What is a personal injury?
In the context of personal injury law, a personal injury means physical harm that was caused by the negligence of another person (or business, or government entity). “Negligence” means that the other person breached a duty of care they owed to you, and that breach caused your injury. Although you can recover compensation for emotional or psychological damages, in most cases, there must also be a physical injury, as well.
You can also sue and recover compensation from someone who intentionally injures you, such as by assault, but most personal injury cases deal with some form of negligence, such as car accidents, medical malpractice, unsafe premises or defective products.