By Dean Caras.
A personal injury occurs when a person has suffered some form of injury, either physical or psychological, as the result of an accident.
The most common type of personal injury claims are road traffic accidents, accidents at work, tripping accidents, and premises claims. Indeed, there are a multitude of types of accident and the term personal injury also incorporates medical and dental accidents (which lead to numerous medical and dental negligence claims every year) and conditions which are often classified as industrial disease cases. Industrial disease type cases include asbestos and mesothelioma, chest diseases (e.g. emphysema, pneumoconiosis, silicosis, chronic bronchitis, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and chronic obstructive airways disease), vibration white finger, occupational deafness, occupational stress, contact dermatitis, and repetitive strain injury cases.
Relevant Verdicts
Slip and Fall – Woman wins appeal and gets new trial – Plaintiff fell on a patch of ice in a parking lot and broke her ankle. She sued the owner of the parking lot and the contractor responsible for snow removal. While the owner of the parking lot settled quickly, the contractor refused responsibility and the case proceeded to trial. An error in the instructions given by the judge to the jury lead to a not guilty verdict. Through our review of this case we uncovered that the instructions given to the jury by the judge were not applicable to this particular defendant. The Appellate court agreed and awarded the plaintiff a new trial.
Pedestrian / Car Accident – $350,000 settlement during jury deliberations for a 28-year-old pedestrian that was struck by a vehicle making a left turn. The pedestrian suffered a tibial plateau fracture when he was struck by the vehicle.
Dog Bite – $450,000 verdict for an 11-year-old boy was attacked by a pit bull and suffered a fractured arm that required numerous stitches.
Slip and Fall – $450,000 verdict in a matter where a 65-year-old grandmother fractured her hip when she fell on a defective ramp at O’Hare Airport.
Automobile Accident – $550,000 award for a automobile accident where a 17-year-old driver sustained a fractured tibula when an oncoming vehicle failed to yield when making a left hand turn and collided with his vehicle.
