Often times, terms can be confusing when they come with a whole mess of different definitions. You feel like you need a college textbook just to decipher all the gibberish. Defining a personal injury should be simple—you know when you’ve been injured, but the lines can get a bit gray. Take a look at what a personal injury really is.
In a Nutshell
When you’ve received psychological, emotional, or physical trauma due to an incident, you’ve become a victim of personal injury. One of the most common incidents are car accidents. When you’re not at fault, especially when you’re just sitting at a red light, waiting for it to turn, everything changes in a second. You didn’t see it coming and it put you into shock—psychological trauma. A loved one has become injured, or worse—emotional trauma. You have become a victim of physical harm to your body, whether it be whiplash or more serious injuries—physical trauma.
What Is a Personal Injury Case?
These are legal issues that arise after someone has endured some form of trauma due to the negligence or acts of another. These can be filed through the court system, or personal settlements through informal means can be arranged from your personal injury attorney’s office to the office of the one at fault.
Your Personal Injury Matters
In any form of law, through what is called the “statute of limitations,” you only have a certain amount of time to file your claims before they’re deemed invalid. The longer you wait between a personal injury, and bringing it to the attention of a personal injury attorney, the less likely chance that it will be believable. Be proactive; realize that you have endured a personal injury, and act upon it.
Legal Obligations to the Public
A personal injury is not always out of negligence. Accidents do happen. When you are behind the wheel of a car, for example, you are responsible for every pedestrian, other vehicle, and piece of public property that you could potentially damage. You would expect the same from any other driver, and so it applies to everyone.
Even if you were on the other end of a personal injury situation, whether it was an accident or not, it can still be considered a personal injury. Utilizing a privilege, such as driving, comes with responsibilities. Consequently, other drivers have that same obligation to you. When an accident occurs, personal injuries arise, and they need to be addressed.
What To Do If You Have a Personal Injury
Don’t hesitate; contact your local personal injury attorney office. Keep documentation of the incident as best as you can. If you were required to be taken away by emergency services, the statements garnered from the police and eyewitness testimonies from the EMTs can also be deemed valid as material, should your case ever go to court. When you incur a personal injury, treat it as one—you’ve been wronged, one way or another. It’s time you get compensation.
Call the Houston offices of Hilda Sibrian, personal injury attorney, today at 713-714-1414.
