The Ins and Outs of Personal Injury Law

Personal injury law relates to a wide body of law that governs personal injuries. These are personal injuries sustained in a number of ways and which require treatment, consultation, rehabilitation or compensation. This area of law protects those harmed by recklessness, accident, malpractice and negligence. It also covers claims ranging from motor accidents, product defects, workers compensation and drug defects. Personal injury lawyers specialize in these claims.

If you have suffered a personal injury, you may be eligible for compensation for the resulting injury. This will be in the form of damages -- financial compensation that will cover loss of income as a result of the injury, emotional stress, pain and suffering, disabilities and any kind of distress caused by the injury.

There are a number of areas that are covered in the spectrum of injury law. Each case is decided based on two factors, liability and damages. Who is responsibility and on what level and the severity of the damage. Liability is decided based on three levels, negligence, strict liability and intentional wrong. A personal injury lawyer will work through these factors with you to decide on the direction of the case.

• Negligence – If you are claiming negligence you are claiming the defendant could have prevented the accident and is therefore responsible for not having done so.
• Strict liability – This is determined predominantly where a product has been found to be defective and as a result has caused injury.
• Intentional wrong - These claims are often filed alongside criminal claims. This is where a person has intentionally inflicted or caused a personal injury.

You may be eligible to claim if you have sustained an injury in any of the following ways.

• A fall – If you injure yourself during a slip or fall on someone else's property you may be able to claim premises liability. An accident lawyer will assist you with a claim like this.
• Motor vehicle accidents – Accidents involving cars, trucks or motorbike cause serious personal injuries. An accident lawyer or personal injury lawyer can help with these claims.
• Medical Negligence – In the case of negligence, malpractice or medical mistakes you can claim under personal injury law.
• Drug defects – If you have sustained injury through the use of prescription drugs that have a defect, have serious side effects or have been recalled.
• Wrongful deaths – When a person is killed as a result of negligence their family has the right to claim damages.
• Work place injury – Any injury sustained in the work place can be claimed with the help of a personal injury lawyer.
• Dog bites – Owners of dogs that bite others will be held liable for sustained injuries.
• Product defects – Injuries sustained as a result of defective products.
• Birth Injury – Babies who suffer birth defects as a result of negligence or medical malpractice.