What Kind of Cases Do Personal Injury Lawyers Handle?

Accidents and injuries often result in significant harm to their victims. No matter the situation that led to a personal injury, the victim has the right to pursue justice. 

If another person’s negligence was the reason for the damage you experienced, they may owe you compensation. With the aid of a personal injury attorney, an accident victim can file a tort claim to recover payment. 

Even minor injuries often cause victims to incur costs and losses from medical debt, property damage, and more. But many people are not sure if their accident or injury can be handled by a personal injury lawyer. 

What kind of cases do personal injury lawyers handle? Accomplished personal injury attorneys like the ones at Morgan and Morgan can handle cases based on any type of accident. 

When another person causes you harm, you should not get stuck paying the bills. Let our team of personal injury attorneys fight for every dime you deserve. 

Most injury victims experience financial challenges in the aftermath of their accidents. For this reason, the compassionate team at Morgan & Morgan offers prospective clients a free consultation to discuss their claims. 

To arrange a no-cost case evaluation, complete the simple contact form on our website today. Let our skilled legal professionals fight to recover the money that you are rightfully due.

What Kind of Cases Do Personal Injury Lawyers Handle?

While skilled tort attorneys can handle any case relating to an accident or injury, some types of claims are more common than others. Some of the most common personal injuries that lead to valid tort claims include:

Motor Vehicle Accident Cases

Car crashes are one of the most common causes of personal injuries. Passenger vehicles travel at high speeds, creating the possibility of dangerous impacts. 

Any time two vehicles collide, drivers and passengers are at risk of physical damage. Some of the common types of motor vehicle accidents include: 

• Sideswipe collisions, also called T-bone crashes
• Intersection collisions
• Head-on accidents
• Rear-end collisions
• Single-car mishaps
• Rollovers 

Regardless of the kind of collision you experience, you may sustain an injury. It is critical to seek medical attention after a car crash. This is true even if you do not feel pain or display symptoms. 

Many car crash injuries only begin showing symptoms in the hours or days after the incident. For example, a whiplash victim may develop the following delayed conditions from their injury:

• Numbness and tingling in the extremities
• Pain in the shoulders or upper arms
• Difficulty moving the neck muscles
• Stiffness and pain in the neck
• Decreased range of motion
• Dizziness and confusion
• Fatigue and tiredness
• Persistent headaches

When a motor vehicle collision is the result of another person’s negligent behavior, the at-fault party can be held responsible. A skilled tort attorney will review the facts of your car crash to determine legal liability. 

Motorists who drive in careless or reckless ways should be held accountable for the damage that they cause. There are many common causes of traffic accidents, including: 

• Operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs
• Distracted driving, such as texting or eating
• Inclement weather conditions
• Running intersections
• Reckless maneuvers
• Unsafe lane changes
• Speeding 

Some collisions are not the result of a driver’s negligence. If a motor vehicle contains a defective component, it can make a collision more likely. In these instances, manufacturers can be held responsible for the harm their malfunctioning parts cause.

Workplace Accident Cases

Mishaps can happen in any workplace. When an employee is injured as a result of performing their job, they deserve compensation.

Fortunately, most employees are covered by workers’ compensation insurance. This type of coverage ensures that injured workers can recover the costs of:

• Lost income and wages
• Decreased earning ability
• Medical bills and expenses
• Temporary or permanent disability 

Workers’ compensation claims function differently from other types of personal injury cases, and the workers’ comp process varies from state to state. The seasoned legal team at Morgan and Morgan can help you pursue the benefits you earned through your labor.

Medical Malpractice Cases

Patients across the country trust their doctors to offer them high-quality and trustworthy medical care. Most physicians operate at a professional standard and do their best for their patients. 

However, some medical care providers are negligent in their duties. Whenever a doctor acts negligently, the patient may have grounds for a medical malpractice claim. 

Common examples of medical negligence include the following circumstances: 

• Prescribing inappropriate medications or dosages
• Disregard of the patient’s medical history
• Failure to diagnose or wrong diagnosis
• Failure to order proper tests or labs
• Incorrect or unnecessary surgeries
• Wrong site surgeries
• Other surgical errors
• Anesthesia errors

You should not have to worry that your doctor will cause you additional harm. In the United States, the costs of medical services are exorbitant. 

Medical malpractice often causes patients to need additional care and treatment. The at-fault care provider should be held responsible for the damage they cause.

Product Liability Claims

Manufacturers have a duty to ensure that their products are reasonably safe for consumers. When you buy an item, you should be able to trust that using it for its intended purpose will be safe. 

However, some products are not manufactured to a reasonably safe standard. Imagine a company manufacturing and selling a defective product that causes injury to a consumer. 

In this situation, the consumer could sue the company for damages. The user of the product may allege that the product was not properly designed or manufactured. 

Product liability claims don’t always rely on being able to show that the business was negligent. Companies can be held responsible for the resulting harm even if they took all reasonable steps to ensure the product was safe.

Premises Liability Cases

A premises liability claim is a type of injury lawsuit brought against a property owner, manager, or occupier. Victims can claim damages for injuries sustained on another’s property due to hazardous or unsafe conditions. 

These claims assert that the property owner had a duty to maintain reasonably safe conditions and failed to do so. If this failure resulted in an injury to the plaintiff, they may have a valid claim for financial damages. 

Typical examples of claims for premises liability include: 

• Slip and fall accidents
• Trip and fall accidents
• Inadequate security leading to assault
• Drowning in a swimming pool with inadequate fencing
• Falling accidents resulting from broken flooring or stairs 

The outcome of a premises liability claim depends on various factors. Some important circumstances in this type of case include:

• The actions of the plaintiff and defendant
• The foreseeability of the danger or hazard
• The property owner’s duty to maintain safe premises and their failure to do so 

If you have been harmed while on another person’s property, make sure that you speak with a tort attorney. The team at Morgan & Morgan will help you determine the best way forward.

Dog or Animal Bite Cases

Pet owners have a responsibility to ensure the safety of those around them. When someone sustains a bite from another person’s animal, they can hold the pet owner responsible for the resulting harm. 

The laws surrounding dog bite cases vary by state. Fortunately, Morgan and Morgan is home to more than 800 personal injury lawyers nationwide. 

If a negligent dog owner caused you harm, do not hesitate. Our team of litigators has the experience and knowledge to pursue compensation on your behalf.

What Damages Are Available to Injury Victims?

The legal term for financial payments resulting from tort claims is damages. There are several types of damages that can be awarded in a successful personal injury case. 

Most financial payments awarded to victims are compensatory. This term refers to payments intended to make up for direct losses or harm that the injured party suffered. Common categories of compensatory damages include special and general. 

Special damages are payments for economic losses directly related to the accident or injury. Typical examples include payments for: 

• Medical bills and care expenses
• Expected costs of ongoing medical care
• Lost ability to earn wages over the long term
• Forfeited income and wages from an inability to work
• Property damage, such as vehicle repair or replacement 

Other types of harm do not take the form of economic losses. Compensatory damages to address non-economic damages are known as general. Examples of this type of financial payment in a personal injury case include: 

• Inability to enjoy activities and loss of quality of life
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Depression and anxiety disorders
• Loss of standing or opportunity
• Trauma or emotional distress
• Physical pain or suffering
• Embarrassment

It is challenging to quantify the value of general damages. Because of this, it’s vital to speak with a personal injury lawyer at Morgan & Morgan. Our team will ensure that your claim is not devalued by the opposing party or their insurance provider.