Personal injuries are a huge problem for so many people. Injuries can happen to anyone, regardless of age, location, or occupation. The law provides a framework for compensating victims of injury and includes other protections to ensure that those injured receive fair damages. Statistics by the U.S. government show that roughly only 5% of personal injury law cases ever make it to trial. The remaining 95% are settled pretrial.

The Types of Personal Injury Cases

There are many different types of personal injury cases you could find yourself in, even if you are a prudent person. Here are some examples: dog bites, horseback riding accidents, slip-and-fall accidents at work, car accidents, motorcycle crashes, getting hurt by malfunctioning machinery, and physical altercations. In most cases, personal injury cases have two things in common: bodily injury and that it wasn't necessarily your fault.

How Dog Bite Cases are Handled

When it comes to personal injury cases, dog bite incidents can be common. A dog bite can need medical attention and may result in unexpectedly high hospital bills depending on the severity. Dog bite cases are unique in that the dog owner is almost always liable for damages. It doesn't matter that the dog has never previously shown or displayed aggressive behavior or bitten anyone before. Dog owners are in charge of their animals and are responsible for keeping their dogs under control. If a dog injures you, you should contact a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible.

How Personal Injury Cases are Settled

Most personal injury cases are settled before they go to trial. Both sides usually want to avoid a long, expensive court battle. Lawyers for the plaintiff will usually offer a lower settlement than what they think their client could win in court. The defendant's lawyer will usually counter with an offer higher than they think the plaintiff would get in court but for lower than the total cost of defending the case. If both sides can't agree on a settlement, the case will go to trial.

The laws dictate how and when a person who has suffered a personal injury should be compensated. If the personal injury was not your fault and you needed medical care, you should definitely consider speaking with a personal injury attorney. Contact The Law Office of Brett G. Pearce for a consultation on your personal injury case today.