Personal Injury Law

Personal Injury Law

By John Eastwood

Oct 21, 2005, 01:38
Personal Injury Law
Personal injury law covers a wide field—from automobile, road, rail, and sea accidents, to accidents at work, injuries caused due to the use of defective products, professional malpractice suits brought against accountants, doctors, and lawyers, and suits filed for libel, slander, and defamation. The general principle of personal injury law is that if you feel you have been physically injured by somebody or have had your reputation attacked in some way, whether inadvertently or deliberately, you are at liberty to sue for damages. In fact, if the attempt to harm you was deliberate, you can sue for punitive damages. Whereas the compensation payment helps the victim to pay medical bills and make up for a lost job, punitive damages punish the perpetrator of the crime.

However, the statutes that form part of personal injury law differ from state to state within the US and from one country to another the world over. Therefore, you should check with a personal injury legal specialist to ensure that you file your suit in time to get a hearing in court and to claim compensation. If you are unable to file your suit in time, due to ignorance of the facts and circumstances, the lack of manifestation of the injury, false statements, fraud, mental incapacity, or infancy, the statute of limitations may be extended in your case. In personal injury law, both the victim and the family can claim damages for accidents, injuries, malpractice, and defamation. In case the accident or injury is fatal, the victim’s family or estate can claim damages.

The compensation awarded in a personal injury suit is based on the nature of the injury and its duration, the medical costs and personal losses you have borne, the residual impact of the injury, your pain and suffering, and the skill of your personal injury lawyer. Your lawyer will have to show who was responsible for causing the injury. For instance, in case of a road accident, wherein you are struck and knocked down by a speeding car, everyone associated with that car, from the chauffeur, to the owner, the car manufacturer, the manufacturer of the brakes and accelerator used in the car, and the garage responsible for maintaining the car in good working order, could be held liable to a greater or lesser degree.

If you feel you have been injured physically due to an accident while travelling or at work, have suffered the ill-effects of using a particular product or professional service, or have had your reputation damaged, you should consult a personal injury specialist immediately to find out if you can claim compensation and damages.

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