Within the framework of law, personal injury is most usually associated with road traffic accidents or slips and falls. These are, of course, two of the most common types of this area of law which people claim compensation for. However, there are a whole host of other situations that also warrant a personal injury lawyer, but which aren’t immediately obvious.
Here, we will talk you through some of the circumstances you may not realize that you can claim for. We will also give an overview of exactly how personal injury law works and what makes a successful case for compensation.
Personal injury law explained
Personal injury is defined as being inflicted against a person, as opposed to their property. It has also been explained as being an injury against the mind, body or emotions. It entitles the victim to compensation when their injury is the cause of someone else’s negligence or misconduct, for reasons including medical expenses and loss of earnings.
Dog bites
The law around dog bites also deals more broadly with any other domestic animals that can potentially cause harm – or even death – to humans. It includes cats, horses and even exotic animals, but it differs depending on the individual laws within particular states and the type of animal.
For example, horses are more prone to causing harm by kicking rather than biting. Furthermore, with animal bites, liability usually lies with whether the owner knew that their pet had a propensity for aggression. However, if you have been attacked in any way by an animal, you should seek legal guidance as you may well have a case for personal injury.
Product defects and liability
Product liability is a wide aspect of law which usually makes it easier for the claimant due to the various channels a product goes through before it reaches the consumer. This, therefore, makes everyone from the designer to the manufacturer to the retailer liable.
So, if a product causes potential harm to a consumer, such as a children’s toy being deemed unsafe or a shop leaving food out of the refrigerator and causing illness, they are both pretty straightforward cases for product liability.
Dangerous drugs
Sometimes prescription drugs can cause side effects that have not yet been found due to pharmaceutical companies rushing the drugs out to market. They occasionally do this to begin making a profit sooner rather than later due to their increasing costs, but unbeknownst to the consumer, they have not been fully tested.
This can cause the consumer to suffer either some undocumented mild side effects or serious ill health, but no matter which end of the spectrum – it is a case for personal injury compensation.
Recreational boating accidents
When it comes to boating accidents, it is quite a complex area of law. This is due to the nature of firstly needing to define whether your case is a matter of federal or state law, so whether or not it occurred on navigable waterways.
Once this has been decided on – and depending on the specific circumstances of your accident – it could then be that you can claim for things such as inattention of a boating operator or being under the influence. Some boating accidents can have very serious consequences, even ending in drowning. So, it is an area of personal injury law that can be very complicated and need a specialist personal injury lawyer.
In conclusion
All of these more unusual instances of personal injury, however, are the same as the more common road traffic accidents or slips and trips in that they can be successful cases in the right hands.
So, you should seek professional legal advice as soon as possible after your accident, which will put you in the best possible position for winning your case based on their experience and insight.
