Across the USA, personal injury claims are on the increase. The latest TRAC report shows that Health Care/Pharmaceutical Personal Injury Product Liability claims have risen by 133.3% compared to 5 years ago. Personal Injury – Product Liability claims had also risen. Going from rank No. 4 to rank No.2 in the top district filed table that TRAC maintains.
Road traffic-related injury cases
Increasingly, injury lawyers in South Carolina are being asked to act for clients who have suffered injuries in far more varied circumstances. Naturally, they still deal with a lot of vehicle collision-related injury claims.
Every year, 2.3 million people end up in American hospitals because of injuries they have suffered because of being involved in a vehicle wreck. Of those, around 50% will be negatively affected by that injury, for the rest of their lives. They and the families of the 35,000 or so people who die in vehicle accidents need to secure significant levels of compensation. Without it, getting their lives back on track would prove impossible.
Given these statistics, it is understandable that the vast majority of personal injury lawyer’s workload is related to road traffic accidents. However, other forms of personal injury claims are on the rise. Here are a few examples of other reasons people engage the services of this type of lawyer.
Dog bite injury claims
Every year, around 200,000 Americans get bitten by dogs. Often, the dog attacks because it is protecting its owner from a perceived threat. This is understandable, but dog bite injuries can be serious. So, someone who has been bitten can end up having to make a personal injury claim.
Injuries related to nursing home abuse
Elder abuse is a growing issue in many countries, including in the USA. According to the CDC, around 1 in 10 Americans aged over 60 have experienced some sort of abuse.
In some cases, that abuse has taken place in nursing homes. Sometimes the neglect has occurred because proper care and equipment has not been provided to prevent falls. Other times, medication has not been administered. The list of issues is a long one. But, more elderly people and their families are waking up to the fact that they can sue and are doing so.
Healthcare-related personal injury claims
The same is happening with healthcare-related injuries. More people are also suing when they discover that the drugs they have been taking have caused long-term health issues.
Slip and fall injuries
On average, American hospitals deal with 8 million slip and fall-related injuries. Of those, around 1 million have slipped and fallen. If this has lead to a serious injury, there is a good chance that will lead to a personal injury claim.
Injuries arising from faulty products
Faulty products cause all kinds of injuries and fatalities. They represent a relatively small percentage of all personal injury claims. However, as we said earlier, this type of claim is on the rise. In fact, they have risen by just over 133% over the past 5 years.
Where to find out more
If you are interested to learn more about the type of personal injuries Americans sustain, and how often they occur, you can do so by reading this page on the CDC website. It contains links to a list of studies which reveal the current injury trends, across the USA.