A valid personal injury claim includes four key elements: duty, breach, causation, and damages. 

• Duty of Care: The person or entity must have owed you a legal duty to act reasonably. For example, drivers owe other motorists a duty to follow traffic laws. Property owners owe visitors a duty to maintain safe premises. Doctors, nurses, and pharmacists owe patients a duty to provide competent healthcare.
• Breach of Duty: The defendant must have violated that duty through negligent or reckless behavior. This could mean running a red light, leaving a spill on the floor, or misdiagnosing a medical condition.
• Causation: The breach must have directly caused your injuries. You need to show a clear link between the defendant’s actions and the harm you suffered. Pre-existing conditions or unrelated injuries complicate this element.
• Damages: You must have suffered actual losses like medical bills, lost wages, pain, property damage, or other measurable harm. Without damages, there’s no claim, even if someone acted negligently.

The best way to know if you have a valid claim is to consult with a Greenwood personal injury lawyer.