When someone we know is injured and it was not their fault, we often think of hiring a lawyer to get things put back in place where they were before and be compensated for pain and suffering. There are several elements that make up an individual’s damages when they are injured. Proving injuries and damages may be a complex task best suited for an experienced personal injury attorney. When most non-lawyers are asked for a referral to an attorney, they might first think of anyone they know in the practice of law. Others might know several lawyers and appreciate they work in a variety of practice areas. To avoid confusion and help people know what it really means to practice a certain area of law, it makes sense to offer some details and examples of the type of cases an attorney may manage. In this article we focus on the details of personal injury practice.
Types of personal injuries and several sources of their possible causes
Children’s injuries are often accidents resulting from curiosity and inexperience as well as every other danger present in their world. A child riding a bike might inadvertently cross the path of a car backing from a driveway or passing on a roadway. Pedestrian and bicycle accidents are common among children and adults. When a minor child causes an accident, parents may also be liable for damages to the injured person. Another injury to children might be a dog bite. Children might be curious around dogs and put themselves into situations where a dog is inadvertently provoked or scared and bites the child causing injury involving a hospital visit, shots and potential scarring.
Neck, back and spinal cord injuries are common in automobile and motorcycle accidents. In rear-end collisions the person hit by another car, for example, may be shaken and have minor surface injuries. When there are no broken bones most people assume they are just shaken and upset. The next day or two can involve whiplash symptoms and pain in the neck or back. A chiropractor may take x-rays to treat neck and back injuries. It can take some time for an injured person to return to normal, if at all. Many times an injured motorist seeks treatment with the chiropractor or a physical therapist to conclusion before the law firm seeks to settle with the insurance company of the person at fault for the accident.
Bone fractures, dislocations and amputations can result from a product that fails and causes injury due to its defective design, construction or use. If a camping stove, for example, somehow explodes causing injury to the user, there could be a human operator error problem as well as a design or construction defect. In many cases, the manufacturer of a faulty or dangerous product is strictly liable for injuries suffered by users. Damages that plaintiffs receive can compensate them for their actual expenses and hospital bills as well as pain and suffering; a plaintiff might recover additional damages in certain circumstances. Product defect and liability cases can also result in manufacturers placing warning labels and notifying users of potentially dangerous conditions. These lawsuits are complex and take considerable time but may lead to important outcomes.
Chemical and burn injuries can happen around construction and industrial work and accidents. The injuries sustained around worksites can be an employee’s fault as well as that of management, in the event they failed to keep workers safe from known dangers or failed to properly train or warn workers. When personal injuries happen on the job a worker’s compensation case may be filed with the employee’s workers compensation insurer. The injuries resulting from chemical burns can be permanent and the employee may be compensated for the permanence of their injuries.
Brain damage and neurological injuries are possible in slip, fall and trip cases, occurring at home or at a place of business or in public. If a grocery store patron slips and falls due to the store management’s failure to clean or warn of a slippery or dangerous floor, the shopper could suffer a concussion from hitting their head on a display case during a fall. Traumatic brain injuries can are complex and their care and treatment can take considerable time and effort. The long-term effects of neurological injuries and issues are currently active areas of study and as more information is learned about long-term effects, the better personal injury lawyers are able to represent their clients in working with insurance companies involved in settling or litigating slip, fall and trip cases.
Wrongful death is an injury that cannot be healed, only compensated. The compensation involved is often paid to the decedent’s estate and might need to cover the cost of burial and medical bills incurred in trying to save the individual’s life. A wrongful death lawsuit might involve a lawsuit for medical or hospital malpractice or mistake. Malpractice cases are unique compared to other personal injury cases. Sometimes during the routine care of a patient, there is a death. Not all deaths are due to a doctor or hospital’s wrong conduct. However, when the level of care falls below certain standards, the insurance company may settle with the family of the deceased. There are values to all types of injuries and losses.
The law firm of Michael V. Favia & Associates works with injured clients in traditional personal injury cases, worker’s compensation cases, malpractice cases in all the scenarios described in this article. With a vast healthcare professional network of doctors and experts, Favia and his team can help Chicago area individuals and their families recover from injuries and get back to daily life.
Michael V. Favia & Associates’ offices are conveniently located in the Chicago Loop, Northwest side and suburban meeting locations, you can schedule a discrete meeting with an attorney at your convenience and discretion. For more about Michael V. Favia & Associates’ professional licensing work, please visit www.FaviaLawFirm.com and feel free to “Like” the firm on Facebook and “Follow” the firm on Twitter.
