What Types of Cases Do Personal Injury Lawyers Handle?
Personal injury laws cover a wide variety of accidents and injuries. Most personal injury cases are based on negligence, intentional acts, or other torts. When another party causes you to sustain injuries and harm, you can recover compensation for your injuries and damages.
Personal injury lawyers help injured parties and their families seek compensation after an accident or injury. They help you recover the money they need to pay for medical bills, out-of-pocket expenses, lost wages, and other economic damages.
Injury lawyers also fight to recover compensation for your pain and suffering, decreased quality of life, permanent impairments, and other non-economic damages. The party who caused your injury should be held liable for the devastating losses you experience because of their negligence.
The personal injury lawyers of the McGuire Law Firm handle many different types of personal injury cases, including but not limited to:
Motor Vehicle Accidents
Motor vehicle accidents can include car accidents, pedestrian accidents, and bicycle accidents. Bicyclists and pedestrians struck by vehicles can sustain multiple traumatic injuries and permanent impairments.
Examples of the types of car accidents personal injury lawyers handle include:
- Head-on crashes
- Rear-end collisions
- Sideswipe accidents (T-bone crashes)
- Multi-vehicle accidents
- Rollover accidents
- Intersection accidents
- Highway crashes
Oklahoma is an at-fault state for car accident claims. Drivers must have liability insurance in the amount of $25,000 for bodily injury ($50,000 per accident) and $24,000 for property damage. Unfortunately, a car accident can result in hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages.
Commercial Truck Accidents
Thousands of people are injured or killed in large truck accidents each year. Over 80% of the deaths from large truck accidents in 2020 were occupants of other vehicles and non-occupants (i.e., bicyclists, pedestrians, etc.).
A semi-truck accident can cause catastrophic injuries and life-threatening conditions. The truck driver, trucking company, and other parties could be liable for damages. However, the insurance company and the trucking company aggressively investigate and fight claims.
Truck accident lawyers understand the complex federal laws and regulations for the trucking industry. They also have the time, resources, and experience necessary to investigate and pursue truck accident claims.
Dog Bites
Oklahoma dog bite laws hold dog owners strictly liable for damages caused by their dog attacking or biting a person. However, other parties could also be liable under negligence laws if they breached a duty of care owed to the victim. Liable parties could include property owners, landlords, managers, business owners, and government agencies.
A dog attack can cause permanent nerve damage, significant disfigurement, and other painful and debilitating injuries. Victims can recover damages for their financial losses, pain and suffering, and permanent impairments. They may also recover compensation for the psychological damages caused by a dog attack.
Wrongful Death Claims
A wrongful death occurs when the negligent or intentional acts or omissions of one person cause the death of another person. Wrongful death claims may arise because of accidents, violence, and other personal injuries.
In Oklahoma, a personal representative for the deceased person’s estate files the wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of the heirs. If a personal representative has not been named or cannot be named, the right to file a wrongful death lawsuit falls to the surviving spouse and then to the next of kin.
Wrongful death claims can be confusing. A wrongful death lawyer helps the family navigate the process of filing a claim or lawsuit. The attorney also pursues compensation for all damages available under the Oklahoma wrongful death statute.
Slip and Fall Accidents
Slip and fall accidents fall under premises liability laws. A property owner can be held liable for damages if a person is injured on their property. That includes homeowners, commercial property owners, business owners, landlords, government entities, and tenants.
A slip and fall accident can result in disabling spinal cord injuries, broken bones, and head injuries. A victim can receive compensation for past and future damages.
Proving liability for a slip and fall accident can be challenging. You must prove the elements of a premises liability case. A personal injury attorney investigates the claim to gather evidence proving the property owner knew or should have known about a hazardous condition and failed to remedy the danger or warn people about the danger.
Medical Malpractice Claims
Doctors, hospitals, and other medical providers owe a duty of care to their patients. Medical negligence and medical errors may breach the duty of care. Health care providers that cause injuries to patients can be held liable for damages.
However, not all bad outcomes result in medical malpractice. An injury lawyer hires medical experts to examine the case to provide expert opinions explaining how the doctor failed to meet the standard of care and that failure resulted in the patient’s injuries and damages.
Product Liability Claims
Defective products may cause injuries because of a defective design or manufacturing defect. In some cases, a lack of warning labels or adequate instructions can be why a person sustained injuries because of a product.
Product liability claims involve any type of product sold to or used by consumers. Examples include appliances, medications, children’s toys, medical devices, vehicle airbags, tools, vaping devices, and household products.
Proving a product was defective can be difficult. You may need experts to examine the products to identify the defect. Personal injury lawyers have the resources and legal knowledge to pursue large corporations that put profits above public safety.
How Can a Personal Injury Lawyer Help You With Your Accident or Injury Claim?
After an injury or accident, an insurance adjuster may contact you about a claim. You could still be healing from injuries, but the adjuster pressures you to accept a settlement for your injury claim.
Personal injury lawyers protect you from bad faith insurance practices and aggressive insurance adjusters. They work to get you the money you deserve after an accident or personal injury.
Ways a personal injury lawyer helps you with your case include:
- Explaining your legal rights and options for seeking compensation for injuries and damages
- Investing the cause of your injury to gather evidence proving fault
- Using the law firm’s resources to retain expert witnesses, investigators, accident reconstructionists, and other parties to assist with the case as necessary
- Identify all parties who could be liable for your personal injury claim
- Fight claims of contributory fault if you are blamed for an accident
- File insurance claims and handle all communications and negotiations with the insurance company
- Monitor the statute of limitations for filing lawsuits
- Document damages and calculate the value of your damages
- Prepare and file a lawsuit if the other party refuses to agree to a fair settlement
Your personal injury attorney also guides you through the claims process while providing support. If you have questions or concerns, you can contact your lawyer for help. You have a trusted source for legal advice and a legal team fighting to protect your best interests.
Schedule Your Free Consultation With Our Oklahoma Personal Injury Lawyers
You deserve to be compensated for all damages caused by an accident or personal injury. Our legal team works to put as much money in your pocket as possible. Contact our law firm to schedule a free case evaluation with our experienced personal injury attorneys.
