Personal injury claims made in the U.S. every year go into the hundreds of thousands. The majority of personal injury claims are settled outside of court or dismissed, with just 3% of cases resulting in a dramatic trial.
While such things shouldn’t happen in the first place, this isn’t something any government has been able to control. What they can do, however, is to get the victims their justified compensation and punish the culprit if the actions were intentional. We have personal injury laws for this very reason. Whether you are injured on the road or a private property, the person responsible for creating those circumstances will be trialed under the court of law.
DSS Law Firm, a personal injury law firm based in New Jersey, says that rising claims numbers are a result of a lack of care and attention when it comes to matters of health and safety.
They are highlighting the five most common personal injury claims made in America to raise awareness of health and safety.
You can click here to read more about the work carried out by this New Jersey law firm.
Auto Accidents
Auto accidents make up the bulk of major personal injury cases, with 6 million accidents occurring every year across the country. These range from minor collisions to fatal multi-car pileups.
With America’s crumbling infrastructure, more cars on the road, and cheap gas prices, auto accidents continue to rise every year. It is illegal to bring a vehicle on the road before getting its insurance in most states. Which means that most people have auto insurances, so it becomes a fight between the victim and an insurance company, or the insurance company of the victim and insurance company of the person at fault.
These cases almost always involve lawyers and a non-technical person without any legal help can’t get his due compensation. While personal injury cases are mostly settled outside the courts in this situation, it would be foolish not to prepare for trials and investigation.
Slip and Fall Cases
Slip and fall cases account for around 7 million injuries across the nation every year. These incidents most often occur in places of business. A lack of proper cleaning and appropriate warning signs are the main reasons why slip and fall cases remain stubbornly high.
DSS Law Firm states that although most slip and fall cases sound innocuous, serious injuries can and do occur, particularly if the victim has existing physical health problems or they are senior citizens.
Whether it happens at the workplace, a public place, or private residence, it’s the responsibility of the owner to provide a safe environment. The victim has the right to take legal action and get compensation for injuries and other inconvenience. The compensation depends on the caused injury, and that also if there was something the owner could have done something to prevent those circumstances but he didn’t.
Worker’s Comp Claims
These claims are made by workers who are injured at their place of business. Employers are legally responsible for the health and well-being of everyone who works for them. For this reason, every state except Texas requires employers to carry worker’s comp.
Businesses can protect themselves against worker’s comp claims by revamping their health and safety policies and ensuring the rules are properly enforced. Depending on the type of the business, there are different rules and policies the employer must adhere to. The case is most likely to go in the favor of the victim employee if the employer ignored those rules.
Medical Malpractice
Medical malpractice claims are known to provide settlements of seven-figures and above. Despite these dramatic cases, the majority of medical malpractice cases are settled for much lower amounts.
These cases can lead to permanent injuries and disabilities. They also represent a breaking of trust between patients and healthcare providers.
Medical malpractice claims are notoriously complex, and victims should hire an experienced medical malpractice attorney before proceeding with their case.
Product Liability
Product liability cases occur when members of the public are injured by the products they come into contact with. Businesses are liable for any injuries or illnesses that occur as a direct result of their products.
For example, Owens Corning Corp had to pay $1.2 billion in 1998 due to the presence of asbestos in their products.
DSS Law Firm wants to make it clear that anyone who is involved in an accident that wasn’t their fault is entitled to get justice. Before launching any lawsuit, victims should hire a personal injury attorney to support them along the way.
In the meantime, companies need to do more to protect both their employees and the public against any risks caused by their business activities.