It is a simple truth that people will sometimes get badly hurt at the workplace or American roads, and when a person has suffered injuries, it may be time to call upon a personal injury lawyer to represent the victim in litigation. A personal injury lawyer may be hired after a car crash with a drunk driver, for example, and an auto accident attorney or car accident lawyer in particular can help with this. In other cases, a personal injury lawyer may be called upon when a workplace injury takes place, such as at a factory or construction site, or even a wildlife preserve. A personal injury lawyer may represent a manual laborer who has suffered at the workplace due to accidents or negligence. How might this be done?
Car Accidents
The roads are not always safe, and bad weather or impaired drivers can greatly boost the chances of an auto accident taking place. Nearly six million car accidents take place in the United States every year, and many people are injured or even killed in these incidents. Those who survive will want a personal injury lawyer.
What is causing these crashes? Drunk drivers are a common culprit. Those with a high enough BAC, or blood alcohol content, are driving impaired, as the law states, and they have compromised judgment, coordination, and reflexes, which makes them much more likely to hit a car or pedestrian or get hit in return, such as when they run a red traffic light. In fact, just driving with a high enough BAC is a crime in itself, whether or not a collision occurred. Distracted drivers are another issue. They are drivers who are paying attention to a handheld electronic device or the car’s dashboard rather than the road ahead of them, and this can make them too late to notice and avoid incoming traffic, pedestrians, or other developments. For this reason, using cell phones while driving is often illegal. And finally, bad weather such as heavy rain or snow can make the roads slick and reduce visibility, making crashes more likely even if no one is driving impaired otherwise.
After a car crash, an injured victim will want to reach out to a personal injury lawyer, and look up local firms and get consultations with the attorneys there (this may or may not incur a fee). A lawyer can do a lot of things in litigation that the client cannot, such as deal with a stubborn insurance company that is refusing to offer settlement money, or figure out how the victim’s medical fees or disability will impact their finances. A lawyer can use their objective and clear viewpoint and knowledge of the law to build a strong case.
The Workplace
Many worksites have hazards, even offices where electric fires or shocks may happen or back strain from using a computer. Other worksites such as factories or construction have many more hazards, or park rangers or postal carriers. These worker are working on their feet, and they may often be exposed to slipping hazards, such as on ice or spilled liquids. Construction workers may get body parts trapped in machines or under heavy items, or hit by a steamroller, or when they breathe in dangerous fumes or particles. Spray foam insulation, silica particles, and fumes from motors can all harm the lungs of workers, this is a serious hazard alongside the blunt trauma hazards. Postal workers may suffer injury when they slip and fall on ice in winter, or when loose dogs bite them. Park rangers may suffer injury if they slip on ice, fall down a hill, or are attacked by wildlife. Cougars, wolves, bears, venomous snakes, and certain spiders or insects can cause harm to such workers.
An injured worker may seek a personal injury lawyer to represent them in litigation against any perceived at-fault party, such as other construction crews who were negligent, or get settlement money from one’s postal service or park ranger service. No one is suing bears or snakes for settlement money, but a park ranger inured on the job can still find a lawyer to represent them for seeking settlement money due to their injuries.