When Should You Consult a Personal Injury Attorney?

Personal injury is a phrase that may seem rather vague and mysterious to a layperson, possibly even conjuring visions of a court hearing, similar to something you’d see on TV. But the truth is: once you strip it down to its bare bones, personal injury isn’t all that difficult to understand, and it doesn’t necessarily have to lead to an actual trial either. In fact, the American Bar Association maintains that most cases get settled before trial, with only a small percentage of them actually going to court.

So what constitutes a personal injury? Generally speaking, it refers to an injury to one’s body, mind or emotions, or any violation of an individual’s rights other than his or her property rights. From a legal standpoint though, personal injury law aims to protect people if they or their property have been injured or harmed as a result of someone else’s act or failure to act.

In keeping with this, a personal injury attorney specializes in providing legal representation to these people who claim that they have been physically or psychologically injured due to the negligent actions of another person or entity, and they help their clients receive compensation for their losses. Here are some of the most common cases that these lawyers are consulted on.

Car Accidents

Victims of car accidents may not only suffer emotional distress and bodily harm. They may also have to shoulder considerable medical expenses and lose potential income if they are unable to work due to serious injuries.

Medical Malpractice

Medical malpractice refers to negligence on the part of a professional health care provider, resulting in harm to a patient. Common examples include failing to properly diagnose the patient’s illness, improper treatment, and failing to warn a patient of the risks involved with a particular procedure or treatment. It is often necessary to get advice from a lawyer for this particular kind of case since medical malpractice law is highly regulated, and its rules tend to differ among states.

Defective Products

Product liability allows consumers to take action against a manufacturer if it sells a defective product that causes injury to someone who uses it. The three types of defective product liability claims are: defects in the product’s design, manufacturing defects and defects in marketing or failure to provide adequate warnings or instructions. An example may be a medication that does not include a warning on its harmful side effects if taken together with another common drug.

Slip and Fall Cases

Slip and fall accidents refer to a person tripping, slipping or falling due to some unsafe condition on someone else’s property. These cases are founded on the argument that the property owner was negligent with respect to maintaining the property. An example of this type of accident could be falling down on a wet floor in the mall.

Persons filing such claims often tend to seek advice from a personal injury attorney, particularly if their injuries are serious. Aside from informing them about the legal options that are available in Oklahoma City or elsewhere, lawyers can help them build strong claims, so that they can get the highest compensation possible for their losses. This can include medical expenses, pain and suffering, loss of income (if the victim is unable to go to work due to his injury), and emotional distress.

For more information contact one of our highly qualified Attorneys in the Oklahoma City area call (405) 253-4478 or our main office in Ardmore (580) 798-0447.

Sources:

Civil Cases, Bureau of Justice Statistics
Personal Injury, American Bar Association
Products Liability, Legal Information Institute