A personal injury is suffered when an individual suffers a physical or emotional injury caused by the negligence of another. Damages assessed for personal injury include bodily injury and intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress.
The most common types of personal injury are suffered through product defect accidents, holiday accidents, accidents in the home, tripping and assault events, accidents at work and traffic accidents. Personal injury also includes medical and dental accidents which lead to medical malpractice claims and eventually lawsuits. Industrial disease cases, such as those involving chest diseases such as asbestosis, silicosis, asthma, bronchitis and pulmonary disease and occupational hazards that cause deafness, occupational stress, repetitive strain injury and contact dermatitis are all examples of personal injury.
The injured party may be entitled to monetary compensation through a judgment or settlement and sometimes it is necessary to call upon the services of an Iowa personal injury lawyer, for those who reside in Iowa, to help cut through the red tape. Personal injury can be physically, emotionally and financially devastating. Most people are not prepared to take on the added stress of dealing with personal injury, but will find help with a qualified attorney in the field of personal injury.
The main responsibility of a personal injury attorney is to protect the rights of the injured. An experienced personal injury attorney will know the laws and will know how to follow the course of due diligence. The attorney will begin a personal injury claim by interviewing the client and evaluate every issue. The attorney will collect the facts through research and interviews and evaluate the facts. The attorney will also determine if the injured can be assigned any level of fault, and if so how much.
The attorney will take into account all available information and determine if it is in the best interest of the client to pursue a settlement or lawsuit and if so, determine what to aim for in terms of compensation. If the client decides to pursue a claim, the attorney will file the claim on behalf of the client.
One of the major benefits of hiring a personal injury attorney is the attorney will not only know the laws, rules and regulations, but the requirements and time frames involved for filing a claim in a timely manner. This is especially helpful if the victim is undergoing treatment or may not otherwise be in a position to adhere to a time sensitive schedule.