Personal injury refers to harm caused by one or more responsible parties to another person or persons. The injury can be physical or emotional, and it can result from a wide range of instances, both intentional and unintentional. But regardless of intent, if a person is injured because of the negligence of another party, he/she has the right to be compensated for those injuries. If you or someone you love has been injured because of someone else’s negligence, you need an experienced Chicago personal injury attorney that can advise you of your rights and the best way forward to recover full damages against the responsible party.
Common Personal Injury Cases
Personal injuries can occur in just about any area of life. Some of the most common instances in which one or more parties may be at fault for injuring another include:
- Vehicle Accidents: Auto accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, train collisions, aviation accidents and numerous others lead to thousands of injuries and deaths each year. Often, these accidents are preventable and due to senseless acts such as drunk driving, driver fatigue, negligent maintenance and many others.
- Premises Liability: Dog bites, slips, trips, falls, dislocations & fractures often result from a property owner not ensuring the safety of their premises.
- Medical Negligence/Medical Malpractice: When doctors and other medical staff fail in their duty to properly care for their patients and/or make careless mistakes during surgeries and other procedures, patients can suffer serious complications, including death.
- Product Liability: Manufacturers are often responsible for a personal injury if their product is defective or designed in a way that poses an inherent danger to consumers.
- Abuse: Sometimes, the personal injury is intentional. Examples include abuse cases such as sexual abuse in nursing homes and by priests against vulnerable children entrusted to their care.
- Airplane Crashes: When an airplane or helicopter crashes, the parties at fault may include the pilots, the airline, maintenance personnel and air traffic control personnel.
- General Negligence: Any other situation wherein the negligence of one party causes harm or injury to another, a personal injury claim may be pursued.
Damages can be awarded in personal injury cases to compensate for medical bills, property damage/restoration, lost wages and pain and suffering. The emotional trauma inflicted by a harmful act on another person is often hard to quantify, especially when it involves the loss of a close loved one. In addition to ensuring that the injured party is fully compensated, financial damages in personal injury cases are also meant to punish the responsible party so they will not continue to harm others in the same manner.
If you or someone close to you has been personally injured because of the irresponsible behavior of another party, do not fight this battle alone. When going up against the big insurance companies and their teams of lawyers, you need someone by your side that is not intimidated by the tactics the other side uses to limit their liability. At Hurley McKenna & Mertz, P.C., we have over two decades of experience representing victims of personal injury in Chicago, Cook County and throughout the country. We are fully committed to the success of each client we serve and we fight hard to hold those who injured you fully accountable. Contact an experienced Chicago personal injury lawyer at HM&M today for your free consultation.
For a free consultation, contact Hurley McKenna & Mertz, P.C. today at 312-553-4900 or fill out our online form to have a lawyer contact you.
