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NEGLIGENCE PERSONAL INJURY I CAR ACCIDENTS I FAQ CAR ACCIDENTS I FREQUENTLY ASKED CAR ACCIDENT QUESTIONS – What is Negligence? What does a Claim for Negligence mean?
March 25, 2021
Negligence is one of the most common causes of actions alleged in a civil claim. Specially in personal injury lawsuits negligence tends to be the most common basis for recovery. When a plaintiff files a negligence claim, the injured party is basically alleging a cause of action for negligence in their underlying complaint. Negligence arises in a wide array of civil claims and is the most common basis for recovery in auto collisions, trucking accidents, dog bites, wrongful death cases, motor vehicle accident claims, aviation accidents, pilot error cases, elder neglect, skilled nursing facility negligence, slips and falls cases, premise liability and product liability lawsuits.
When filing a cause of action for negligence the injured consumer is alleging that the defendant failed to exercise due care or acted with disregard for the safety of others. The most common of these personal injury cases is negligence arising in the context of car wreck cases. In car accident cases the injured party is alleging that the at fault party had a duty or obligation to drive with due care and they breached that duty when s/he collided into the plaintiff and caused injury.
Negligence is unique in that an intentional motive is not required to find a defendant liable for damages. Rather a cause of action for negligence is based on non-intentional actions by the defendant.
In California there are four elements that must be satisfied for an injured party to prevail in bringing a claim for negligence. In other words, if a plaintiff (the “injured party”) can establish that the defendant (the “at-fault party”): (1) owed a duty to act in a certain way or refrain from dangerous actions; (2) the defendant breached that duty owed; (3) the breach caused the plaintiff’s injuries; and (4) the damages sustained to the plaintiff are certain and quantifiable; the plaintiff can prevail in securing compensation for his/her personal injuries. In short, the elements for a cause of action for negligence are often summarized as: (1) duty, (2) breach, (3) causation and (4) damages.
Negligence encompasses those occasions when an individual or legal person such as a business entity acts in a careless way and causes an injury to another person. In these instances, the careless person will be legally liable for any resulting harm and will compensate the injured party for his/her damages. Negligence is often the basis for assessing and determining fault in disputes and claims that arise from auto collisions, trucking accidents, dog bites, wrongful death cases, motor vehicle accident claims, aviation accidents, pilot error cases, elder neglect, skilled nursing facility negligence, slips and falls cases, premise liability, product liability lawsuits and other personal injuries.
When filing a cause of action for personal injuries under a negligence claim, the plaintiff is entitled to recover compensatory damages. Compensatory damages are those damages that if recovered would make a plaintiff whole. Compensatory personal injury damages include special damages or economic damages, as well as general damages or non-economic damages. Negligent compensatory damages are better explained in the chart below:
Compensatory Damages | ||
Special Compensatory Damages/ Economic Damages | Special damages are unique to the individual plaintiff and vary significantly from one plaintiff to the next. An award for special damages compensates a plaintiff for costs and expenses incurred as a result of the incident or accident that caused their injuries. | Common types of special damages:
· loss of earnings · property damage · loss of future earnings · past medical expenses · cost for future medical care · cost of household expenses · reimbursement for cancelled trips or altered plans |
General Compensatory Damages/Noneconomic Damages | General damages compensate a plaintiff for non-monetary damages incurred in a personal injury claim. | Common types of general damages:
· physical pain · loss of enjoyment of life · anxiety/humiliation · emotional distress · mental anguish, · pain and suffering, · loss of enjoyment · loss of consortium or companionship |
For more blogs discussing Negligent Cases including: auto collisions, trucking accidents, dog bites, wrongful death cases, motor vehicle accident claims, aviation accidents, pilot error cases, elder neglect, skilled nursing facility negligence, slips and falls cases, premise liability, product liability lawsuits and other personal injuries cases, see the links below:
Articles discussing what types of damages are available following an negligence and similar personal injury cases, links are included below:
Personal Injury Questions
If you were involved in auto collisions, trucking accidents, dog bites, wrongful death cases, motor vehicle accident claims, aviation accidents, pilot error cases, elder neglect, skilled nursing facility negligence, slips and falls cases, premise liability, product liability lawsuits or have any questions about your personal injury case call us today at 619-432-5145 for a free consultation with one of our experienced Personal Injury Lawyers and San Diego Accident Attorneys.