If you’ve been injured in Atlanta, chances are good that you’re entitled to financial recovery for your pain and costs. By working with an experienced personal injury lawyer in Atlanta, you can get the compensation you deserve (which is probably more than you think!).
Our attorneys are some of the best in Georgia, and we’re always on the side of the victims and their families. We’ve been working on personal injuries cases for over two decades – and it’s the only type of case we take on. You pay us NOTHING if we don’t get you money.
Understanding Your Personal Injury Claim’s Value
The amount of compensation you can receive from the at-fault party depends on the severity of your injuries. Courts award compensation for two distinct types of damages: economic and non-economic.
Economic harms are the ones with bills and money attached, such as medical bills, property damage, and other quantifiable effects. Non-economic harms include your pain and suffering, loss of consortium with a spouse, etc.
How Fault Affects Your Compensation
An attorney can help you catalogue all the damages you have suffered due to your injury. However, another important element controls how much compensation you can be awarded: your role in the incident that injured you.
According to Georgia Code §51-12-33, any percentage of fault attributed to you by the court will be used to diminish your compensation package. So, if you are 10% responsible for the injury in the eyes of the court, your compensation will be reduced by 10% as well.
We Handle a Variety of Personal Injury Claims in Atlanta
To know whether your injury counts as a personal injury case, the best step is speaking with an attorney. They can listen to your unique situation and determine whether or not you have a case that can move forward. The most common types of incidents in personal injury claims include:
- Automobile accidents involving cars, motorcycles, or trucks
- Slip and falls or trips
- Bicycle and pedestrian accidents
- Nursing home and care facility abuse and neglect
- Criminal assault resulting in injury
- Medical malpractice
- Defective products
- Premises liability
- Workplace injuries
- Harmful or misfiled medications or devices
- Wrongful death cases
Our Atlanta personal injury lawyers handle all types of personal injury cases – and it’s always worth it to seek professional counsel on whether or not your situation qualifies. Even injuries that seemed to be a complete accident or the fault of the victim may have grounds for an insurance claim.
As long as your accident resulted in any way from someone’s negligence, their insurance may cover your injury costs. In some cases, they may be obligated to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars or more.
Time Limits in Atlanta Personal Injury Claims
Another important factor in your case is the deadline by which you need to file your claim. In Georgia, personal injury claims must be brought to court within two years of the initial injury. There are some exceptions to this, but it is good to file your case with an Atlanta personal injury attorney as soon after the accident as possible.
In some cases, you may have an even shorter deadline. This can include situations in which the at-fault party was a government employee or if the injury is the result of medical malpractice.
Proving a Personal Injury Case in Atlanta
If the injury resulted through no fault of your own, chances are high you have a valid personal injury claim. Even if you believe you were somehow responsible for your injuries, or that they were unavoidable, we find that in many cases the injuries were still caused by someone’s negligence under law.
In order to prove an Atlanta personal injury claim, there needs to be evidence that negligence from another person caused your injuries. Negligence means someone failed to use reasonable care, resulting in damage or injury.
Choose a lawyer who can help you do this in a number of ways, such as by:
- Investigating the scene of the accident and how the injuries occurred
- Talking with any witnesses who were at the scene
- Looking at any police reports made following the incident
- Gathering other evidence like photographs or video taken at the scene that show vehicle damage, such as in a car accident case, and personal injuries
- Compiling and reviewing medical records of doctor visits and treatments related to your injuries
- Detailing proof of work missed due to the injury
The more details you have, the better. So, as soon as a personal injury occurs, it’s best to record as much as you can from the beginning – and most importantly, contact your attorney right away so that they can start on the case for you.
You’ll also want to avoid speaking with any insurance companies – yours or the insurers of the other party – until you’ve called your lawyer. Insurance companies will try to reduce the amount of money they pay out and use anything you say to them against you.
The person who was negligent didn’t necessarily cause harm on purpose. But when someone is negligent, they are still legally responsible for what occurred and how it harmed you.
Do Not Accept the Insurance Company’s First Offer
We advise clients to never take the first offer from an insurance company. It’s nice to think insurers have your best interests at heart after all you’ve been through, but that’s unfortunately not the case.
Since they’re for-profit businesses, insurance companies will try to offer you as little as they can get away with. This often involves offering you a low-ball sum of money upfront for your damages – but if you take it, you’ll lose out on pursuing the full financial recovery you deserve.
Always call your personal injury lawyer in Atlanta following an injury before you take anything from an insurer. In fact, it’s best to avoid speaking with the insurance company at all, especially not on a recorded call, until you’ve consulted your legal expert.
Workplace Injuries in Atlanta
In most cases, if you suffered a personal injury at work, you’ll be covered under workers’ compensation. However, you should still speak with a personal injury lawyer well-versed in Atlanta workers’ comp laws to ensure you recover the full amount you’re entitled to for the work injury.
Talk to an Atlanta Personal Injury Attorney for Free
Never go into a personal injury claim in Atlanta without first consulting with a skilled lawyer. Our Atlanta personal injury attorneys are available for a FREE consultation to discuss the merits, details, evidence, and strategies pertinent to your case. Call today or click over to our contact page to get in touch with us and start working toward compensation.
