Pines Salomon Personal Injury Lawyers | August 27, 2025 | Personal Injury
If you were hurt in California because someone acted carelessly, you will see two terms again and again: tort law and personal injury law. They are closely related, but they are not the same. Understanding the difference helps you know your rights, your deadlines, and why hiring an experienced personal injury lawyer can make a real difference in your case.
Tort Law in Practice
Tort law is a broad set of rules that lets people recover money when someone else causes harm. A “tort” is a civil wrong that is not a crime or a broken contract. There are three main categories:
- Intentional torts happen when someone means to do the act that causes harm, like assault or battery.
- Negligence happens when someone fails to use reasonable care, like a driver texting through a red light.
- Strict liability applies when the law makes someone responsible even without intent or carelessness, such as in certain defective product cases or injuries caused by abnormally dangerous activities.
All of these live under the umbrella of tort law. The goal of tort law is to make the injured person whole through money damages, which can include medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
In short, tort law is the system that handles civil wrongs and the harms they cause.
Personal Injury Law as a Subset of Tort Law
Personal injury law is a slice of tort law that focuses on harm to a person’s body, mind, or emotions. Car crashes, pedestrian and bicycle collisions, slips and falls, dog bites, medical malpractice, and many product defect claims are common personal injury cases. These cases look at how the injury happened, who is at fault, and how the injury changed the victim’s life.
Because personal injury law sits inside tort law, the same core concepts apply, such as duty, breach, causation, and damages. What makes personal injury law distinct is its focus on injuries to people rather than damage to things or economic interests alone.
The Core Differences You Should Know
The first difference is scope. Tort law covers many types of harm, including damage to property, economic losses, reputational harm from defamation, and bodily injury. Personal injury law zeroes in on injuries to people and the losses that flow from those injuries. This narrower focus shapes the evidence, experts, and legal standards that matter most.
The second difference is the kinds of damages that are front and center. In a personal injury case, medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, and future care needs are key. In a broader tort case, like defamation or pure property damage, the focus may be on reputational harm or repair costs. Knowing which damages apply helps you measure a fair settlement.
A third difference is procedure and proof. Personal injury cases often require medical records, treating physician testimony, and sometimes specialists like accident reconstructionists or life-care planners. Other tort cases, like business torts, might rely more on financial documents and economic experts. Different harms demand different evidence.
Each of these differences matters because they influence how you build the claim and what you can recover.
Your Next Steps After an Injury in California
Tort law is the big picture for civil wrongs, while personal injury law deals with harm to people. If you have been hurt by someone’s careless or wrongful act, you are in the personal injury lane, which comes with its own rules, deadlines, and proof. Understanding that difference helps you move faster and smarter.
The sooner you get legal guidance, the stronger your claim will be. To schedule a free consultation with a California personal injury lawyer, contact Pines Salomon Personal Injury Lawyers today.
We proudly serve San Diego County and its surrounding areas:
Pines Salomon Injury Lawyers – San Diego Office
835 5th Avenue #302, San Diego, CA 92101
(858) 551-2090
Available 24/7
Pines Salomon Injury Lawyers – La Jolla Office
4660 La Jolla Village Dr. San Diego, CA 92122
(858) 585-9031
Available 24/7
