Accident victims have been able to file personal injury claims after being involved in accidents and incidents for several decades. In fact, personal injury law as a law branch became commonplace in the early 1900s. Back then, victims could ask for compensation based on their physical injury severity. Much has changed since then, both in legal terms and in how victims and defendants act in personal injury cases. As of 2024, we're seeing these common personal injury trends below:
More In-Depth Medical Reports
Ask any Montgomery car accident lawyer, and they'll say that medical reports for personal injury cases are more in-depth compared to some years ago. Two factors can play a part in this. The first is the need for in-depth medical reports to calculate fair settlements. The second relates to technology. We now have amazing medical imaging technologies that can provide insight into the extent of injuries. The results from MRI and CT scans, for example, may prove helpful for a lawyer to prove someone was injured in an accident.
Broader Personal Injury Claims
Car accidents will always be among the most common causes of personal injury claims. After all, millions of people are injured and killed in car accidents in the United States every year. However, we now see more personal injury claims linked to new technology.
Law firms now offer their services to people seeking compensation for rideshare injuries, drone use, and distracted driving related to mobile phones. These law areas may continue to diversify as new, potentially dangerous technology becomes commonplace in the average town and city.
Compensation for Mental Health
The average victim in an accident or incident doesn't always experience merely physical injuries. Their mental health can also be affected. In fact, studies have shown that 25% to 33% of accident victims experience PTSD at least 30 days after an accident.
The best personal injury lawyers are now fighting for more than compensation for physical injuries. They're considering the emotional and mental toll of an accident or incident and calculating adequate funds to ensure victims can access the mental health support they need.
Social Media Evidence
Before the social media age, we relied on medical records, witness statements, police reports, and photo and video evidence to draw a conclusion about an accident and the toll it took on all involved.
We still rely on those forms of evidence for the average personal injury claim. However, insurance companies and their law firms now have one more evidence source: the Internet. To be more specific, they're using social media to try to reduce settlement figures or get out of paying them altogether.
If you're trying to receive adequate compensation for an injury, the other party may use photos posted of you on social media where you're seen having a good time to prove that you weren't as physically or mentally impacted by your accident as you said. While that might not be the case, such evidence can sometimes be harmful to a case.
The legal world is always changing, with new laws and legal processes changing how we approach personal injury cases. While these trends above are some of the many you might expect in 2024, it may only be a matter of time before new ones are taking their place.
