Duty
One of the best ways to understand the elements of negligence is with a practical example. A personal injury lawyer Tucson will tell you that per AZ law, a shop owner must provide a safe environment for customers and employees. The first element of negligence is their duty of care for the safety of their consumers.
Breach
In the example above, consider if the shop owner noticed a spill in their shop but did not clean it up. This can be seen as a breach of their duty of care. When duty exists, an accident can be caused by a breach of duty. Accidents and injuries can occur in the presence or absence of negligence.
Causation
Causation is the action of causing something. If the shop owner’s uncleaned spill causes you to fall, then this is a perfect example of causation. In a personal injury claim, the breach of duty causes an injury. Circumstances and timing need to show that a breach of duty directly caused your accident and led directly to injury.
Damages
After you’ve suffered injuries in your shop slip and fall, you go to the doctor and incur medical expenses and have to miss time from work to do so. Since your injury was caused by the negligence of the shop owner not cleaning up the mase, you may be awarded damages.
Physical injury and emotional distress, medical costs, loss of wages, and property damage are examples of damages that may be recovered as financial compensation. You can also recover damages for the suffering, pain, and anguish you’ve experienced as well.
The personal injury legal process is complicated. To successfully navigate the Arizona legal system, Wattel & York offers adept legal representation in your community. A Seattle personal injury attorney will help protect your rights when you’re injured in an accident.