Difference Between Personal Injury and Bodily Injury

Personal injury and bodily injury are two different legal terms that often get used interchangeably, but they have distinct differences. The difference between these two types of claims can be confusing at first glance. To learn more about the differences between them and how they apply to your situation, read on!

What is Personal Injury?

Personal injury is an element of civil law. A personal injury claim compensates victims of accidents or social wrongs, like defamation against character - for example, if someone wrote a bad review about you and it hurt your reputation in the community.

If such events occur, then there are several ways to take legal action: by filing suit with courts as plaintiff; this person has been injured because they have no other way to get satisfaction from their defendant assuming that's who harmed them physically or emotionally (i.e., defamed them). The opposing party would be called "the defendant."

In the event of an unfortunate accident, a plaintiff is someone who represents the estate of deceased victims. The defendant in personal injury cases are those whose negligence caused injuries or losses to their victim, and cross-defendants can be another party that was blamed by the defendants for causing these damages.

What is Bodily Injury?

A bodily injury claim is usually the result of a motor vehicle accident. Nevada's definition, for example, means you can file an insurance claim against the at-fault driver if they cause your injuries and seek medical treatment.

Bodily injury is a legal term, but it’s surprisingly literal: bodily injury means that someone's body was injured. If an incident causes them physical pain or illness then they've suffered bodily injuries. The term usually only applies to physical injuries and not psychological ones.

Personal Injury vs Bodily Injury

Personal injury and bodily injury are terms that can be confusing. They may sound like the same thing, but they actually have different meanings. Personal injury is when someone is injured because of a person's wrongful act or neglect, while bodily injury is any physical damage to a person's body. 

If you have been injured in an accident, it is important to know the distinctions between personal injury and bodily injury. Personal injuries are more inclusive of accidents that occur anywhere while a person may injure themselves by falling down or being hit with something like a defective product. Bodily injuries on the other hand refer only to car accidents where one party impacts another causing severe damage such as broken bones and head trauma which can be devastating for both parties involved.

If you were in an accident caused by another driver, then you would need to contact a personal injury attorney. However, if your injuries resulted from an unfortunate event such as slipping on ice and hitting your head on the ground, then it would be appropriate for you to contact a medical malpractice lawyer instead since this type of incident usually falls under bodily injury law rather than personal injury law.