What Is Personal Injury?
Personal injury claims and lawsuits arise when people are injured by the careless or intentional acts of others, or injured by products that are defective in some way. When it is determined that someone is legally responsible for injuring another, they are liable for the injuries sustained and must pay the injured person compensatory damages. Compensatory damages attempt to put an injured person back in the position he or she was in before being injured. In some cases, punitive damages are also awarded in these lawsuits. Punitive damages are intended to punish wrongdoers and prevent them from harming others.
The law of personal injury focuses on determining who is responsible (who is “liable” or has “liability”) for causing injury and how much the responsible party should pay for any damages sustained as a result of the injury. Personal injury law can be broken down into three broad categories, negligence, strict liability, and intentional torts. Each category indicates a different standard of care that may apply to a given accident or incident, which directly affects how one's liability is determined.
Our firm handles a variety of personal injury claims for clients, including those arising out of:
