Each year, approximately 39.5 million people suffer at least one form of personal injury. This makes it one of the leading causes of lawsuits in the US.
It begs the question;
What is Personal Injury?
Personal injury is when someone hurts or causes damage to you. It may be intentional or unintentional, and the injury may be physical or mental.
As we have seen in the statistics above, it is pretty common for people to suffer such cases of injuries. There are a lot of grievances and injuries. This causes them to hire an attorney of personal injury who helps represent them and negotiates a settlement.
This article exposes ways to avoid the most common causes of personal injuries. It is important to know what to do to avoid receiving or inadvertently causing bodily injury to people.
Top 10 Causes Of Personal Injury You Should Avoid
If you’ve been injured and are considering filing a personal injury lawsuit, it’s important to know the most common causes of personal injury. By understanding what leads to these types of accidents, you can be better prepared to take precautions and protect yourself from harm.
Here are the top 10 causes of personal injury.
- Automobile Accidents
Automobile accidents while traveling are the leading cause of personal injury in the US. It is so rampant that the average number of automobile crashes is about 6 million every year! And that’s not all; the number of people who sustain injuries from these crashes is half that amount.
Shocked right?
We often tend to downplay or completely ignore the possibility of car crashes happening to us. But as studies show, it is a very likely way to expose ourselves to bodily harm or even endanger others.
Not to worry, we are here to guide you to keep yourself and others out of harm’s way. Here are some ways to avoid being involved in automobile accidents
- Speeding
Speeding with your vehicle above the speed limit is a common way of causing accidents. This should be avoided at all costs because the speed limits help to dictate how well you can maneuver a road without causing personal injury to yourself or others and possibly incur personal injury claims from others.
Keeping your speed below the limits and duly obeying the traffic rules will increase your chances of avoiding personal injury.
- Drunk Driving
Everyone wants to have a good time. And that’s not a bad thing in itself. But when having translates to getting drunk and getting behind the wheels. Well, that’s wrong! Alcohol is known to cause a lack of coordination, poor vision, and drowsiness, to name a few.
It is a telling fact that drunk driving accounts for 40% of fatal car crash according to statistics. This should help reinforce that drunk driving is not an option and should always be avoided.
Drunk driving can be avoided by avoiding drinks entirely when it’s your responsibility to drive home. And if already drunk, you should book a ride home.
- Assault
Assault is basically when someone physically attacks and hurts you. Assault is primarily unpredictable and can happen to anyone, but there are some measures you can take to safeguard yourself as best as you can. Examples are; securing your home properly, avoiding walking alone or in dimly lit corners, etc.
It is also necessary to report any suspicious activity around you.
- Work-related Accidents
About 2.3 million people worldwide experience accidents directly related to working in factories every year. Malfunctioning machines, unsafe work conditions, and others are the main causes of these hazards.
To avoid being in such a situation, you could hire an attorney of personal injury to table a lawsuit against working in such conditions. Also, employers should ensure that their places of work are safe and conducive according to the standard guidelines provided by the government.
- Medical Malpractice
Medical malpractice or negligence happens when healthcare professionals make mistakes, are negligent, omit steps, or fail to deliver proper care to a patient, leading to injury.
Examples of bodily injuries that can happen because of medical malpractice are;
- Surgical errors
- Birth injuries
- Error in drug prescription
- Poor or no aftercare
- Error in laboratory results interpretation
Injuries caused by medical malpractices can be prevented in many ways;
- Medical practitioners must always keep the standards of their facilities up-to-date and according to the regulated guidelines
- Pharmacists should take good care not to disburse the wrong drugs to patients
- Records of patients’ medical history should be kept meticulously
- Surgeons must make sure they are in the right state of mind before undergoing any procedure.
- Slips, Falls, and Trips Accidents
Yeah, that’s right.
Tripping and falling are one of the leading causes of personal injuries today. It might not seem like much, but I assure you that this sort of accident is hazardous and can cause death.
A person who falls, whether it is on a bathtub or down a flight of stairs, exposes various delicate parts of the body to injuries that can be deadly.
In fact, according to NFSI, falls and slips are the leading cause of emergency room visits taking up 21.3% of visits.
Here are some factors that cause falls and slipping accidents;
- Wet and slippery surfaces
- Bad footwear
- Poor lighting
- Loose wires or cables
If we are more careful in maintaining our surroundings, the above factors will be eliminated.
The executives of buildings where falls are likely to occur should be intentional about setting up their machines, floors, lighting, etc. Users of such buildings should also take good care to watch where they step.
The base point here is that all parties can prevent falls and slips if they are careful.
- Dog Bites
Dogs are lovely and cute.
Unfortunately, dog bites are a high cause of bodily injuries in the US. According to Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, there are 4.5 million cases of dog bites every year. This obviously results in a lot of cases of personal injury.
Preventive measures that can be taken against dog bites are;
- Never approach a dog you don’t know, and if the dog is unleashed, just remain motionless until someone comes around.
- Safety is also the responsibility of the dog owner, who most times has to take the blame for any personal injury claim the dog causes.
- The owner can take steps such as leashing their dogs while out on strolls, especially if it’s unfamiliar with strangers.
- Fitting it with a muzzle is also a good option.
- Injuries Caused By Defective Products
When a product (goods and services) does not fulfill its designated requirements, it is said to be defective. A faulty product can cause bodily injuries to the consumer.
The producer should employ a competent quality control team to ensure that their products are not defective.
Products should also be designed with the safety of the consumer as a priority.
- Injury Caused By Defamation
Remember, personal injuries include physical and mental injuries. Defamation can be defined as causing damage to someone’s reputation by communicating false statements to third parties.
Speaking only the truth and not spreading falsity to third parties about anyone is a way of avoiding defamation suits.
You can hire an attorney of personal injury to take care of your rights if you are aggrieved.
- Premise Liability
When a person sustains an injury on a property because of the unsafe condition of that property, it is known as premise liability.
Ensure to keep all your properties safe and free from threats and dangers. If someone is on your property and gets injured, you might face a lawsuit even if you are not aware of such hazards.
When nothing can be done about a hazardous property, put warning signs.
- Injury Caused By Elderly Home Neglect
This injury transpires when aged people are not given the necessary care. That can cause not only physical injuries but psychological injuries as well.
We can avoid this neglect by ensuring our elderly loved ones are admitted into homes with good reputations and certified.
Staff in these institutes should be trained appropriately, and shifts should be regulated to avoid this problem.
Also read: 8 KID-FRIENDLY WEEKEND SPOTS TO CHECK OUT
Conclusion
Those are the ten most common causes of personal injury. It’s important to note that being generally cautious in everything you do will significantly reduce your chances of sustaining bodily injuries.
Personal injury can happen anywhere and to anyone. The best way to protect yourself is by being aware of your surroundings and taking some simple precautions. We hope you found this information helpful. Please share with your friends and family so that they can stay safe, too.