The term “personal injury” is a common phrase, yet many people do not understand its true legal meaning.
Personal injury is a legal term for an injury to a person’s body, emotions, or reputation. This is different from injury to property rights. This injury may be physical or emotional. Personal injuries are most often caused as a result of negligence, malpractice, or even intentional wrongdoing.
The St. Louis personal injury attorneys at The Cagle Law Firm are dedicated to helping victims of personal injuries obtain the compensation they deserve as a result of their injuries. Specifically, our attorneys specialize in personal injury that focuses on bodily injury. In bodily injury claims, there is often an emotional damage component as well.
If you have been hurt in a personal injury incident such as a motor vehicle accident, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries. The same is true if you have lost a loved one as a result of an injury incident.
At The Cagle Law Firm, we are dedicated to assisting personal injury victims and their families from St. Louis, greater Missouri, and Illinois.
Contact us today to schedule your free consultation.
What Kind of Cases Do Personal Injury Lawyers Handle?
Personal injury cases range from birth injuries to brain injuries, burns, broken bones, and more.
“Liability” is just a fancy word for fault. In a personal injury claim, it is possible for more than one party to be responsible for your accident.
As an example, if you were injured in a trucking accident, it is possible that you might have a claim against the truck driver’s employer, (transportation company) as well the truck’s insurance carrier, depending on the reasons for the crash.
How Personal Injury Lawsuits Work
The area of law that encompasses personal injuries is known as “torts.” A tort is an act or omission that gives rise to an injury or harm to another.
There are three main types of torts – intentional, strict liability, and negligent. The vast majority of personal injury cases involve negligence.
After someone has sustained an injury, he or she has the right to file a lawsuit against the responsible party in civil court. The injured person, the plaintiff, will allege the defendant (the person who caused the accident) acted in some way to cause injury or contributed to the cause of the injury of the plaintiff.
The burden of proof will be on the plaintiff to prove that it is more likely true than not that the defendant failed to provide a reasonable level of care and that this failure was the cause or contributing cause to the plaintiff’s injury.
The plaintiff does have to prove through a preponderance of the evidence that a party (defendant) committed an act that caused damage. The plaintiff does have to prove damage through evidence. The plaintiff may prove damages through a variety of ways, including medical records, estimates, and testimony- to name a few. Our attorneys plan specific strategies based upon the individual case, injuries, and facts.