What is the difference in bodily injury and personal injury?

Bodily injury comes into play if you are at fault for an accident and pay the bills of other people involved in the accident.

Personal injury

protection is available in no-fault insurance states and covers your expenses no matter who is at fault in the accident. Bodily injury may be referred to in criminal court cases, referring to injuries sustained by someone who has been the victim of an assault or other crime. Personal injuries are commonly mentioned in civil court lawsuits and cover all costs incurred as a result of an accident or wrongful death.

Bodily injury is a narrower term than personal injury and can involve physical injury suffered by another person or in an accident. The difference between a bodily injury and a personal injury comes down to specificity. Bodily injury is a subset of personal injury. Bodily injury refers to a physical injury, illness, or illness resulting from an accident, while the Legal Information Institute defines personal injury more broadly as injury to “body, mind, or emotions.” Personal injury is a type of civil lawsuit, while bodily injury refers to a specific type of damage, particularly in a car accident.

Certain states have no-fault laws regarding personal injury protection, which means that the injured person must first seek compensation from their insurance policy after an accident. The terms “personal injury” and “bodily injury” are often heard when a person is injured or involved in an accident. You can also file a personal injury lawsuit against a nursing home if your loved one has been abused or neglected, or if you suffer harm due to a defective product. Just like in a personal injury settlement, you and the defendant can reach a settlement decision where you receive compensation for your physical injuries.

When you contact a personal injury lawyer and meet with one, there are certain tips they will likely give you. Personal injury lawsuits occur when this duty has not been performed and, as a result, someone is harmed. However, in cases of malicious intent or excessively wrongful behavior, a plaintiff can pursue punitive damages in a personal injury case. Keep in mind that 67% of personal injury cases don't even go to trial and end with an out-of-court settlement.

In these types of cases, the plaintiff is the injured person, while the defendant is the party against whom the lawsuit is brought. From an insurance perspective, a personal injury insurance policy covers the other party's injuries if you are at fault for the accident. After a car accident, the bodily injuries you suffer begin to generate medical expenses right from the start. Your medical expenses begin to accrue from the moment an ambulance arrives on the scene and can continue for months if your injuries are serious enough.

The basis for compensation in a personal injury case considers all quantifiable damages after the accident occurs. It is required in states with no-fault laws, where drivers must file minor injury claims with their own PIP insurance rather than with the at-fault driver's bodily injury liability coverage.