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Feb 28, 2018 - Personal Injury by Cross & Smith

If you’ve been injured in an accident that was caused due to some mistake made by the defendant, then you might not be certain as to whether you have a legitimate claim through which you can sue and recover damages.  Liability does not necessarily attach to the defendant on the basis of a mistake.  Mistakes only give rise to negligence when the standard of care has been violated.  Negligence, and more generally, the concept of negligence — whether in Alabama or elsewhere — can be quite difficult for the average person (who lacks legal experience) to understand.  Fortunately, however, negligence is a straightforward concept at its core. The conduct of the defendant in a given accident scenario is perhaps best viewed as a point along a spectrum.  On one side is a basic mistake that other reasonable people would have made in similar circumstances — such mistakes will not give rise to negligence, and will therefore not attach liability to the defendant.  On the other side of the spectrum is intentional misconduct, where the defendant specifically intended to cause harm to you.  Finally, resting somewhere in the middle is negligence.  Negligent behavior is not specifically intended.  In fact, negligent behavior can be seen as a mistake that is “unjustified” by the circumstances. Demonstrating that the defendant’s conduct actually qualifies as “negligent” lies at the core of a successful negligence-based personal injury claim, in Alabama and elsewhere.  In order to do so, you’ll have to show that the defendant’s conduct violated […]