You have probably seen more than a few advertisements for personal injury attorneys, but have you ever wondered what is “personal injury?”
The answer is fairly simple, “personal injury” means any injury to your person. Do you have a broken leg, neck pain, or headaches resulting from someone else’s negligence? Then you have a personal injury and you may have a valid personal injury case.
The types of personal injuries vary widely and cover your entire physical, mental, and emotional well-being. To suffer from a personal injury, you do not need to have an injury that can be shown on an x-ray or MRI. Broken bones and herniated discs are examples of a personal injury, but neck pain without a herniated disk or shoulder pain with no torn rotator cuff are still personal injuries.
It’s also important to note that mental or emotional injuries also qualify as personal injuries. Were you in a car accident and now have severe anxiety anytime you even think about getting into a car? That’s a personal injury. Were you attacked by a dog and now suffer from PTSD? That’s a personal injury. Physical injuries to your body often accompany mental or emotional injuries, but a physical component is not necessary to qualify an injury as a personal injury.
There are also many kinds of personal injury cases. The most familiar (and most abundant) type of personal injury case is an auto accident case. Auto accidents have become so prevalent that multiple auto accidents occur every day in our region and are often sources of personal injuries.
Other examples of personal injury cases are cases involving falls, dog bites, or any manner of accident where you suffer a personal injury at the hands of another person’s negligence. The types of injuries and accidents are almost endless.
Still have questions? If so, at Herndon, Coleman, Brading, & McKee we are always happy to answer your questions and help you in any way we can.