PERSONAL INJURY
Personal injury cases are legal disputes that arise when one person suffers harm from an accident or injury, and someone else might be legally responsible for that harm. If at fault, the responsible person's insurance company will compensate the injured person for medical bills, pain and suffering, and other ongoing medical expenses.
A personal injury case can become formalized through a personal injury lawyer representing you at a civil court proceeding. This court session seeks to find others legally at fault through a court judgment or, as is much more common, such disputes may be resolved through informal settlement before any lawsuit is filed.
If the personal injury case involves medical malpractice, CMB Law Offices will work with insurance companies and hospital attorneys to settle your case.
The likely two outcomes of a case, such as needing medical treatment for a car accident or an injury from property damage, are:
Formal Lawsuit - Unlike criminal cases, which are initiated by the government, a formal personal injury case typically starts when a private individual (the "plaintiff") files a civil complaint against another person, business, corporation, or government agency (the "defendant"), alleging that they acted carelessly or irresponsibly in connection with an accident or injury that caused harm. This action is known as "filing a lawsuit".
Informal Settlement - In reality, most disputes over fault for an accident or injury are resolved through informal early settlement, usually among those personally involved in the dispute, their insurers, and attorneys representing both sides. A settlement commonly takes the form of negotiation, followed by a written agreement in which both sides forgo any further action (such as a lawsuit), choosing instead to resolve the matter through payment of an agreeable amount of money.
» What Are Common Personal Injuries?
