There are all kinds of personal injury lawsuits, and there are all sorts of reasons for filing a personal injury claim. At the very basic level, a personal injury case is a tort action. A tort is a wrong that has been inflicted on an individual.
Someone may have committed a tort against you either intentionally or accidentally. You can still file a personal injury lawsuit against someone even when they hurt you by accident, as opposed to on purpose. What's more, many intentional torts are also crimes. While the purpose of a tort lawsuit is to give you the opportunity to recover for any harm caused to you, the purpose of filing a criminal action against the wrongdoer is to impose on him a punishment in addition to compensating you for your losses.
Whether someone injured you by accident or on purpose may determine the types and amounts of damages (compensation) that you can receive. That is why it is important that if you are considering filing a personal injury lawsuit against someone, you should first speak with an experienced and knowledgeable personal injury lawyer. A personal injury attorney will be able to tell you what options you have in your given situation. To find an experienced personal injury law firm, click on your state listed at the left of your screen.
