What do you do if you believe you have a personal injury claim against another person or corporation? A few personal injury claims are caused by the intentional acts of others. These involve issues of assault and/or battery. While the criminal courts are often involved in these actions, there is a civil claim for money damages that may be made against a person who intentionally injures another.

Most personal injury claims, however, deal with negligence. Negligence is defined as a failure to use reasonable care. In other words doing something a reasonably careful person would not do or failing to do something a reasonably careful person would do. One party can only be liable for another party's personal injury if that person was at fault and that fault was the cause of the other person's injury. Most personal injury claims involve auto accidents; bus, plane or train accidents; premises liability or professional negligence. Premises liability cases may include slip and falls, building defects, failure to provide adequate security, or the like.

An individual can resolve his or her own personal injury claim either with the at-fault individual or with an insurance representative of the at-fault individual. In a minor injury with no permanent disability, it may be economically advantageous to handle the claim without an attorney. However, where there is a dispute as to fault, or a dispute as to the extent of the injury, use of an experienced personal injury attorney is recommended. If you have a claim that you believe requires the use of a personal injury attorney, you should employ an attorney early. You should not give statements or make commitments to a representative of the other party without legal advice.

Often times the total extent of an injury cannot be determined for some length of time. This is particularly true with injuries to children, injuries that cause psychological problems and injuries which aggravate pre-existing conditions. In the final analysis, the amount of money that you receive to compensate you for your personal injuries is dependent on the comparative fault of the two parties and the extent of the personal injuries. For example: if the value of your personal claim is $10,000, however, you were 25 percent at fault in the incident, the law states that you are entitled to $7,500.

You should immediately notify all insurance carriers of your personal injury claim. If it is a car accident claim, you should not only notify the other parties' insurance carrier, but also your own car insurance carrier. Different benefits are dependent upon the type of car accident and the type of insurance coverage held by the different parties. If you are employing a car accident attorney, it is important for you to bring to that attorney all of your insurance policies including automobile, health, and disability. Caution should be used in resolving these claims early.

In a personal injury claim, a person may bring a claim for their out-of-pocket medical expenses, wages lost because of being disabled, their inability to earn wages in the future, pain and suffering, disfigurement, disability and inability to lead the same life one led before the incident. If the claim is for the death of an individual, the Florida Legislature has established who may make a claim for that wrongful death and what damages each person may claim.