It’s important to contact a Philadelphia PA personal injury lawyer if you have been injured in an accident due to negligence. While injuries resulting from automobile accidents are the most common types of cases, there are actually a wide range of short-term and long-term injuries that you may be able to collect damages for. Your personal injury lawyer can assess your situation, determine liability, and decide whether you have a case that will stand up in court. Here are some of the most common injury scenarios that personal injury lawyers can help with.
Slip and Fall Accidents
If you have been injured in a fall, a personal injury lawyer can help you determine whether you have a claim. Thousands of people each year are injured in slip and fall accidents, whether on a dangerous floor, flight of stairs, or rough patch of ground. In determining liability, your lawyer assesses whether the owner of the premises caused the slippery or dangerous surface conditions and/or knew about it but did nothing to rectify the situation.
Brain Injuries
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), every year, as many as 1.4 million Americans suffer a brain injury. Brain injuries are defined as “some sort of physical trauma to the head that causes a disruption to the brain’s normal functioning,” with injuries ranging from mild to severe. Common causes of brain injury include car accidents, slip and fall accidents, contact and non-contact sports, workplace accidents, and assault. Most brain injury lawsuits are based on negligence claims, and your personal injury lawyer can determine if there is liability that can be proven.
Spinal Injuries
The bottom line is, the impact of spinal injuries on the lives of the victim and his or her family can be devastating and very costly. According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, motor vehicle accidents are responsible for 42.1 percent of spinal cord injuries, falls for 26.7 percent, acts of violence for 15.1 percent, and recreational sports activities for 7.6 percent. The two most common legal bases for spinal cord injury lawsuits involve injuries caused by negligence and injuries caused by defective products such as a faulty seatbelt or airbag.
Dog Bites
While most of the millions of dog bites that occur each year aren’t serious, many can result in time lost from work, medical bills, and suffering. Pennsylvania law imposes strict liability for all damages where the injuries are severe or the dog has a past history of violence. In this state, the owner also has strict liability for any medical bills, even without proven negligence. However, if the dog owner was negligent or violated an animal control law, then you may be able to recover full compensation.