Personal Injury Lawyer | Drexel Hill
Many accidents are not accidents. Instead, some of these “accidents” are entirely avoidable. Learning that another person’s negligence caused your injury, loss, and pain is difficult to comprehend. It’s important to remember that you have rights. The first step is knowing who or what is responsible for your losses.
While an accident can be a significant setback, a personal injury lawyer in Drexel Hill is here to help. Your losses are recoverable and can help you and your family get your lives back on track. Read on to learn more about personal injury cases and what you may be entitled to recover.
Common Types of Personal Injury Cases
Personal injury cases encompass many situations where a person suffers injuries due to someone else’s negligence. The most common types of personal injury cases seen by attorneys include:
- Car accidents,
- Bicycle accidents,
- Commercial truck accidents,
- Pedestrian accidents,
- Slip and fall,
- Medical malpractice,
- Work-related injuries,
- Products liability, and
- Dog bites.
Anyone can sustain accidents under various circumstances; the list above is not comprehensive. Winning a personal injury case requires establishing the following four elements of a negligence claim:
- Duty—the defendant owed you a duty of care;
- Breach—the defendant breached this duty of care through their conduct;
- Causation—the defendant’s breach caused you to suffer injuries and other losses; and
- Damages—you suffered damages due to the injuries.
Speak with an attorney to review the details of your accident and determine whether you may have a right to compensation. Your attorney will unpack the facts and collect the necessary evidence to build a strong case on your behalf and hold the right party responsible.
Common Injuries Suffered in Personal Injury Cases
A personal injury law firm in Drexel Hill sees various types of injuries ranging from mild to catastrophic. Even the most minor injuries can create discomfort and interrupt your daily life. More severe injuries change everything about your prior life, including your ability to work, interact with family and friends, and engage in the activities you used to enjoy.
Traumatic Brain Injury
Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are common after a personal injury accident and are often the most serious. Victims can suffer from lifelong debilitating headaches and a permanent change in their daily life. TBIs can affect cognitive abilities, including memory recall, the ability to pay attention, and diminished communication. Some victims have to stop work and rely on daily medical attention to function.
Neck Injuries
Neck injuries are common and can range in severity. Pinched nerves in the neck usually heal within a month but may cause shoulder, arm, and hand pain. The nerves in the neck also affect the back and make movement difficult. While these injuries often do heal without issue, victims can suffer for months in pain until the nerve damage ceases.
Back Injuries
Work-related injuries often result in back injuries from lifting heavy items or operating machinery. Back injuries are frequently chronic and require physical therapy and other medical interventions to minimize a life of pain and discomfort. Herniated discs, slipped discs, and fractures usually require surgery, resulting in lengthy recovery periods.
Spinal Cord Injury
Spinal cord injuries are particularly frightening due to their ability to permanently affect a body’s nervous system and ability to communicate with the brain. Those suffering from severe spinal cord injuries may be paralyzed from either the waist or neck down. These individuals require a lifetime of care and, at the bare minimum, intensive medical assistance as they get used to this new way of life.
Burns
Those involved in car accidents, work-related incidents, or sometimes product liability accidents may suffer burns on their body. These burns range in severity. While minor burns usually heal, burns on the face, arms, and legs result in permanent scarring, affecting a victim’s mental health and emotional well-being. Other burns can make the area numb or hypersensitive to the touch.
Bone Breaks
Broken bones and fractures are common occurrences in all types of personal injury cases. Aside from being painful, bone breaks may limit your mobility while a bone is healing and temporarily sideline you from activities you previously enjoyed. While most broken bones heal without issue, complications can occur, making it challenging to resume the life you had before your accident.
Internal Bleeding and Other Damage
Internal bleeding is a severe condition that can often go undetected in the aftermath of an accident. Initially, this condition may be symptom-free, leading a victim to believe themselves lucky; however, untreated, internal bleeding creates severe complications to the organs and, in some situations, causes death.
Whiplash
Whiplash is a soft tissue injury that typically resolves itself within days or weeks of an accident. However, the injury creates severe pain while the victim heals and causes limited neck mobility, headaches, dizziness, and fatigue.
What Can I Recover?
Philadelphia law permits victims injured in personal injury cases to recover compensatory damages through economic and noneconomic damages. In some instances, the personal injury law firm you hire in Drexel Hill may advise you to pursue punitive damages in addition to these compensatory damages.
Economic damages represent financial losses caused by your accident. Common examples include:
- Medical expenses,
- Lost wages,
- Loss of future earnings, and
- Property damage.
Personal injury lawyers calculate the value of these damages by reviewing pay stubs, invoices, receipts, and other similar documentation.
Noneconomic damages are subjective losses, usually relating to the pain and suffering caused by an accident. Due to their intangible nature, these losses are difficult to prove without a personal injury lawyer in Drexel Hill. Examples of noneconomic damages include:
- Pain and suffering,
- Emotional distress,
- Loss of consortium,
- Loss of enjoyment of life,
- Permanent injury or disability, and
- Disfigurement.
Your testimony, along with that of your friends, family, and treating physicians, helps support your injuries’ impact on your daily life, relationships, and ability to engage in regular activities.
Courts can award punitive damages when the defendant’s conduct was wanton, willful, oppressive, malicious, or reckless to others. The purpose of punitive damages is to punish the defendant and deter similar future conduct. Pennsylvania limits punitive damage awards in medical negligence cases to not more than 200% of compensatory damages. Your personal injury law firm in Drexel Hill reviews the facts and details of your case and determines whether to pursue punitive damages.
Contact Us
At Rosen Justice Injury Lawyers, we are on a mission to help the underserved communities of Philadelphia and surrounding counties. Our award-winning attorneys bring decades of experience to your fight and secure the compensation you deserve.
At Rosen Justice Injury Lawyers, you don’t pay a dime until we secure a settlement or judgment on your behalf. When medical bills burden you and your family, you need financial compensation. We understand that you may be facing a challenging time. With over 75 years of legal experience in all types of personal injury cases, our team of nationally recognized attorneys has helped people with personal injury claims obtain millions of dollars in settlement cases.
When you need the top personal injury lawyers, trust us to get the job done. Contact us today by phone or email for a free consultation to get closer to the financial support you need and deserve.
