Personal injury is an area of law designed to protect those harmed by the negligence, recklessness, malpractice, or inaction of others. Also called tort law , personal injury law encompasses a full range of legal claims, from wrongful death, auto accidents, and medical malpractice to defective drugs, product liability, and workers' compensation.
There are basically three types of personal injury claims: negligence, strict liability and intentional wrongdoing. Negligence occurs when the person or person's actions were unreasonably unsafe. Strict liability makes some person or persons responsible for damages their actions or products cause, regardless of any fault on their part. Intentional wrongdoings are those wrongs which the person or persons knew or should have known would occur through their actions or inactions. Some examples of intentional wrongs are: assault, battery, defamation, false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
In a personal injury case the injured person may sue for monetary damages. Among the types of damages the injured party may recover are: loss of earnings, pain and suffering, and reasonable medical expenses. They include both present and future expected losses. Generally, there are two types of damages: compensatory and punitive. Compensatory damages are intended to compensate the injured party for his loss or injury. Punitive damages are awarded to punish a wrongdoer.
The following are some of the most common types of personal injury cases: