December 19, 2025 | Personal Injury in Atlanta, GA
People often hear the terms “tort law” and “personal injury law” and assume they mean the same thing. They are closely related, but they serve different roles in the legal world. Understanding the difference can help you know your rights. This is particularly true if you or a loved one has suffered an injury in Georgia.
This article aims to clarify these important concepts. Below is a clear breakdown of what tort law is, what personal injury law is, how they differ, and how a personal injury attorney can help you after an accident.
What Is Tort Law?
Tort law is a broad legal category. It covers wrongful acts that cause harm to another person. These acts can be intentional, negligent, or even based on strict liability (meaning someone can be held responsible even if they didn’t act intentionally or carelessly).
In simple terms, tort law protects people from harm caused by others. Tort law includes three main categories of wrongful acts:
- Intentional torts involve someone harming another person on purpose. Examples include assault, battery, false imprisonment, fraud, and trespassing.
- Negligent torts occur when someone fails to exercise reasonable care. Most accident cases fall into this category.
- Strict liability torts apply when someone is responsible for harm even without acting carelessly or intentionally. Product liability cases often fall under the doctrine of strict liability in Georgia.
Torts encompass a wide area of law, and personal injury law is just one part of it.
What Is Personal Injury Law?
Personal injury law is a subcategory of tort law. It focuses on harm to a person’s body, mind, or emotional well-being.
When people talk about filing a “personal injury claim,” they usually mean cases involving injuries caused by negligence, such as:
- Car accidents
- Slip and fall accidents
- Truck accidents
- Medical malpractice
- Dog bites
- Dangerous products
- Nursing home neglect
- Pedestrian or bicycle accidents
Personal injury law aims to help victims recover economic and non-economic damages for:
- Medical bills
- Lost wages
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Property damage
- Long-term disability
- Loss of quality of life
Unlike other areas of tort law, personal injury cases focus specifically on accidental harm, not usually intentional wrongdoing or property disputes.
The Differences Between Tort Law and Personal Injury Law
Although they overlap, tort law and personal injury law are not the same. Here are the key differences:
Breadth of Scope
Tort law covers many types of harm, including:
- Intentional wrongdoing
- Economic harms
- Property damage
- Emotional injuries
- Negligence
Personal injury law covers only situations where someone suffers physical or emotional injuries due to another person’s negligence or carelessness.
Types of Harm Addressed
Tort law allows claims for damage to property or financial losses. Personal injury law focuses on an injured person’s body and mind.
Whether Insurance Companies Are Involved
In Georgia, most personal injury cases involve auto insurance, property insurance, business liability insurance, or healthcare providers.
Other tort cases, like intentional torts, may not involve insurance at all.
Unique Rules and Deadlines
Georgia has specific rules for personal injury cases, including:
- A two-year statute of limitations to file most personal injury lawsuits
- Comparative negligence rules, which may reduce your compensation if you share liability
- Special requirements for malpractice or defective products cases
Other types of tort law cases may follow completely different procedures.
How a Personal Injury Lawyer Helps After an Injury
If you suffered an injury in Georgia due to someone else’s negligence, a personal injury lawyer can guide you through every step. Your lawyer will help you understand your rights, gather evidence, and pursue full compensation.
Here’s how an attorney can help:
- Investigate the accident
- Prove negligence
- Handle insurance companies
- Calculate full damages
- Negotiate for a fair settlement
- Represent you in court
Contact Our Atlanta Personal Injury Lawyers at Goldstein Hayes & Lina, LLC for a Free Consultation
Tort law and personal injury law work together, but personal injury law is the area most people deal with when they get hurt. If someone else’s carelessness caused your injury, you may have the right to recover compensation under Georgia law.
Goldstein Hayes & Lina, LLC has years of experience helping injured people rebuild their lives after serious accidents. If you were hurt, you don’t need to figure out the legal system alone. Contact our Atlanta personal injury lawyers today for a free consultation to discuss your options for justice.
Goldstein Hayes & Lina Accident Lawyers
3060 Peachtree Rd NW UNIT 1000,
Atlanta, GA 30305
(404) 869-8600
