Being injured in an accident is always distressing. One moment your day can be going perfectly well, but in the next, an accident happens and everything changes. Although accidents typically last seconds, the effects can be long-lasting.
The Impact of Personal Injuries: What You Need to Know
Data from the National Safety Council (NSC), shows that there were 62 million preventable injuries in the United States in 2021 alone. So, if you have been injured, you’re by no means alone.
There’s no doubt that suffering an injury can have a huge impact on your life. Everyday tasks can become challenging. You may struggle with caring for yourself. You may have continual pain. You may spend lots of time in the hospital. Recovery from your injury can be long and really emotional. It can massively impact on your ability to work. Your physical and psychological health may suffer. There’s no doubt the after-effects of an incident can turn your life upside down. For this reason, many people seek the services of a personal injury attorney to get the compensation they deserve.
If you have experienced an injury, you may be wondering which incidents qualify as personal injuries and warrant hiring an attorney. Here, we’ll explain all you need to know:
What Is a Personal Injury?
It’s essential to understand what a personal injury is. In legal terms, a personal injury is an injury that causes harm to your body, mind, or emotions. So, it’s an injury that impacts you as a person, and not your property.
Hiring an attorney to support your injury case can help you get the compensation that you deserve for your personal injury. The compensation can help to cover many of the issues associated with being injured, such as:
- Loss of earnings
- Loss of future earnings
- Reduced quality of life
- Medical bills
- Ongoing and future medical costs
- Mental Anguish
- Pain and suffering
- Inconvenience
- Permanent scarring and disfigurement
- Punitive damages
Incidents That Qualify As Personal Injuries
After the trauma of a personal injury, you may want to pursue a personal injury case. It is understandable that you want to receive compensation and potentially, punitive damages for your injuries.
Over 90% of personal injury lawsuits are found in the plaintiff’s favor and 95% of personal injury lawsuits result in a settlement before trial. This means that with the help of their attorneys, most people receive compensation for their personal injuries without ever having to step foot in a courtroom.
Traffic and Highway Accidents
There are many types of car accidents: a DUI driver crashing into your vehicle, a tractor-trailer causing life-threatening injuries, an inattentive driver hitting your motorcycle, a distracted driver looking at their phone, and the list goes on. Car accidents can result in very minor injuries to injuries resulting in death.
In cases that do not result in catastrophic injuries, it is common for injuries to become symptomatic the day or two after the accident happens. So no matter how minor your accident is, it is important that you get the name, address, and insurance information for the other driver and pay close attention to your body and how you’re feeling. Go to a doctor immediately if you are experiencing pain or discomfort and let them know you were in a car accident and describe all the symptoms you’re experiencing.
If you have been involved in a car accident, tractor-trailer accident, or motorcycle accident and suffered an injury, an attorney can help. Contacting an auto accident attorney as soon as you can is essential. Your attorney can then advise you on gathering evidence, receiving medical care, and making a start on building your case for compensation.
Slip & Fall and Trip & Fall Incidents
Slip & fall injuries are a common type of personal injury. Slips, trips, and falls can happen almost anywhere and can result in serious injuries. If your slip & fall happens at a store, restaurant or parking lot it is important that you report your accident and injury to management immediately. This should result in your accident being reported to the insurance company and is the start of your personal injury claim process. You should immediately seek medical care to document your injuries and receive necessary medical treatment and follow-up for your injuries. Always let your doctors know you were injured in an accident.
If you’ve had a slip or fall and suffered an injury, discussing this with a personal injury lawyer is extremely helpful. Slip & fall cases are fraught with pitfalls for plaintiffs, especially under Virginia’s contributory negligence law, and it is extremely important that you consult with an attorney to preserve the integrity of your case. Never provide a statement to the insurance company before speaking with an attorney. A lawyer can help you find doctors to provide you medical care and they will start building a case on your behalf.
Workplace Injuries
Workplace injuries can have serious implications for your livelihood. So, if you’ve been injured while at work, it’s helpful to seek the services of an attorney. Your attorney can help you to obtain workers’ compensation benefits to cover your medical treatment and loss of earnings. Plus, you can receive lifetime medical care for your injuries, payment for permanent impairment resulting from your injuries, and up to 500 weeks of wage loss benefits. An attorney can also help you settle your workers’ compensation case to receive a lump sum payment for your injuries.
If you are injured at work it is important to contact a workers comp attorney to determine what benefits you are entitled to receive.
Medical Malpractice
Being the victim of medical malpractice can have devastating consequences. There are a host of different injuries that can result from the neglect or careless actions of a healthcare worker. These include:
- Birth defects
- Misdiagnosed medical conditions
- Infections
- Damage to or loss of a body part or organ
- Death
Before a medical malpractice lawsuit can be initiated in Virginia you are required to have a doctor certify there was a breach of the standard of care and the breach caused your damages. Building a medical malpractice case is complex and takes a significant amount of time, money, and investigation. It is important to seek the help of an attorney as soon as you suspect medical malpractice occurred so the attorney can help you build your case.
Contacting an attorney and working with them to build a medical malpractice will help you get the best outcome.
Request Your Free Consultation with Our Experienced Personal Injury Attorneys
As you can see, there’s a host of incidents that can qualify as a personal injury. Having an experienced attorney on your side significantly improves the chances of your lawsuit being successful.
Here at Renfro & Renfro, our experienced personal injury lawyers are here to help you get the compensation you deserve. We understand the physical and psychological toll an injury can have on your life. Therefore, we’re committed to ensuring you achieve a successful outcome.
Contact us today and we’ll be happy to help.
