Personal Injury Types

You and your cub scout are going door to door, selling raffle tickets to raise funds for the big end-of-year campout. When you come to a house with a German Shepherd sunning on the porch, you pause for a moment but figure that if the dog is outdoors in an unfenced yard, he must be kid-safe. When your son walks toward the front door, however, the dog begins to growl, raising its hackles. You rush forward to pull your child out of danger, but the dog lunges, clamping onto your leg and causing an explosion of pain. Fortunately, the owner opens the door at that moment and manages to call the dog off, but you have a wound demanding medical attention, and your son is hysterical. The owner tells you that you shouldn’t have come on his property in the first place.

What Are the Most Common Personal Injury Types?

Personal injuries result from one of several types of situations for which somebody is responsible. Some of the most common include:

• Car accidents
• Workplace injuries
• Slips and falls
• Dog bites
• Defective product injuries
• Accidents on someone else’s premises

The legal criteria for an actionable personal injury case are that a human being rather than property alone sustained damage, and someone’s negligence or willful acts brought about the accident.

When Can I Claim Damages for a Personal Injury?

You can claim damages when someone else is responsible for your injury. In the case of the dog attack described above, California law holds the dog’s owner responsible as long as the attack occurred on public property or on private property where the victim was lawfully present. If there were no warning signs on the property, no fencing or other barriers to entry, your attorney could reasonably argue you were not breaking the law by simply stopping by.

In other personal injury cases, such as a vehicle accident, a driver who took his eyes off the road or failed to obey traffic laws could be liable for your injury, and thus responsible for paying for your losses. If you slipped and fell on a wet floor in a grocery store, the store owner may be liable for your injury. Similarly, if you were injured on the job due to unsafe conditions, the owner of the company may have to pay compensation.

Keep in mind, however, that California is a shared liability state in which both you and the other person could have some percentage of culpability for an accident. An experienced personal injury lawyer is invaluable in helping to determine liability, and settling or litigating your claim.

What Damages Can I Claim for Various Personal Injury Types?

In a personal injury case, you can claim both actual and intangible damages. Actual damages include those items you have bills or receipts for, such as:

• Ambulance services
• Medical expenses, present, and future
• Lost wages, present, and future
• Physical therapy

Intangibles damages that may apply to your case include:

• Pain and suffering
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Punitive damages

Legal Help For Your Personal Injury

If you have a personal injury for which someone else is responsible, you need legal advocates who will fight for the compensation you deserve. In Riverside or Orange County, Calif., call Rizio Lipinsky Heiting at 888-292-8888 or fill out our online form to learn more. We offer you a free initial consultation, so there is no reason to go it alone.