Negligence is a legal term covering someone’s lack of action to prevent injuries or damages from occurring. Negligence can occur in a variety of different situations, and when the negligence leads to someone being injured or belongings being damaged, the negligent party may be responsible for paying the financial cost to recover from the injuries or damages.
Those who have suffered harm due to negligence will want to speak with a personal injury attorney about the situation, as they may be able to get compensation for their injuries or any damages they sustained. The following information can help victims determine if they have been injured as a result of negligence and whether it’s a good idea to speak with a lawyer.
Common Types of Negligence
Negligence can happen across many different situations. Some of the most common types of negligence include the following.
- Workplace Injuries – If someone is injured at work, it may fall under negligence if the injuries were not prevented through safety measures or if someone was required to do something outside of safety measures for their job.
- Medical Negligence – Medical negligence can occur when a doctor misses something or makes a mistake, though it can be challenging to prove negligence in these cases. It’s always worth a consultation.
- Car Accidents – Car accidents can have many different causes, but if the driver was distracted, under the influence, driving aggressively, or otherwise at fault for the accident, they can be found negligent.
- Slip and Fall Accidents – If someone slips and falls in a business because of uneven flooring, a spill, or a tripping hazard without signs to warn them, it’s possible the business could be found negligent.
How to Prove Negligence Occurred
It is important to understand how to prove negligence occurred. If negligence can’t be proven, it may be more difficult or impossible to get compensation for the injuries or damages. The key steps to prove negligence include the following.
- Show a Duty of Care – It is important to show that the person or business who caused the accident had a duty of care to prevent the accident from occurring. An example should be the duty of drivers to be safe while they’re on the road.
- Show Duty of Care Was Breached – The next step is to show that the person or business breached that duty of care. This might be shown by proving the driver was distracted while driving.
- Show the Breach Caused Injuries – Next is to show that the breach caused injuries or damages. In the car accident example, it would need to be shown that the distracted driving caused the accident, which led to the injuries or damages.
- Show it Was Possible to Forsee the Injuries – Finally, it’s important to show that it was possible to foresee that the injuries could occur. With a distracted driver, this would mean showing that the driver knew or should have known that driving while distracted could cause an accident.
If you’ve been injured or had belongings damaged and it may be due to negligence, it is a good idea to speak with a personal injury attorney. This will help to get insight into what can be done in your case and how much compensation you may be able to receive. Schedule a consultation with an attorney today, even if you’re not sure the injuries or damages were caused by negligence, so they can help.
Veeramachineni Lalitha
I am Finance Content Writer. I write Personal Finance, banking, investment, and insurance related content for top clients including Kotak Mahindra Bank, Edelweiss, ICICI BANK and IDFC FIRST Bank. My experience details : Linkedin