nursing home abuse are just some of the things that fall under the umbrella of personal injury law. If you’re ever unsure about whether or not you have a personal injury case on your hands, then contact a personal injury lawyer for advice.

Who Can Make a Personal Injury Claim?

Anyone who sustained an injury caused by somebody else’s negligence may be able to file a personal injury claim. Some people who may wish to file a claim include those who’ve experienced truck accidents, car accidents, or workplace injuries.

Wrongful death claims can often be filed by the loved one of a deceased person. If an accident such as a motor vehicle accident, nursing home accident, or work accident resulted in the death of a loved one, then you may be able to file a wrongful death claim.

Types of Cases Personal Injury Lawyers Handle

There are numerous types of personal injury claims a personal injury attorney may handle. Different personal injury lawyers specialize in different areas, and some specialize in several areas of personal injury law.

Slip and Fall Accidents

Slip and fall cases are common personal injury cases. You may experience a fall accident if you slip on a wet floor in a supermarket, fall off a balcony due to a faulty railing, or fall down an icy outdoor staircase.

Slip and fall accidents are one of the most common types of accidents that occur every year. Over a million people each year visit the emergency room because of a slip and fall incident. Around 12% of all emergency room visits are caused by slip and fall accidents.

These accidents can occur for a variety of reasons, and they can result in serious injury. If you slip and fall and end up with a severe injury, then you should contact a personal injury attorney immediately.

Vehicle Accidents

Motor vehicle accidents resulting in serious and fatal injuries are unfortunately very common. Car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, and bicycle accidents can result in severe personal injuries such as spinal cord injuries and traumatic brain injuries. Sometimes the other driver may be entirely at fault for the car accident, so you may be entitled to compensation. You may even be able to win some compensation if you’re partially liable for the accident.

If you’ve been involved in a motor vehicle accident, then you should contact an attorney to help you with the insurance claim. The insurance claims process can differ if you were involved in a motorcycle accident, bicycle accident, truck accident, or an accident involving another type of vehicle.

Your attorney may be able to help you make a legal claim after your truck accident, motorcycle accident, car accident, or bicycle accident.

Construction Site Accidents

Construction sites are dangerous places to work, and accidents may occur that result in injury. Sometimes injuries can be relatively minor, but other times accidents may lead to serious physical injuries. If you sustain injuries, then you may be entitled to compensation to cover your medical expenses, lost wages, future medical care, and more.

A lawyer may be able to help you pursue compensation, including Workers’ Compensation, after an accident. You may be entitled to both Workers’ Compensation and additional compensation for your damages.

There’s a vast array of injury-causing incidents that can happen on a construction site including electrocution, falls, machinery accidents, and forklift accidents. Many experienced injury lawyers handle all types of construction site personal injury cases.

Burn Injuries

Burn injuries can be caused by another person’s carelessness or negligence, and you may be able to hold the negligent party liable. Burns often require extensive treatment and can leave people with disfigurement and scars that will never go away. The burns and scars sometimes require medical treatment for years after the initial accident.

A lawyer may be able to help you seek compensation for your financial losses, emotional suffering, physical pain, and more.

Product Liability

Product manufacturers are supposed to create a product that’s safe to use, and any dangers of using the product should be clearly stated.

If a product is defective or if safety warnings aren’t clearly outlined, then it may result in product liability claims. The manufacturer may be found liable for your injuries and have to pay out damages.

It’s difficult to go up against large corporations, but you may have a better chance of success if you contact a lawyer to handle your claim.

Wrongful Death

Many types of injuries can result in a wrongful death. There’s no sum that can replace the hole losing a loved one leaves behind. However, winning compensation in a wrongful death claim may help you deal with the financial repercussions of losing your loved one.

Often, personal injury lawyers handle many types of wrongful death claims. Many types of injuries may result in a wrongful death, and you’ll need a highly skilled attorney to help you with your wrongful death lawsuit.

Electric Shock Accidents

Negligent building owners and product manufacturers may end up responsible for electric shock accidents. If you were electrocuted due to somebody else’s negligence, then you may have a personal injury claim.

Personal injury lawyers may handle many different types of claims where electric shocks caused severe injuries and even death. A lawyer may be able to help you win fair compensation if you’ve suffered injuries as a result of an electric shock.

Paralysis

Partial or total paralysis can be devastating. It can make a person feel like they’ve lost their quality of life. The emotional distress paralysis causes will often last a lifetime, and paralyzed people often require ongoing medical care.

With the right legal representation, you could potentially win a substantial sum if you’ve been paralyzed as a result of a car accident, surgical error, fall, or any other type of injury.

Scarring and Disfigurement

Many types of physical injuries can result in scarring and disfigurement. This can cause severe emotional distress. Sometimes the disfigurement results in a disability, severely impacting the rest of your life.

Scarring and disfigurement come into play in many types of personal injury lawsuits, and you may be able to win fair compensation for the impact your scarring and disfigurement have on your life. Let your personal injury attorney handle your case if you’ve been left with permanent scars after an accident.

