People have been harming others with careless or reckless actions since ancient times, yet the legal system wasn’t always equipped to deal with personal injury cases. Personal injury law made its debut with the Industrial Revolution when factories proliferated and workers suffered more and more severe workplace injuries.
The Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution had an immense effect on personal injury law by increasing workplace injuries. Rural workers moved into cities for factory jobs that often involved dangerous machinery with higher accident rates, prompting employees to sue their employers in an effort to improve working conditions. Although labor unions and muckraker journalism eventually reduced job-related injuries, this period laid the groundwork for what we now recognize as personal injury law.
Personal injury lawyers are notoriously selective about which cases they accept for good reason: investing time and money into cases which will never reach a resolution can be financially inadvisable, according to Stanford Law School professor Nora Engstrom. Personal injury litigation costs such as filing fees, expert witnesses fees transcription services travel costs etc can add up quickly; additionally the contingency model deters attorneys from taking frivolous claims by offering greater incentive.
The Middle Ages
During the Middle Ages, personal injury law began to emerge, prompting more people to pursue compensation when injured by someone’s negligent acts or omissions. At this point, “lex talionis,” or an eye for an eye, began taking form as an established principle.
In the Middle Ages, people also began hiring lawyers as advocates on their cases – though only on condition they were friends of the plaintiff and received no payment for their services.
At that time, working-class people were still struggling to survive; compensation was only awarded in cases of clear physical harm caused by another. A woman received damages after injuring herself by swallowing both snails and ginger beer bottles!
The 1600s
Personal injury law is one of the more recent branches of legal system in the US. Although its origins can be traced back as early as 1600s, modern forms of personal injury law only emerged in the late 70s as an independent form.
At the height of the Industrial Revolution, personal injury and law began fusing more frequently due to poor working conditions for many. Compensation could often be difficult to come by; only clear physical injuries were compensated.
As soon as American colonies were founded, they adopted and adapted English common law principles involving torts – civil wrongs that give rise to civil litigation – with negligence being an essential factor in personal injury cases. A landmark case occurred in 1932, when Donoghue sued Stevenson over drinking ginger beer that contained snails. This case brought into sharp focus the notion of negligence among public.
The Early 20th Century
Personal injury law and lawyers are relatively recent innovations; therefore, it’s essential to comprehend their development over time. To do this effectively.
The early 20th century witnessed several developments in personal injury law. Notably, the rejection of the “fellow servant” rule allowed more workers to file suit against their employers when injured on the job and also led to the introduction of the legal concept known as proximate cause.
Additionally, this was where strict liability first originated – this principle holds manufacturers responsible for any injuries caused by their products even when their intentions weren’t to harm anyone. Furthermore, it inspired greater emphasis on consumer and workplace safety standards, which continues to shape personal injury law today. Despite popular perception of personal injury law as being filled with frivolous claims, attorneys working in this field tend to take on cases only after careful consideration has taken place.