What Injuries Does Personal Injury Law Include?

Those who are injured in situations that involve another person’s negligence have the right to seek compensation under personal injury law. Any physical harm that you sustain by careless, reckless, or intentional behavior can be covered in these types of civil cases.

You can also seek compensation for emotional and psychological harm endured, which is easier to prove with the help of an Atlanta personal injury lawyer. Some types of injuries are more common than others, but personal injury attorneys can generally assist you in your pursuit of justice for your financial losses, no matter the kind of injury.

Lawyers who practice personal injury law see many of the same types of injuries when representing their clients. Physical injuries can include anything from minor cuts and bruises to torn ligaments and whiplash. They can also include severe types of injuries that leave victims with permanent, life-altering changes, such as spinal cord injuries and paralysis.

Emotional and psychological harm is also closely linked to physical injuries, though a plaintiff may not have physical injuries to accompany them. If you suffered emotional or psychological harm in the absence of any physical injuries, it is important to speak with a lawyer right away to learn more about the legal options you may have in these circumstances.

As for more specific injuries, personal injury lawyers often have clients who suffer the following injuries:

Traumatic Brain Injuries

Traumatic brain injuries, or TBIs, are very complex, largely due to the complex nature of the brain. Some victims may suffer a concussion in a car crash and recover just fine, while others may have long-term effects from their concussion. Severe TBIs can leave a victim with cognitive impairment, and in some cases, can lead to coma or death.

Spinal Cord Injuries

Since the spine has many important functions and is the lifeline of the human body, suffering these kinds of injuries is generally serious. Depending on the type of injury the spinal cord sustains, as well as its location along the spine, victims may be partially or fully paralyzed.

Burn Injuries

Explosions of any kind, fires, and chemicals can burn victims, and the damage these burns cause will depend on their depth in the flesh. Someone with a first-degree burn may experience great pain, but since it only affects the outer layer of the skin, it is unlikely to cause lasting harm. Second-degree burns go down into the dermis and cause more damage, while third-degree burns are even more serious, with the potential to damage muscles, tendons, and bones.

Emotional and Psychological Harm

As mentioned, many of these injuries can lead to emotional and psychological impacts, either from the traumatic experience or by grappling with the life-altering changes they have caused. Many victims experience anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of accidents.

Wrongful Death

There are also some injuries that victims will not survive, either immediately or after receiving medical care. Fatal injuries that are the result of someone else’s negligence are known as wrongful death claims. They happen in many ways, from car crashes to intentional crimes, leaving the victim’s family to suffer in grief.

Motor vehicle accidents occur the most frequently and are a common cause of personal injuries and injury claims. These accidents include car crashes, truck wrecks, motorcycle accidents, bus crashes, bicycle and pedestrian accidents, and rideshare accidents.

Some accidents happen on someone else’s property, either at a private residence, business, or public venue. They are covered by premises liability laws, which are a subset of personal injury law. Most of them involve slip and fall accidents where an owner knew or should have known about a potential hazard and did nothing to prevent injury. Dog bites are another common type of premises liability occurrence.

Defective products that cause injuries fall under product liability claims. Workplace accidents can also become personal injury cases when a third party is involved, or the employer is negligent in retaining workers’ compensation insurance to provide benefits to their employees.

Many people are surprised to learn that assault and battery can also be a type of personal injury case. While the criminal justice system will dole out punishments to offenders, civil courts often see lawsuits for harm caused through assault, battery, and other crimes.

Each of these types of personal injury cases allows victims to seek compensation for the medical bills associated with their injuries. They may also recover lost income, costs for property damage, mental anguish, pain and suffering, disfigurement, and loss of enjoyment of life.