The legal system is notoriously confusing and hard for laypeople to understand, especially when it comes to things like personal injury. If you’ve been injured but are not sure if you have a legitimate claim, here is a bit of information about three of the most common reasons that people file personal injury claims.
Traffic Accidents
The most common reason for lawsuits in America is traffic accidents which account for about 55 million of them. Traffic accidents are also a very common cause for personal injury lawsuits, since car crash injuries can cause loss of wages, loss of ability to work, and pain and suffering. Matters related to traffic accidents, like pedestrian injuries, are also a common cause of personal injury claims.
Medical Malpractice
Another common reason for personal injury lawsuits is medical malpractice, which has the highest median damage awards at $600,000. Medical malpractice usually involves an injury (or death) that is sustained due to a doctor’s negligence. In these cases, the injured needs to prove that there was an official professional doctor-patient relationship, that the doctor was negligent, that there was an injury, and that the injury was a direct result of the doctor’s negligence.
Product liability
A third common reason for a personal injury lawsuit is product liability, which refers to an injury that is sustained from the use of a product. There are three main types of product liability cases. The first is defects in manufacturing, which means that a product was made dangerous during the production process. The second is defects in design which means that though the product was manufactured with no defects, the original design had dangerous flaws. The third type is failure to warn, which means that the product did not adequately warn the user of a dangerous aspect of the product.
This is not an exhaustive list of the reasons that people file personal injury claims, but these are the most common. If you think you may have a personal injury claim or would like to explore your options, you should contact an attorney for professional advice. Research more here.