Personal Injury Terms and Definitions

Eggshell skull A hypothetical medical condition used to illustrate the idea that if you are at fault when you injure someone, you are responsible for all the consequences, whether you could have foreseen them or not. Burden of proof A party's job of convincing the decisionmaker in a trial that the party's version of the facts is true. In a civil trial, it means that the plaintiff must convince the judge or jury "by a preponderance of the evidence" that the plaintiff's version is true -- that is, over 50% of the believable evidence is in the plaintiff's favor. Affidavit A written document which the signer swears to be true. The signer may swear under oath before a notary public ot other authorized official, or may make a declaration under penalty of perjury. Compensation Compensation is defined as a recompense for loss. If you suffer an injury, either physical or psychological as the result of an accident that was not your fault, then you may be able to claim a financial award to cover any loss of income, the cost of medical bills, or any other costs that you have incurred as a result of the injury or accident that you would not normally have incurred. Wrongful Death Wrongful Death is defined as the death of an individual as a direct result of the negligence of another individual, company, or entity. General damages Better known as "pain and suffering" damages, which include the emotional trauma from physical injuries, pain, humiliation, etc. Contributory negligence Broadly, carelessness on the plaintiff's part. More precisely, conduct which falls below the standard of care established by law for the protection of one's self against unreasonable risk of harm. Cervical Pain Neck pain can come from disorders and diseases of any structure in the neck. There are seven vertebrae that are the bony building blocks of the spine in the neck (the cervical vertebrae) that surround the spinal cord and canal. Paraplegia Complete paralysis of the lower half of the body including both legs, usually caused by damage to the spinal cord. Trauma Any injury, whether physically or emotionally inflicted. "Trauma" has both a medical and a psychiatric definition. Medically, "trauma" refers to a serious or critical bodily injury, wound, or shock.

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	Did You Know?
	Nursing home abuse can occur in many different ways. Many people associate nursing home abuse to just physical, however nursing home abuse can also be emotional, psychological, sexual, verbal, and neglect. Watching for signs of nursing home abuse can help prevent further damage from occurring because in many instances residents are afraid to disclose that nursing home abuse is happening.