When you think of a personal injury attorney, you might automatically think of a car accident attorney. However, personal injury attorneys handle many other types of cases besides auto accidents. Any time you have been injured because of someone else’s actions, you might need a personal injury attorney.
Injury attorneys actually practice in an area of the law known as torts. A tort is defined as an act or omission that harms another person and imposes a civil penalty on the wrongdoer. A tort may be either intentional or unintentional, but the wrongdoer may be held responsible either way. Dive into all the details below to learn more about the various types of cases a personal injury attorney can handle.
Motor Vehicle Accidents
Automobile accidents are one of the most common types of cases that personal injury attorneys handle. You have likely seen commercials or billboards from attorneys who handle these types of cases. There are many different types of car accident cases, including:
- Car accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Big truck accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Uber and Lyft accidents
- Train accidents
Not all motor vehicle accidents are the same, and different principles of the law may apply, depending on the case. Just because an attorney has experience handling one type of case does not mean they will be adept at handling any type of accident case. For example, truck accident cases can get quite complex due to the additional regulations imposed on trucking companies and drivers.
When selecting an attorney to handle your accident case, make sure that they have experience handling cases similar to yours. This can give you the highest odds of success and help you get a full and fair recovery from your injuries.
Product Liability Cases
Product liability is another prominent area of law where personal injury attorneys practice. Every year, millions of people are injured by consumer products. In fact, over 12.7 million people had to seek emergency treatment in 2023 alone for an injury caused by a consumer product.
Laws are in place to help protect consumers against such injuries, although not all of them are caused by defective products. Some injuries result from user error or misuse of the product. However, there are times when defective products do make it into the marketplace and cause injuries.
Product defects can occur at several different steps in the lifecycle of a product, including the design or manufacturing of the product. Product liability attorneys typically have deep experience in this area of the law, and they may also need to hire expert witnesses who can testify about the design or manufacturing process. If you have been injured by a defective product, make sure that your attorney has experience handling these cases.
Wrongful Death
Wrongful death attorneys can help family members recover financial compensation when their loved one was killed by someone else’s negligent or intentional conduct. Every state has wrongful death laws that govern who may file these types of lawsuits and the timeframe for doing so.
Wrongful death actions are similar in nature to other types of personal injury cases. However, the financial damages in these cases are usually much higher than typical injury cases. Wrongful death attorneys may handle cases resulting from auto accidents, defective products, construction accidents, or other types of accidents that result in the death of the victim.
Premises Liability
When you are on someone else’s property, you are owed a particular duty of care by the property owner or manager to help protect you against potential injuries. The duty owed to you depends on your status as a visitor on the property. Typically, visitors fall into one of these three categories:
- Trespasser
- Licensee
- Invitee
Trespassers are owed the lowest duty of care. Landowners must not willfully or recklessly injure trespassers, and they may be required to warn them of dangers that are not obvious.
Licensees are people who have been invited onto the property but for their benefit. For example, a dinner guest may be considered a licensee. Landowners usually must warn licensees of any known potential hazards.
Finally, invitees are owed the highest duty of care. Invitees, such as restaurant patrons or retail shoppers, are invited explicitly onto the property for the landowner’s benefit. Landowners must warn invitees of potential hazards and make reasonable inspections of the property to discover potential hazards.
Workers’ Compensation
Most employers are required to carry workers’ compensation insurance that covers employees who are injured at work. The employer is usually not required to prove any fault. The main requirement is that the injury happened at work during the normal course of employment.
Workers’ compensation laws can vary slightly from state to state. For this reason, you must select an attorney who has experience handling these types of cases in your state. Your workers’ compensation attorney can also help you avoid certain actions that might hurt your claim, such as filing for unemployment benefits or attempting to return to work too quickly.
Medical Malpractice
Doctors and other medical professionals are held to very high standards since mistakes in their line of work can be fatal. Unfortunately, some patients are injured because of their doctor’s negligence. In those cases, you need to seek the advice of an experienced medical malpractice attorney.
Medical malpractice cases can be difficult to pursue, and they require a lot of time and resources from your attorney. For this reason, many personal injury attorneys do not handle medical malpractice cases at all. If you have been injured as a result of a medical treatment or procedure, make sure that you consult an attorney who knows how to proceed with these claims.
Learn How A Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help With Your Case
If you have been injured by someone else’s conduct, you should consult a personal injury attorney for advice. Whether you were injured in a car accident, during a medical procedure, or by a defective product, you may have a claim for compensation. Contact Mincone Personal Injury Lawyers today at (813) 430-3338 to learn more about your legal options.
