Personal injury law is based on two principles: negligence and intentional acts. Negligence involves an individual causing harm that does not intend to cause injury. Car accidents (if a person is not breaking the law), slip and fall accidents and medical malpractice accidents are generally considered negligence. Intentional acts causing injury are also known as torts. Tort law covers personal injury cases such as assault, battery, child abuse and defamation of character.
If a person is injured at work, he or she can typically claim worker’s compensation. An injured person may collect additional compensation if a third party caused the injury. For example, if a person is injured by a piece of machinery operated by a different company or a subcontractor, the injured person may be able to recover worker’s compensation in addition to compensation from the machine operator and/or the company.

Emery Brett Ledger brings more than 27 years of experience to personal injury law. He founded & led The Ledger Law Firm in securing over $100 million in compensation for clients with life-altering injuries & complex claims. Licensed in California, Texas, & Washington, Emery earned his law degree from Pepperdine University School of Law. His practice areas include car & truck accidents, wrongful death, catastrophic injuries, maritime claims, & mass tort litigation. He has been recognized by The National Trial Lawyers’ Top 100, Mass Tort Trial Lawyers Top 25, and America’s Top 100 Personal Injury Attorneys. Emery also received the 2025 Elite Lawyer Award & holds a perfect 10.0 Avvo rating with Platinum Client Champion status. His legal work has been featured on CNN, Forbes, NBC, & ABC.