Serious injuries caused by accidents can have a profound effect on your life, bearing physical, emotional, and financial burdens. Pain, trauma, and even disability may occur as a result of incidents ranging from a car accident to a slip and fall. If you were injured, you may be wondering if your situation warrants a personal injury claim. At Stephens & Holman, our personal injury lawyers have experience handling many types of personal injury cases in BC.
Understanding Personal Injury Cases
Personal injury cases occur when someone suffers severe physical or mental harm due to another person’s actions or inactions such as negligence, recklessness, or wrongdoing. The ultimate goal of any personal injury case is to seek fair compensation for the victim to help cover the cost of treatment, replace lost income, and support dependents.
Common Personal Injury Case Examples
Automobile accidents
Bicycle accidents
Bus accidents
Motorcycle accidents
Truck accidents
Pedestrian accidents
Boat accidents
Dangerous premises accidents
Defective product accidents
Dog bite accidents
Wrongful death
Building a Personal Injury Case
A personal injury case has four main components: duty of care, breach of duty of care, causation, and damage. In this personal injury example, say that you were injured in a car accident after another driver ran a red light.
Duty of Care
This is the legal obligation a person or entity has to take reasonable steps and precautions to avoid harming others. In our example, the driver has the duty of care to follow traffic laws and be attentive.
Breach of Duty of Care
This is the failure to uphold duty of care, whether the failure was intentional or not. In this case, the driver failing to obey the red light is the breach.
Causation
This is the established link between the breach of duty and the injuries sustained by the victim. Per the example, the causation is the driver who ran the red light and crashed into the victim, who had legal right of way and which led to the victim’s injuries.
Damage
This is the loss suffered by the injured party, which can be monetary, physical, or emotional. The victim in this example required serious care to treat their injuries, resulting in many medical bills. They are also facing lost wages from being unable to work and some permanent damage which may limit their ability to work in the future.
Work With an Experienced Lawyer
When you choose Stephens & Holman for your personal injury case, our team will fight hard for you and your family during your time of need. Contact us for a free, no-obligation consultation at 866-506-2910. We have 17 offices throughout British Columbia, and we can come to you if your injury prevents you from visiting one of our locations.