21st Guru

Personal injury is an unfortunate fact of life. For legal purposes personal injury happens when an individual is harmed in some way because of the actions, negligence or carelessness of someone else.

In cases like this where the injury is serious enough to have a significant impact on the injured person’s life the question of “liability” is immediately raised. In many cases this kind of liability translates into the person or company responsible for the injury owing compensation to the injured person.

This is normally why we have liability insurance. If a person is found to be “liable” for personal injury to someone else the insurance company holding that person’s policy will pay the compensation up to the level covered by the insurance policy.

Some of the most common and most devastating personal injuries are those sustained in traffic accidents. Some of these injuries may be relatively minor, while others will be devastating in their impact on a person’s health and well-being.

For example, a common type of injury resulting from a vehicle crash is a neck or back strain The driver of the vehicle that hit you may be found to be liable for your injuries because he or she failed to obey the traffic laws.

Another common type of personal injury is the work-related injury. For example if you work for a construction company and are injured as the result of unsafe conditions in your work place, you will probably be eligible for compensation. You may fall off a poorly constructed scaffold, have a heavy object fall on you from above, or have a heavy machine or truck back over you because of a careless driver.

In all work-related cases it is the responsibility of the employer to provide a safe environment and take reasonable precautions against the possibility of injury or harm to its employees.

Manufacturers can also be liable for personal injury when their products are found to be unsafe or cause harm. Companies sometimes wittingly or unwittingly allow a dangerous or defective product to enter the market. In such a case it may be possible to gain compensation for the costs associated with the pain or suffering caused by the product.

Claims against manufacturers can be filed for a variety of reasons. If you used the product in the proper manner, but were injured or harmed in some way, then the manufacturer may be liable for defective design or even misrepresenting the product.

Many of these cases involve the effects of potentially harmful chemicals as in cases of certain prescription drugs or of the highly-publicized and controversial case of silicone breast implants. Other well known cases involve defective toys or baby equipment which has been found to be dangerous in some situations. Still others involve manufacturing defects in cars or trucks. The best known example is the case of Chevrolet Corvair which Ralph Nader used to achieve national prominence in the 1960s.

All personal injury cases are legally complicated, and since there is usually so much to be gained (or lost) by the parties involved, corporations and insurance companies are often not eager to admit responsibility without a legal fight. That is why it is so important to contact an attorney when you suspect you have been injured as the result of someone or some other party’s actions or negligence.

The goal of a personal injury lawyer is to assist people who have been injured to get the level of compensation they are owed because of their injuries. Without knowledgeable and vigorous representation by an experienced personal injury lawyer it is unlikely an injured party will receive full compensation.

If you are in the Chicago or Morris Illinois area be sure to contact an experienced Grundy County Personal Injury Lawyer or LaSalle County Personal Injury Attorney for the best possible representation when you are injured.