If you're injured and it is determined that the other person caused your injury and your damages, then you have the right to be reimbursed for your expenses and to collect for damages.
Damages are somewhat complex, but they include medical bills, loss of income, loss of use or function of the body, and pain and suffering.
As an example, if you get into a car accident and you have a broken leg that results in a permanent disability, you have the right to have all your medical bills paid by the at-fault party. You also have the right to be paid for how a permanent disability from the accident affects your life.
You have the right to deal with an insurance company and settle your claim, although you should understand that insurance companies are concerned with profit: they are going to want to settle your claim for the least amount of money possible. They are going to want to deny payments for certain aspects of your damages. Because of this, if you don't feel that your claim is worth a lot of money-or if you aren't sure how much your claim is worth-you should talk to an attorney before you talk to an insurance company.
Sometimes people think that personal injury law is an area of law that people use just to get rich. Politicians talk about tort reform all the time. But actually, personal injury law is one of the oldest areas of law in the country because we realize people need to be careful, people need to look out for others, and people need to be responsible for the things they do that affect others. This is why you have the right to seek compensation for the harm caused to you by the negligence of others.