Top 3 Personal Injury Cases in South Ohio

Injuries can arise unexpectedly and often without any warning. Victims may become involved in a car accident, or cut their hands on a can opener, or trip over a box at the store. The injury might even be intentional through an assault or battery. However, the medical bills from such wounds are often as painful as the initial injuries. Lawsuits are essential so that patients can recover financially from their injuries. Below are the most common personal injury lawsuits filed in South Ohio:

Product Injuries in Ohio

A manufacturer or seller can be liable for a product based injury if a consumer is injured while using said product. Product liability is divided into one of 3 types: design defect, manufacturing defect, or warning defect. A product is defectively designed if its design was flawed. For instance, if a car’s braking system doesn’t permit it to stop after going forty miles per hour, then the brakes were defectively designed.

A manufacturing defect occurs when a single product was defective off the assembly line, but the other products are otherwise fine. If a car’s brakes fail but the other cars from the manufacturer are sufficient, then the defect likely lies with the individual car rather than the design of the car. Finally, a warning defect occurs when the product fails to carry a warning even when required to by law. If a state requires a car dealership to post signs stating that certain chemicals may be harmful to pregnant women, then the dealership could be liable for a warning defect if it fails to place such signs.

In Ohio, a manufacturer is liable only for reasonably foreseeable uses of a product. In other words, the manufacturer is only responsible if the consumer uses the product normally. A car maker may not be responsible if a consumer uses a car as a house as a car is typically used for transportation rather than as a residence.

Intentional Injuries in Ohio

An intentional injury arises when a defendant purposefully and intentionally harms another person or property. Intentional injury claims can lead to both civil and criminal penalties for a defendant. A defendant can be financially punished for intentionally harming others through criminal fines and punitive damages, in addition to potential jail time. Intentional injuries include, but are not limited to, arson, battery, fraud, or defamation.  The defamation trial between Amber Heard and Johnny Depp is one of the most high-profile exemplars of an intentional tort trial.

Fall Injuries in Ohio

A personal injury claim can occur if a defendant is negligent, meaning that a defendant failed to conduct themselves with a certain level of care. A defendant is negligent if he, she, or it had a responsibility to a plaintiff, the defendant failed to act responsibly, and that breach of duty caused the injuries of a plaintiff.

For instance, a store may be liable for a trip and fall incident if it leaves a package unattended for several hours next to the store entrance. The employees are aware of the box, but fail to remove the package or place warning signs. If an elderly lady trips over the box and breaks her back, the store would be liable for her back injuries.

Should I Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer in South Ohio?

A skilled Ohio personal injury lawyer will be familiar with the relevant laws and legal issues that can arise in your case. An attorney will be able to review the facts of your case and can determine whether you have a viable claim or not. If you or a loved one have been injured in an accident, then you should consider contacting a lawyer in Ohio for further legal advice.