Personal Injury Terms and Definitions

Asbestos Lawsuit Asbestos has been shown to cause a form of cancer called mesothelioma and this has produced many lawsuits agains manufacturers and users of asbestos. Alternative Dispute Resolution An arbitration is a legal hearing, less formal than a trial, in which each side in a lawsuit or dispute offers evidence and testimony to a neutral hearing officer (the arbitrator). The arbitrator is typically an experienced attorney or a retired judge. Disfigurement A technical term in workers' compensation cases for a serious and permanent scar to the head, neck, or face. Injury A wrong or tort. Injuries are divided into public and private; and they affect the. person, personal property, or real property. Managed care Any system that manages healthcare delivery with the aim of controlling costs. Managed care systems typically rely on a primary care physician who acts as a gatekeeper through whom the patient has to go to obtain other health services such as specialty medical care, surgery, or physical therapy. Quadriplegia Complete paralysis of the body from the neck down, usually caused by damage to the spinal cord. 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. Spinal Cord Injury Injury of the nerves contained within the spinal canal often associated with trauma to the spinal column (spine),Complete: Nerve damage obstructing all signals between the brain and body.Incomplete: Nerve damage obstructing some of the signals between the brain and body. 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. 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.

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	Did You Know?
	Falls at a construction site may not be your fault The most common accident at construction sites is falls, either on the same level or from height. More fatalities occur from falls than any other construction activity.