Personal injury law, or tort law, protects the rights of victims of negligence, recklessness, malpractice, and the inaction of others. A personal injury is any physical or mental injury to a person as a result of someone else’s negligence or harmful act. Here are some of the most common accidents that result in a personal injury:

·  Automobile accidents

·  Truck accidents

·  Medical malpractice

·  Slips and falls

·  Professional malpractice

·  Workers’ compensation

·  Wrongful death

·  Dog bites

First, get prompt medical treatment for any injuries you may have. Then, call a personal injury attorney. He or she can help to protect your legal rights, but proper medical care should be your first priority. Here are some additional steps to help you obtain a fair settlement, or help your claim process proceed more efficiently:

·  Write down as much as you can about the accident itself. List your injuries and any other losses you have suffered as a result of the accident.

·  Document the conversations that you have with people involved in the accident or the injury claim.

·  Preserve evidence of who caused the accident and what damage was done by collecting physical evidence and taking photographs as soon as possible. Photographs should include the scene of the accident from all angles, the surrounding area, your injuries, and any property damage.

That depends on the type and extent of your personal injury. The two main types of personal injury damages you may be eligible for are compensatory (actual) damages and punitive (criminal) damages. The damages may include the following:

·  Medical bills

·  Lost wages

·  Pain and suffering

·  Physical disability

·  Disfigurement

·  Permanent scars

·  Emotional trauma

·  Mental anguish

·  Loss of enjoyment

·  Loss of love and affection

·  Embarrassment

·  Mental disability

·  Property damage

A personal injury lawyer will provide professional legal representation to obtain the maximum amount of compensation for your injuries, consistent with the nature of your injuries and losses. An experienced personal injury attorney will investigate the circumstances in which you were injured, identify all negligence parties, interview any witnesses, and define a strategy to hold accountable those responsible for your injury. Additionally, a lawyer can investigate all sources of recovery

If you have been involved in a car accident you should first remain calm, then call for help. If no one is injured, your first call should be to the police. Although it is best to remove the crashed vehicles out of traffic, wait for the police to advise you. The police will also take statements from the drivers and passengers involved.

Other important things to do:

·  File an accident report with your insurance company. Also, you should notify the other driver’s insurer of the accident.

·  Take notes. Get the names, addresses and phone numbers of everyone at the scene, especially witnesses.

·  Be careful what you say. Don’t make any remarks or statements about who is at fault. If an insurance adjuster shows up at the scene, do not give any statements and do not sign anything.

·  Call an attorney. It is essential that you get someone to represent you right away. If you've been injured, you will want a skilled accident attorney to make sure you receive a fair settlement from the insurance company. Also, proving to another driver's insurer that its policyholder caused the accident might require the services of an attorney.

A claim for injuries is usually based upon carelessness or negligence. In worse case scenarios, it is based on an intentional or reckless act. The three categories of issues that typically arise in a tort claim after an automobile accident are:

·  Liability - who is at fault and to what degree.

·  Damages - injuries or losses that were caused by the accident.

There are a lot of dangers and causes of truck accidents associated with the size of these huge commercial vehicles. Here are a few:

·  No-Zones. These are blind spots located around the front, back, and sides of the truck. When a car is in the No-Zone, the truck driver is usually unable to see it. At these times, a large truck could turn into a passing car and a serious accident could result.

·  Squeeze Play. In order to negotiate a right turn, big rigs need to swing wide to the left in order to negotiate a right turn. When truck drivers make wide right turns; they are often unable to see smaller vehicles directly behind or beside them. When a car cuts between the truck and a curb, the car can be caught in a squeeze, and a serious accident can occur.

·  Stopping Distance. Big trucks need a much greater stopping distance than other vehicles. If you are in a car in front of a truck and need to brake suddenly, you’re at great risk of being in a serious rear-end collision with the truck.

Tractor trailers are huge and heavy vehicles that travel at high speeds. A truck traveling at 70 miles per hour has almost twice as much energy as a truck traveling at 50 miles per hour. In Many factors can contribute to serious injuries and death in collisions between large trucks and passenger vehicles. Some of these factors include:

·  Aggressive drivers

·  Unrealistic schedules

·  Failure to inspect tires, brakes and lights

·  Tailgating

·  Long work-shifts

·  Driver fatigue

·  Cell phone use

·  Failure to install blind spot mirrors

·  Jackknifing

If you are involved in a collision of any kind, the first and most important thing to do is call emergency response to request both medical and police assistance. Never leave the scene and it is best if you do not move your vehicle. If there are any disputes over the way the collision occurred, placement of the vehicles will often times assist the police and others in reconstructing the accident to determine exactly what happened. If you have a camera in your car, take pictures of the damage to the vehicles, and the position of the vehicles.

If you can, attempt to locate people who may have witnessed the collision. Get their name, address and telephone number. Additionally, exchange information with the other driver, such as insurance information and driver's license information.

In almost every collision, there has been some trauma caused to your body. If an ambulance is offered, it is always best to go to the emergency room to be examined to ensure there are not any hidden or internal injuries.

You should immediately consult with an experienced truck accident lawyer. Truck companies have their own investigators and attorneys working hard to dismiss liability. One of the worst decisions individuals can make is to negotiate directly with trucking companies, insurance adjusters, or the trucking company lawyers. Most trucking companies are highly skilled at truck accident investigation and claims. Anything you say or sign may be held against you further down the road.

·  Car accidents

·  Motorcycle accidents

·  Truck accidents

·  Bus accidents

·  Drunk drivers

·  Train accidents

·  Pedestrian accidents

·  Plane crashes

·  Medical malpractice

·  Construction accidents

·  Industrial accidents

·  Fires

The common element in wrongful death cases is negligence, which is characterized by inattention, thoughtlessness, inadvertence, and mistakes. Negligence must be proven, and Belt Law Firm is skilled in helping clients prove that the four critical components of negligence exist in their claim:

1. The defendant had a duty to the deceased;
2. The defendant failed in that duty (breach of duty);
3. That the fatality was caused by the defendant’s breach of duty; and
4. That the survivors are entitled to damages as a result of the loss of their loved one.