Not all accidents result in legal claims or injuries. Some are unavoidable and actually caused by the negligence of the victim rather than the carelessness of another person. Pennsylvania accident victims may recover damages for any injuries resulting from the carelessness or negligence of another. Individuals with personal injuries may recover past and future lost wages, past and future medical bills and reasonable compensation for pain and suffering.

This is the continuation of a short primer on the types of personal injury claims. The first part addresses the different types of personal injury claims arising from automobile, truck, motorcycle, bicycle, and pedestrian accidents. The second part summarizes personal injury claims that arise from defective products and incidents of medical malpractice.

Defective Product Cases

Defective or dangerous products cause thousands of injuries every year in the United States. Individuals may recover damages if injured by a product that is defectively designed or manufactured, or that does not have proper warnings or instructions. “Product liability law” contains the legal rules regarding responsibility for defective or dangerous products. The legal theories related to defective products are distinct from typical personal injury theories of liability, sometimes making it less difficult for an injured person to recover damages.

Medical Malpractice Cases

Medical mistakes, whether from surgical or anesthesia errors, are the third leading cause of death in the United States following cancer and heart disease. Deaths from medical mistakes are estimated at 250,000 annually. Patients injured as a result of improper medical care may have a valid medical malpractice personal injury claim.