Personal injury claims are made after a person is injured by another person’s negligence (or because safety precautions weren’t taken in designing or constructing public buildings). There are many different causes of personal injury, and therefore, many different areas for personal injury lawyers to specialize in.
If you have been injured and want to know whether or not you have a case, then it is first important to educate yourself about the main causes of personal injury. This post will help you to do that, as well as tell you how to find a lawyer.
Car Accidents
Car accidents are becoming a lot more common. Analysts aren’t sure whether it’s because drivers are getting more dangerous, or because more people are on the road. One thing is for sure though, and this is a sentiment echoed by one expert Detroit MI personal injury lawyer, that if you or a loved one have been involved in a car accident, you need to make a claim for compensation. Compensation payments will cover all of your medical expenses, legal fees, and emotional and physical damages.
Unsafe Sidewalks
Unsafe sidewalks are also a common cause of personal injury. When a person is injured because of an unsafe sidewalk, a claim is made against the municipality or council that’s responsible for the sidewalk’s upkeep. People are hurt on an almost daily basis because the streets of their town or city aren’t safe. Sometimes, claims are also made against companies responsible for managing sewage and water. Such claims are made when manhole covers are left open or when sewage grates aren’t maintained properly, and people are hurt because of this.
Dangerous Interiors
If a business owner does not maintain and look after the interior or exterior of their business and a person is hurt because of this, then they can be sued. Businesses are a lot more on the ball as far as indoor maintenance is concerned now because they know how much they stand to lose if somebody was injured inside their businesses. Usually, claims against business owners are dealt with through their insurers. However, in some cases, they are taken to court. When a case is taken to court it takes a lot longer to resolve. Some businesses resolve cases out of court, to save themselves bad press and legal expenses. Individuals can also claim compensation in some cases if somebody else damages a person’s business, and they are injured or hurt because of this.
Faulty Products
Faulty products are another common type of personal injury case that’s dealt with in court. The reason that such cases are taken to court is that they can be worth a lot of money, and lawyers can get their clients more compensation by suing companies in court than through their insurers. A faulty product is a product that’s retailed to consumers, but that is dangerous. An example of a faulty product could be a washing-up liquid that contains a harmful chemical, that burns the skin of people that use it. Faulty product claims sometimes result in massive payouts.
Unintentional Poisoning
A rather uncommon type of personal injury claim, but still one that is made every now and again, is when a person is unintentionally poisoned by a business serving them food, like a fast-food restaurant. An example could be a person eating a hamburger that was exposed to cleaning chemicals, which subsequently makes them sick. As with faulty products and damaged interiors, these cases go to court, for reasons specified in the previous section. After all, if lawyers can get their clients more money in court, then why wouldn’t they? Unintentional poisoning can sometimes have fatal consequences, so these claims are sometimes made by a deceased person’s family.
Finding A Lawyer
Finding a lawyer isn’t as easy as it should be. There are many different things that need to be taken into consideration before you can confidently hire a lawyer. One thing is the lawyer’s level of experience, which you can determine by visiting their website and seeing how much compensation they have won their clients in the past. Highly skilled and experienced lawyers always publish this information, because it gives them the ability to showcase their talent. You also need to consider the following things when you are searching for a lawyer:
Reading Reviews
A lawyer’s reviews are very important because they can tell you what it is like to work with them from the experience of past clients. When you are reading reviews, it is usually a good idea to avoid ones that are published on the lawyer’s actual website. The reason for this is that it is very common for lawyers to publish overly positive testimonials on their websites. It is not hard to see why they might do this, since why would they want to post negative ones? Reviews published on independent review sites are not biased, however, and therefore can be trusted.
Local Consideration
It’s always a good idea to work with a local lawyer, rather than one from out of town. The reason for this is that when you work with a local lawyer, it’s a lot easier to find out about them and assess whether or not they will be a good fit for you. You can ask people in the local community to tell you about the lawyer that you are interested in. Also, working with a local lawyer means that they will have to give you quality representation, otherwise, it could negatively impact their reputation in the local area, which could lose them clients.
Payment Arrangement
How do you plan on funding your lawsuit? Lawyers aren’t cheap. Personal injury lawyers sometimes offer no-win-no-fee representation though, which involves a lawyer representing a client and only getting paid if the case is won. If the lawyer you choose to work with offers such a payment plan, then you should be aware that they will only take you on as a client if they are confident that they are going to win, otherwise it’s not in their interests to represent you.
If you have been injured and want to make a claim for compensation, then you need to get in touch with an experienced personal injury lawyer. You can find out whether or not a lawyer is experienced by checking out their site and also reading their reviews.