Personal Injury Terms and Definitions

Punitive damages Also called exemplary damages, which are designed to punish a defendant whose behavior in causing the plaintiff's injuries was especially egregious. Gross Negligence Negligence for the safety or lives of others which is so great it appears to be intentional. Loss of Consortium When a person is injured, that person's spouse may also have a valid claim for Loss of Consortium. Loss of consortium represent many things, including the spouse's loss of the injured person's assistance in caring for the family home and children, as well as the additional stress and strain placed upon the marital relationship by the physical injuries that were suffered. Ambulatory Surgery Ambulatory surgery refers to previously scheduled surgical and nonsurgical procedures performed on an outpatient basis in a hospital or freestanding ambulatory surgery center's general or main operating rooms Disfigurement A technical term in workers' compensation cases for a serious and permanent scar to the head, neck, or face. Quadriplegia Complete paralysis of the body from the neck down, usually caused by damage to the spinal cord. Defective product injury When a product malfunctions due to a defect and causes serious personal injury, the law requires the manufacturer, wholesaler or retailer of the product to bear the losses caused by the defect in the product. Soft Tissue Injury Injury to the ligaments, tendons and fibers of the body that connect the skeletal bones. Cerebral edema Accumulation of excessive fluid in the substance of the brain. The brain is especially susceptible to injury from edema, because it is located within a confined space and cannot expand. Joint Pain Joint pain can be caused by injury affecting any of the ligaments, bursae, or tendons surrounding the joint. Injury can also affect the ligaments, cartilage, and bones within the joint.

Contact a personal injury attorney in Nebraska now!

Get legal help for your injuries by hiring a lawyer in Nebraska that you are sure will handle the case with respect to you and the legal profession. Hire a personal injury lawyer that has experience in your claim area.

	Did You Know?
	Health care insurers can be repaid from a personal injury settlement It's quite common. Most health insurance policies now have language that allows the insurance company to be repaid for the amount paid out on medical bills if the insured person gets a personal injury settlement. Depending on the law in your state, your daughter may be able to deduct attorney's fees and costs from the total amount owed to her health insurer.