An unexpected injury can change your life in profound ways. While some accidents are genuinely random – no amount of precaution could have stopped them from happening – many injuries could have been prevented if someone had been more careful.
When we go out into the world, we expect the people around us not to expose us to unreasonable dangers. Whether it’s a stranger on the street, a rideshare driver, a contractor on a construction site, or a trucking company, everyone is part of a social agreement to take the right amount of care in a situation in order to avoid needlessly hurting other people.
Whenever someone drops the ball – whenever they overlook a dangerous condition, fail to warn of a hazard, or put a defective product on the market – they put other people’s lives in danger. This type of negligence can lead to personal injuries, where the person responsible compensates the person they injured for all of their losses.
What Are the Most Common Types of Personal Injury Claims?
Every personal injury is unique to the people involved, the circumstances that caused the injury, and the severity of the injuries that resulted. If you’ve been hurt because of someone else’s actions, a personal injury lawyer can help you get compensation for your medical bills, out-of-pocket expenses, lost income, and physical and emotional pain.
Traffic Accident Injuries
The most common types of injuries come from traffic accidents – whether you’re driving a car, riding a bicycle or motorcycle, or walking as a pedestrian, the road can be a dangerous place. Add oversized tractor-trailer trucks into the mix and there’s plenty to worry about.
From distracted, texting, or drunk drivers to speeding vehicles and reckless maneuvers, traffic accidents can cause serious injuries like broken bones, spinal cord injuries, and even fatalities. If you’ve experienced a car accident that was not your fault, a personal injury lawyer can help you put responsibility where it belongs and recover damages for your losses.
Slips, Falls, and Premises Liability
A slip and fall may sound minor, but falling incidents can cause significant injuries, especially among older adults. Wherever you go, property owners have a responsibility to keep the premises safe and warn visitors about potential hazards. In some cases, the law requires property owners to actively inspect their property for potential unknown hazards.
If you slip and fall on a wet floor, trip over uneven pavement, or fall down a poorly maintained staircase because of someone’s negligence, you could file a legal claim for damages.
Traumatic Brain Injuries
Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are head injuries that have lasting effects on your cognitive, physical, and emotional capabilities. Whether you hit your head on an amusement park ride or suffered a concussion in a car accident, even “mild” TBI tend to require extensive medical treatment and rehabilitative care, sometimes with lifelong consequences.
Construction Site Accidents
Construction worksites are inherently dangerous. According to surveys, 20% of all worker fatalities in the private sector happen in the construction industry – but bystanders are also at risk. While injuries can still happen even with all the right safety precautions, construction companies must take steps to minimize the risk of accidents.
If a construction company or third-party contractor creates a hazardous condition, fails to inspect the area for dangers, uses faulty equipment, or takes inadequate safety measures on site, their negligence can put workers, visitors, and bystanders at risk of serious injuries.
Defective Products Liability
Every day, we use a wide range of products with the assumption that they’re safe. Some products are made for lifesaving purposes – medications, medical devices, seatbelts, airbags – so the stakes can be extremely high if they end up malfunctioning. But even innocuous household items like pressure cookers and other appliances can be hazardous when defective.
Manufacturers have a legal duty to consumers to avoid putting people in unreasonable danger when using their products. That means putting in quality controls to create products that are safe from design defects and manufacturing defects. It also means including warnings where necessary so that consumers don’t accidentally hurt themselves. Sometimes, defective products affect thousands or even millions of people, leading to class-action lawsuits.
Aviation and Airplane Accidents
In general, air travel is extremely safe, especially on commercial airlines. But aviation accidents can still happen – from plane crashes to in-flight injuries – especially on smaller, independently operated aircraft such as single-engine airplanes and helicopters.
Aircraft have to go through a number of maintenance and safety checks before they’re deemed safe to fly. Pilots must be properly trained, sober, and rested. If airline companies cut corners or skip steps, they can put lives at risk – and injury victims deserve justice.
Wrongful Death Claims
Tragically, some accidents prove to be fatal. Surviving friends and family members are left to pick up the pieces when their loved one passes away unexpectedly. While no amount of compensation can replace a life lost, a survivor’s claim or wrongful death settlement can help ease the financial burden on you and your family during a difficult time.
Getting Justice for Your Injuries
An unexpected injury isn’t something you have to shrug off or shoulder on your own, especially if your injuries were caused by someone else’s negligent actions.
Under the law, whoever is responsible for causing an injury is also accountable for paying for the consequences. As a victim of someone else’s negligence, you should not be the one left on the hook for paying all of the related medical bills and expenses. If your injuries make you unable to work, that lost income should also be covered by the person responsible.
An experienced California personal injury lawyer can help you understand your rights, investigate the incident, gather evidence for your case, negotiate with insurance companies, and even represent you in court if necessary. At Sepulveda Sanchez Law, we take personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis, which means you don’t even pay any legal fees unless we win your case and recover financial compensation for you.
Contact us now for your free consultation with our knowledgeable legal team.