What Is Personal Injury

Section 1. What Is Personal Injury

First, please understand that this eBook is to help you with very basic general information. It is not a legal treatise and it is certainly not a definitive statement of the law as it applies to your personal injury claim case.

In general terms, personal injury covers all cases where you suffer injuries caused by another person or by a defective machine or product. However, because different laws and different legal procedures often apply to different situations, lawyers have specialized in different areas.

Most personal injury attorneys deal mainly with accident cases (ex. car wrecks) where one person negligently hurts another person. Often a personal injury lawyer will also handle slip and fall cases because most slip and fall injuries are caused by someone not cleaning or maintaining a floor, parking lot, or other walking surface. Also, a personal injury attorney will usually handle severe dog bite cases because in many of these cases, dog owners are negligent in controlling their dog.

However, if you are injured at work, you may have a personal injury claim, but you usually need a worker's compensation attorney. This is because each state has specific laws which are applicable when you are hurt at work. And these laws are different from normal negligence laws. Also, each state has a special worker's compensation commission or board which handles these cases instead of the regular court system.

For other cases, such as medical malpractice, product liability, class action, etc., you generally need an attorney who specializes in the area of medical malpractice, product liability. class action, etc. The reason that you need a specialist is that these types of cases are unique and technical. Often, there are specific laws and legal procedures which apply to these types of special cases, but do not apply to normal cases.

The above is general information only and may or may not be applicable to your situation. If you have any questions whatsoever, talk with a lawyer licensed in your state.

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