When you are injured due to the negligence of someone else, you not only have to deal with the pain of your injuries but also, the complex legal process of fighting for justice.

The legal terms used in law can seem like a new language and the legal process often leaves people confused. When filing a personal injury claim, victims encounter new terms and concepts that help define and classify their injuries. To move forward with confidence, it is important for the victims of personal injury to develop a working knowledge of some key legal terms.

Terms that describe the anticipated duration of an injury:

Personal injuries are classified as either “Permanent” or “Temporary” Disability. These two terms are used to describe the anticipated duration of an injury, not the degree of its severity. For example, if the injury is one that would remain in an individual’s lifetime, it is classified as “Permanent.” On the other hand, if the victim is predicted to attain a complete recovery in the future, the injury is classified as “Temporary.”

Terms that describe the extent of the injuries:

The terms “Total” and “Partial” Disability refer to the actual extent of the victim’s injuries, regardless of whether they are permanent or temporary in duration.

Four Categories Used in Personal Injury Litigation:

  1. Temporary Total Disability: Seriously injured person temporarily hospitalized/completely impaired, but expected to regain full function
  2. Temporary Partial Disability: Following the period of “Temporary Total Disability” seriously injured person recovers and regains some (but not all) ability to participate in formal activities
  3. Permanent Total Disability: Seriously injured person with a total bodily impairment that is expected to remain for a lifetime
  4. Permanent Partial Disability: Injured person retains a substantial bodily function but the injury is expected to remain for a lifetime

Regardless of your type of disability, if you have suffered a personal injury due to someone else’s negligence, it’s important you contact and consult a qualified, experienced attorney.

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This entry was posted on Sunday, April 4th, 2010 at 10:50 am and is filed under Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.