You need to know about the most common types of personal injury claims. Your personal injury lawyer will tell you that this especially applies if you’re filing a personal injury claim or case. Additionally, you need to know about the key issues that tend to arise in these claims or cases.
Vehicular accidents
Car accidents tend to be the most common type of personal injury claims. Personal injury lawyers know this. It’s generally difficult and unclear as to who was absolutely at fault unless you were rear-ended. Then, it’s the defendant who would likely be at fault.
These types of accidents tend to involve pain and suffering, and other types of personal injuries. Your personal injury lawyer in Kitchener will also tell you that they tend to involve bodily injury and vehicle damage. This will limit the amount of settlement that you can get from the defendant. You may be forced to file a claim with your own insurance company to even get a settlement, if you live in a no-fault state.
Slip and fall claims
You have a claim if you slip and fall on a wet floor and are hurt. It doesn’t matter if all you did was sprain your ankle. This can occur either in a store or at a friend’s house. Your injury lawyer will be arguing that your personal injury accident and resulting injuries were the results of negligence on the part of the property owner. But you’ll need to prove this beyond a reasonable doubt with solid evidence.
Dog bites
If you were bitten by a dog, the owner is definitely liable. However, the extent of liability depends on the state that you live in. for example, if you live in a strict liability state, then the owner will be 100% liable. Other states make the owner’s liability contingent on certain factors. One is not knowing that the dog was prone to bite. The owner will probably not be held liable if he or she did not know that the dog had a penchant for biting.
Don’t be surprised if the dog’s owner argues that you were partially at fault because you teased and/or provoked the dog to bite you. The owner may also argue that you were illegally trespassing at the time you were bitten by the dog. The owner may not be held liable at all if he or she can successfully prove this.
Other types of personal injury claims
• Defamation – this happens when you knowingly make false statements about the reputation or actions of another person.
• Medical malpractice – when the doctor fails to act with the duty of care expected of doctors in his or her field.
• Defective products – this is when you are injured by a product that the manufacturer, distributor, or retailer knew was defective and decided to sell it to you anyway.
As you can see, there are many different types of personal injury claims that you can file a claim or case under.