Nursing Home Negligence

Everyone residing in nursing homes deserves to be treated well. Your loved one should be given adequate care and attention when needed. Unfortunately, nursing home abuse and neglect aren’t uncommon, and you may be able to make a claim on behalf of your loved one if they’ve been abused in a nursing home. Negligence and abuse in nursing homes may result in nursing home injuries such as:

  • Bedsores
  • Dehydration
  • Malnutrition
  • Broken bones

Nursing home staff may be held accountable for nursing home injuries. You may be able to take action against the nursing home if your loved one has been neglected while in the staff’s care.

Premises Liability

Property, walkways, and sidewalks should be properly maintained. If they’re not, then they can result in premises liability accidents. If you’re injured due to poorly maintained property, then the property owner may be held accountable. You may be able to recover compensation.

Common hazards that can result in injuries in premises liability cases include:

  • Poor lighting
  • A lack of hazard signs
  • Inadequate or negligent security
  • Animal attacks resulting in minor injuries
  • Animal attacks resulting in serious injuries/mauling

The property owner should’ve taken all the steps necessary to ensure there were no hazards that could cause accidents. Property owners should also ensure all animals on the property are properly restrained and supervised to prevent injuries such as dog bites.

Port a Catheter Liability

If you have an implanted port device that resulted in an injury, then it may be due to a physician or port manufacturer’s negligence. Catheter migration, catheter failure, and infection can occur if your port is faulty or poorly placed. These issues may lead to a medical malpractice or product liability case.

Product manufacturers may be found liable if your port is defective. If your port wasn’t placed correctly, then your doctor may have been negligent while placing it.

You’ll likely need to undergo an assessment to determine the cause of your injury. A personal injury lawyer may then be able to help you pursue compensation from the party who was at fault.

Hernia Mesh Injuries

More than one million hernias are repaired every year across the US. A surgical mesh is often used in these procedures to help prevent the hernia from reoccurring.

There are risks associated with every type of surgical procedure, and your surgeon should make you aware of these risks before you consent to any procedure or treatment. If your surgeon didn’t warn you of the risks, then they may be held liable for medical negligence.

An attorney may be able to help you make a medical malpractice claim if your physician was negligent. However, sometimes a defective mesh product can cause a complication, and in these instances, the product manufacturer may be held liable for your injury.

Invokana Claims

Invokana is a drug that’s sometimes used to treat type II diabetes in adults. It was approved for use in 2013, but since then, the FDA has issued a number of safety warnings about the drug. Use of the drug can result in serious side effects, some of which are life-threatening.

If you or a loved one suffered a serious side effect while taking Invokana, then you should contact an attorney for advice. You may be able to recover compensation for your losses.

How a Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help You

Personal injury attorneys may help you through the entire process of making an injury claim. There are lots of steps that must be followed, and your attorney should be able to explain them to you in full.

There are several other things your attorney may do while working on your case, too. Some of these things are discussed below.

Gather Evidence

You need evidence to support your case if you want to recover compensation after sustaining an injury. Your attorney may be able to help you gather evidence. The type of evidence you need will vary depending on your case.

Negotiate a Settlement

Insurance companies will rarely offer you a fair settlement straightaway. Your attorney usually has to negotiate with them until they offer you a sum that covers your damages.

Your attorney will usually negotiate with the insurance company as needed to get the company to offer you a fair sum. Negotiations with the company can sometimes go on for years.

These negotiations often lead to the company offering you a fair settlement, and many cases can be settled outside of court. Usually, your attorney will handle all communication with the other side and their insurance company during a case.

Send Demand Letters

Sometimes your attorney will have to send a demand letter to the insurance company. The letter should outline how much you’re seeking in compensation. Your attorney will typically draft this letter for you, send it, and await the reply.

Prepare Pleadings

Your attorney may have to prepare a complaint if the liable party’s insurance company refuses to offer you a fair settlement. The complaint will typically state how much you’re seeking in damages, and it will usually lay out why the defendant is liable for your injury. In most cases, the defendant must answer this complaint letter within 30 days.

Conduct Discovery

Your attorney may have to conduct discovery. Conducting discovery includes contacting the other side for information, speaking to witnesses, and consulting experts. What your attorney needs to do when conducting discovery varies depending on the case.

Defend You in Court

Not all personal injury cases have to go to court, but sometimes going to trial is unavoidable. Attorneys are usually familiar with the process of going to trial, and your lawyer should be able to defend you in the courtroom if necessary. However, your attorney will usually do everything they can to avoid having to go to trial.

Where to Find Personal Injury Lawyers

When searching for somebody to help you with your personal injury claim, you should find a law firm you trust. Research the firm’s attorneys to ensure they’re all in good legal standing and are currently allowed to practice law. There’ll often be a law firm operating right within your city that can help you with your claim.

Research the firm to see if personal injury law is one of the firm’s practice areas. A firm handling personal injury cases may be able to help you with workplace accidents, truck accidents, bicycle accidents, medical malpractice, dog bites, animal attacks, and more.

If you’re looking for a personal injury lawyer in Kansas City, Missouri, then contact Holman Schiavone, LLC. We have numerous highly knowledgeable and qualified attorneys who may be able to take on your case.