Most people know when to see a lawyer. If you are among the 55% of adult Americans without a will or estate plan, you see an estate lawyer. If you are arrested for DUI, you see a criminal defense lawyer. But when should you see a personal injury firm?
Personal injury occurs anytime you are injured and the legal responsibility for that injury lays with another person or entity. The purpose of personal injury law is to ensure that your damages, including medical bills, lost wages, and property damage, are borne by the responsible party rather than you, the innocent victim.
Here are three examples of cases that can be handled by a personal injury attorney Bellingham, MA residents can trust:
Negligence
Negligence occurs when a person violates a duty of care owed to someone else. For example, doctors owe a duty to patients to provide reasonable medical care. If a doctor fails to meet this standard, the doctor has committed medical malpractice.
It is important to understand that medical malpractice does not occur merely because a bad outcome occurs. However, if the bad outcome occurs due to a failure to provide reasonable medical care, a case for malpractice exists.
Another example of negligence can occur in vehicle accidents. Vehicle accidents are the most common cases handled by personal injury attorneys. Drivers owe each other a reasonable degree of care while driving. A failure to exercise reasonable care can give a Bellingham car accident attorney the basis for a personal injury lawsuit.
Premises Liability
Premises liability is the second most common form of cases that may require a
personal injury attorney Bellingham, MA
knows. Premises liability is a special kind of negligence case that arises from the exclusive control that an owner or manager has over his or her property.
Slip and fall cases, for example, are a form of premises liability. When a customer slips in a store, restaurant, or other public building, a personal injury case may exist if the manager knew (or should have known) of the risk of slipping and failed to remedy it or warn customers of the hazard.
Product Liability
Product liability is a form of strict liability. This means that the manufacturer or designer need not be aware of, or negligent in discovering, the defect. Rather, liability exists once a product is proven to be defective.
There are three types of defects that can be claimed by good injury lawyers:
- Design defect: A product has a design defect if it is inherently dangerous. In other words, a product has a design defect if there is no safe way for the product can be used.
- Manufacturing defect: A manufacturing defect exists when the product has a safe use, but is unsafe due to defective materials or assembly.
- Warning defect: A product has a warning defect if it lacks a warning of the dangers associated with its use.
There are many more types of cases that fall within the category of personal injury. When you have been injured due to the fault of another, seek out a personal injury attorney Bellingham, MA trusts.
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