The foundation of a personal injury lawsuit is not the severity of the one's injuries, or the size of the medical bills incurred, or the amount of pain and suffering that the unfortunate victim had to endure.
The foundation of a personal injury lawsuit is blame.
You could rack up a hundred thousand dollars in medical bills, lose an arm and a leg, and still not be awarded a cent, if his or her case fails to establish blame.
A good personal injury lawyer can help you establish blame in court and get the compensation you deserve.
Before you decide to file a personal injury lawsuit, you have to ask yourself the following question: "Who is responsible for what happened to me?" A court will only award damages if fault can be established on part of the party being sued.
This can be one of two types of fault: Action.
In this case, fault is placed on the party who performed an action that resulted in the victim's injury.
Examples of this could include:

• a mechanic installing faulty car parts, causing a mechanical failure that results in a car crash
• a physician prescribing medication that is actually harmful for the patient's condition
• a police officer who injured a victim due to police misconduct or brutality
• a reckless driver, who through irresponsible driving, collides with a pedestrian
• a nurse, who accidentally injects a patient with medication not intended for him

Inaction.
If the party's inaction directly resulted in the incident that injured the victim, the negligent party may be held responsible for compensating the victim.
Examples of parties who may be found guilty of negligent inaction include a physician who fails to treat a patient, resulting in medical complications, injury, or wrongful death

• an employer who fails to repair faulty workplace equipment, resulting in an accident
• an entity responsible for the maintenance of a pavement or road, who allows the structure to fall into disrepair, which then causes an accident
• a manufacturer who, despite learning of a lethal flaw in their product's design, fails to issue a recall
• the owner of a dog who stands by while his or her pet attacks a neighbor ferociously

When filing a personal injury case, it is important to document anything that may even be remotely related to the case.
Record all your injuries and expenses, as well as your account of the events that caused you your injury.
Doing so enables your attorney to build the best case possible, for maximum compensation.