Personal injury law covers situations in which you have been injured in an accident that was caused by a person or an organization’s reckless, careless, or negligent actions. In personal injury law, you must prove to the courts that you have suffered serious injury.
What is a serious injury and how do you prove it?
Essentially, if you’ve gone to the hospital, your injuries are already well documented, so that step is taken care of, at least initially. Serious injuries include broken bones, amputations, burns, spinal injuries, loss of vision or hearing, brain injuries, and anything that might be considered a permanent disabling injury.
It must be clear, that your health care providers believe that your injuries were caused by the personal injury accident. Document everything – all medical care. Immediately after the crash, if possible, you or someone with you should take photos of yourself, especially if you have bruises and are all banged up. This helps insurers to understand the extent initially of your injuries, too.
Factors to take into account that help prove serious injury has occurred:
- How long did it or will it take for your injuries to improve?
- Did your injuries keep your from being able to perform your work?
- Have you been able to return to work or must you seek a different employment?
- Have you had to hire someone to help you care for yourself or do things you normally would have done if you have not been injured?
- Do you have copies of your medical bills and a history of your medical treatment?
- What do the doctors say about your recovery?
- What sort of future medical care might you need?
Sometimes, a person suffers serious injuries that are not visible to the eye and that you might not even connect with the accident, initially. These types of serious injuries include soft-tissue damage and traumatic brain injury. Each year, more than 1.4 million people suffer traumatic brain injury. Symptoms can include everything from depression, irritability, inappropriate behavior, mood swings, difficulty performing a regular job, and more. These, too, might be considered serious injury.
As well, a soft-tissue injury from a whiplash car crash could potentially turn into a chronic, long-term trauma. Sometimes, the stress of such an accident has been linked to auto-immune illnesses such as fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. In situations like these, the insurance company will likely not be your best kindly friend. An experienced lawyer, however, can fight for your rights and help you seek the compensation that is your right as a result of the injuries and losses you have suffered through no fault of your own.
Personal injuries are just that – they are personal to you, and they are injuries. In legal terms, a personal injury is called a “tort.” Tort law is civil law, as opposed to criminal law.
Personal Injury Law: Contact The Pryor Law Firm
The Pryor Law Firm maintains offices in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Nassau County. We handle personal injury cases exclusively on a contingency fee basis (meaning you pay no fee unless we recover compensation for you), and we can visit you or your loved one at home or at a hospital if travel is too difficult. To contact us for confidential advice following a serious injury or fatal accident, submit our online contact form or call (855) 889-5311.
To learn more about our results, visit our results page.
Firm founder Kenneth A. Pryor is a member of the prestigious Million Dollar Advocates Forum. Mr. Pryor is an experienced trial lawyer who teaches trial skills as an adjunct law school professor. Our firm can provide the knowledgeable and experienced legal representation you need.
+Disclaimer: The above case results are samples of some of the verdicts and settlements that were obtained through the efforts of Kenneth A. Pryor during his career as lead counsel or co-counsel and the results were dependent on the specific facts of each individual case. Prior results are no guarantee of a similar outcome or future success. Each case is unique and the final outcome of negotiations or trial is never guaranteed. In some cases, the verdicts may have been reduced by a court or settled by the parties for a lesser amount.