When you’re the victim of any kind of personal injury, it can be difficult to recognize what you’re owed by the other party. Unfortunately, many possibly-viable personal injury lawsuits aren’t pursued because the injured parties don’t feel that they can handle such lawsuits, or blame themselves for their situations — or simply dismiss them as accidents. The fact is that in many cases that could be called “accidents”, someone — or in some cases a larger entity, like a company — is responsible and should be held responsible. Personal injury lawsuits need to be pursued for emotional, moral, and practical reasons. People do need closure, and the recognition that they were not at fault. Furthermore, some personal injury lawsuits have drawn attention to serious issues, like medical malpractice or reckless driving, making them moral victories. But perhaps most importantly, the money you win through a personal injury lawsuit victory or settlement can cover things like medical bills. Sometimes, victims of everything from car accidents to workplace accidents and medical malpractice will need physical therapy or other types of medical attention for the rest of their lives. You deserve to get what you’re owed, no matter what. With that being said, we’ll look into some of the different types of personal injury lawsuits that people may pursue, and why finding a good attorney for such lawsuits is crucial.
1. Medical Malpractice Lawsuits
Chances are that you’ve heard of medical malpractice settlements on the news. The unfortunate thing is that oftentimes, these lawsuits are portrayed negatively by the press, and lawyers who get medical malpractice settlements for their clients are sometimes called “ambulance chasers”. The fact is that doctors are fallible, and sometimes make mistakes — but if the mistakes were avoidable, it’s important that they are held responsible both personally and financially. Medical malpractice can devastate people’s lives, and even kill them. In fact, it’s estimated that 98,000 Americans die of medical errors each year, with 7,000 people dying of medication errors. If you believe that you or someone you love has been improperly treated by a medical professional, you may have the basis for a medical malpractice claim. Typically, surgery errors were responsible for 34% of inpatient incidents leading to medical malpractice claims. However, 46% of medical malpractice claims were made up of errors in diagnosis. Medical malpractice settlements vary in size, but are meant to help people recover from the fallout caused by medical malpractice. Those who benefit from medical malpractice settlements aren’t always simply the victims themselves, but also their families and caretakers.
2. Workers Compensation
Workers compensation laws were put in place to protect employees from the consequences of getting hurt on the job — and while those laws are also meant to protect employees from being taken advantage of by their employers, they aren’t always properly followed. Still, with 74% of states requiring employers to have workers compensation coverage, it’s quite likely that you are owed workers compensation if you’ve been injured on the job. It’s important to speak to an attorney about workers compensation. Legal representation can sometimes be a precaution in workers compensation cases — at times, your employer will follow through on workers compensation without issue. But in many cases, it can be difficult to navigate your rights regarding workers compensation. As a workplace injury can put you out of work and make you unable to earn money for an extended period of time — or even permanently — you should act quickly, and get the compensation you deserve.
3. Traffic Accidents
Car accidents can be devastating. Even if you escape from an accident without a serious injury, you will at the least have to pay for the damages caused to your car, and perhaps even replace it. With that being said, if you were the wronged party in the accident, you may be able to get compensation from the person at fault. In a case like this, you should get in touch with an attorney as soon as possible.