Every year, millions of Americans seek medical attention after experiencing a serious personal injury. Additionally, medical errors and accidental injuries are the third leading cause of death in the United States. Some of the victims of severe personal injury accidents decide to file a personal injury lawsuit to seek compensation for their injuries. The type of personal injury claim that an accident victim can submit depends on the type of injury suffered. Below are some of the most common types of personal injury lawsuits.
Motor Vehicle Accidents
Motor vehicle accident claims are the most common type of personal injury claim in the United States. Millions of Americans suffer severe injuries from car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, bicycle accidents, and pedestrian accidents every year. Many of these victims decide to file a personal injury lawsuit to recover compensation for all of the damages they suffered from their injuries.
There are many different causes of motor vehicle accidents in the United States. Distracted driving from cell phones, kids in the back seat, GPS systems, or talking to a passenger can all cause accidents. More drivers than ever are distracted by their phones and tablets. Drunk driving is another common cause of personal injury accidents. Sometimes determining which driver was at fault in a motor vehicle accident can be complicated, and victims of car accidents need experienced legal representation on their side.
Domestic Violence and Assault
Victims of assault, domestic violence, and gun-related injuries may have a right to file a civil lawsuit against the perpetrator. Assault lawsuits are different from negligence lawsuits because in an assault lawsuit, the defendant acted intentionally. Lawsuits stemming from an assault happen after one person intentionally decides to hurt another person. The plaintiff will need to prove that the defendant’s assault directly caused his or her injuries.
Medical Malpractice
According to a recent study conducted at Johns Hopkins, over 250,000 U.S. residents die every year due to medical errors. Another study found that medical errors could cause as many as 440,000 deaths per year in the United States. It is hard to know the exact number of deaths caused by medical malpractice because funeral directors, physicians, corners, and medical examiners often do not indicate that an individual’s death was caused by medical malpractice.
Medical malpractice involves a wide variety of accidents that happen in hospitals, doctors’ offices, and outpatient facilities. Some medical malpractice lawsuits involve a doctor or nurse giving the patient the wrong type of medication or too much of the right medication. Other medical malpractice lawsuits happen when a surgeon makes a mistake during surgery and causes more serious injuries to the patient. Hospitals are more understaffed than ever, and when they fail to hire enough staff to take care of patients, injuries and death can result.
Slip and Fall Accidents
Slip and fall accidents are far more common than most people realize. These types of accidents can cause severe injury to a person’s head, shoulders, neck, back, arms, and legs. Slip and fall accidents are one of the most common causes of serious hip fractures and brain injuries. Victims of slip and fall accidents are often required to stay out of work for long periods. These types of accidents can happen anywhere, including at grocery stores and other retail locations.
Premises Liability Accidents
Slip and fall accidents are one type of premises liability claim. Premises liability claims involve accidents that happened on another person’s property. For example, if you slipped and fell in a grocery store, you may bring a lawsuit against the grocery store via a premises liability claim. Premises liability accidents can also happen at a person’s home when they fail to maintain a reasonably safe environment.
Workplace Accidents
Every workplace has the possibility of becoming a dangerous environment. Workplace accidents happen on construction sites, and warehouses, and even in seemingly safe office complexes. Workplace injuries can happen due to malfunction equipment, insufficient training, or unsafe working conditions—employees who suffer injuries while on the job may qualify for workers’ compensation benefits. Or, employees may choose to file a personal injury lawsuit against their employer, seeking compensation for their lost income and medical expenses.
Product Liability
Companies that design and manufacture products have a legal duty to make their products reasonably safe and warn customers of any dangers. Unfortunately, companies continue to make defectively designed products that injure thousands of people every year. Many of these defected devices are medical devices such as vaginal mesh implants and hip and knee replacements.
Construction Injuries
As mentioned above, many personal injury accidents happen to employees while they are on the job. Construction sites are some of the most dangerous places to work. Even though federal and local law has heavily regulated the construction industry, workers continue to suffer serious injuries. Some of these injuries are caused by heavy machinery that is malfunctioning, and other injuries are caused by a lack of proper supervision and safety procedures on the worksite.
Defamation Claims
Many people assume that personal injury cases always involve some type of physical injury. While most cases do involve an injury, some injuries are emotional and financial. Defamation happens when someone promotes false statements that damage your reputation. Usually, defamation cases involve someone printing false statements about you. Some of the injuries that you could encounter include lost earnings, lost earning capacity, personal humiliation, and emotional damages.
Dog Bites
Unfortunately, dog bites continue to happen at an alarming rate. While some dog bites are relatively harmless, other dog bites can be extremely damaging and even lethal. Even dogs who have never shown aggression before have been known to cause severe personal injuries.
Contact Our Experienced Personal Injury Lawyers Today
If you have suffered any of the types of personal injuries discussed above, you need experienced legal representation. Contact the skilled personal injury lawyers at Pulvers Thompson today to schedule your initial consultation.
