Legal Basics: What is Personal Injury Law?
How Can A Lawyers Directory Help?

In legal terms, an injury affecting a person’s physical, mental, or emotional health is referred to as a “personal injury.” Generic examples include a concussion suffered in a motor vehicle accident or a broken arm from a slip and fall. When a personal injury is caused by another party’s negligence, error, act, omission or misconduct, the injury victim may be entitled to compensation through a personal injury claim. A reputable lawyers directory can help claimants find experienced representation.

There are many potential sources of personal injuries in Canada. Most common among those are injuries stemming from accidents involving motor vehicles, including cars, trucks, motorcycles, power boats, ATVs, and snowmobiles. Slip and fall injuries are also prevalent, particularly during the winter months, as are injuries caused by faulty products or medical errors.

Most experienced personal injury lawyers have expertise in at least one of these areas. Some focus on specific types of injuries, such as brain injuries, spinal injuries, and chronic pain. Others specialize in resolving accident benefits disputes between injury victims and insurers. Medical malpractice is a separate focus area, which we’ll discuss in another article.

What are some of the challenges associated with serious personal injuries?

Serious personal injuries can cause a variety of interconnected physical, emotional, and financial challenges. Traumatic physical injuries – brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, amputations, partial or total paralysis, debilitating chronic pain, etc. – are often linked to serious mental anguish. Gravely injured individuals most cope with and adjust to a new reality, one in which they may no longer be able to work, earn a living, or support their family.

To make matters worse, recovery from this type of injury is generally costly and time-consuming. Some injuries require months of rehabilitation and therapy, during which time the accident victim is unlikely to be able to work. Others may necessitate long-term home care or substantial home renovations, which can be expensive. The costs associated with managing a life-changing injury are more than most Canadian families can afford, which causes further emotional strain.

How can a personal injury lawyer help?

If you’ve been injured in an accident, one of the first things you should do is contact a personal injury lawyer, perhaps via a lawyers directory. Personal injury lawyers are experts in securing financial compensation to help accident victims fund their recoveries. They also understand that most injury victims are entering a new, vulnerable stage in their life through no fault of their own.

Securing compensation for clients’ injuries requires more than representing them during mediations, arbitration, and, if necessary, in court. Prior to this stage, a personal injury lawyer must assess the validity of their prospective client’s claim; assign a monetary value to the damages; manage the submission of a statement of claim and other legal documents; and provide various support services as the client progresses through recovery. Many personal injury lawyers leverage working relationships with healthcare professionals to ensure their clients receive the care they need.

Part of being a successful personal injury lawyer is understanding the extent of the challenges facing injury victims. While legal professionals aren’t qualified to address physical and emotional needs, they can provide financial relief in the form of no-obligation consultations and contingency fees, which allow lawyers to defer billing clients until the lawsuit has been successfully resolved.

Find a personal injury lawyer through our online Canadian lawyer directory

When you or a member of your family is injured, an experienced personal injury lawyer can be the key to a successful recovery. Use ExperiencedLawyers.ca, our established lawyers directory, to find a reputable and experienced legal professional in your region.