What is a Personal Injury Claim or a Personal Injury Lawyer?

When watching commercials and browsing the internet, you’ve probably heard the phrases “personal injury claim” and “personal injury lawyer,” but what is a personal injury? What does “personal injury” mean? Oddly enough, it’s a phrase used more often by attorneys than anyone else, but it encompasses several different—but related—areas of law.

The phrase “personal injury” is typically used to refer to the variety of legal issues that arise out of injuries resulting from negligence, including car accidents and slip and falls. When a person becomes badly hurt, a large number of people can be affected. From the families that lost their only source of income and the business that lost its best employee to the paramedics that gave life-saving care on the scene. With so many people whose lives have become disrupted, multiple areas of law come into play.

Personal injury claims include car accident and auto accident claims, dog bites, and even slip and fall lawsuits. Some attorneys even include workman’s comp claims under the umbrella of the phrase “personal injury.” In short, “personal injury” includes the cases that arise out of any injury, whether it occurred at work, on the road, or on the sidewalk. If someone gets hurt through no fault of their own, a personal injury attorney will work to see that the injured person and their family is compensated for missed work, lost wages, medical bills, and pain and suffering.

While some personal injury firms only handle car accidents, our firm handles it all: more often than you might think, a significant injury crosses over multiple areas of practice. We’ve had many clients in Erie, Smethport, and everyone in between, whose car accident cases turned into workers ’s comp claims and then Social Security Disability appeals. Given how common this scenario occurs, it’s important that your personal injury lawyer handle all three of these areas. If not, you can be shuffled around between three different law firms all at once—if they don’t miss one of your claims entirely. The more lawyers that are involved for the same injury, the greater the chances of miscommunication and mistake. When we handle every legal claim arising out of your injury, we’re able to make sure each claim builds upon the others to maximize your settlements and minimize mistakes.

If you or a loved one is looking for a personal injury attorney in Erie, Meadville, Bradford, Smethport—or anywhere in Northwestern Pennsylvania, call one of our offices to schedule a free consultation; we’ll show you how we can help.