What is personal injury law?

"There are two main elements in personal injury law: liability and damages.

Personal Injury Liability

Liability in a personal injury case stems from the negligent or reckless conduct of another person. Liability can arise from driving recklessly, as would be the case in a drunk driving accident, or from failure to properly maintain a home or business. For example, in a slip-and-fall case, if a grocery store failed to clean up a wet spot on the floor and you subsequently slipped and suffered a personal injury, the store might have liability for failing to promptly mop the floor.

Personal Injury Damages

Personal injury damages range from the easily quantifiable such as medical expenses, to the abstract, such as pain and suffering. Medical expenses are the most common form of personal injury damages. Damages can also include wages lost as a result of missed work, but also future earnings that you may no longer be able to obtain. For example if you are a field goal kicker and you suffer a personal injury that prevents you from kicking, you may be entitled to damages equal to your loss in earnings. A good personal injury lawyer has the skill and experience to identify and quantify damages of this nature.

In some cases, personal injury law also entitles the personal injury victim to damages for pain and suffering or mental anguish. In the event the conduct was malicious, the personal injury victim may also be entitled to punitive damages. Unfortunately, Proposition 12, a Texas constitutional amendment capping personal injury damages, prevents personal injury victims in Fort Worth and across the state of Texas from receiving the full personal injury compensation to which they are entitled." - All content provided by Hartlaw.com (See link below for additional details)