What Should I Do After An Injury?
Knowing how to proceed following a serious injury is extremely important. Taking a wrong step won’t necessarily disqualify you from receiving compensation, but it will make the process more difficult. Here are the five key steps to follow after an injury.
1. Medical Treatment
This, of course, is the most important step. Your health and safety are of paramount concern. A settlement will have little meaning if you aren’t well enough to make use of it. You’re advised to seek medical attention even if the injury doesn’t appear to be severe.
Adrenaline can numb the body to a surprising amount of pain. You may have a serious injury that you otherwise wouldn’t notice until the following day. By then, the damage will be even worse and could result in permanent damage.
Seeking professional medical attention is also important for the records that it will provide. Be sure to save all medical records and receipts. Our attorneys will use this paperwork when negotiating a settlement amount with the insurance companies. If you spend time healing at home before seeking medical attention, then the report may make the injury seem less severe than it was, thus reducing the overall amount of your settlement.
2. Photos And Witness Information
Exactly when and if you perform this step is going to depend on the specifics of your injury and the event that caused it. If possible, take photographs of the scene, any damaged property, and your injury. Ideally, you will be able to capture photographs or videos before leaving for a hospital. But we understand that sometimes this is not possible.
An option is to have a friend or family member gather photos and videos at the scene of the accident while you seek medical attention. Taking photos of the injury before and after medical attention will be very helpful when proving the severity of the damage and the lasting effect it will have. This makes it much easier to fight for the proper amount of compensation from the insurance companies.
Likewise, your friend or family member taking photos should also gather contact information from any willing witnesses to the accident. Statements from eyewitnesses are very helpful in personal injury claims.
They are important for proving exactly how the accident occurred and who was at fault.
You do not need to take statements from them at the time, but simply write down their names and numbers. Our attorneys will reach out to them for an official statement regarding the subject.
3. Report The Incident
Every injury should be reported to the proper authorities. Those authorities will create an official report for the accident, which will have a strong influence on the outcome of the claim. If it is a vehicle accident, then contact the police. If the accident occurs at work, then it should be reported to the appropriate supervisors. Dog bites may be reported to the police or Animal Control services.
4. Never Admit Fault
This fourth step should be kept in mind from the very beginning. When seeking medical attention, speaking with witnesses, and filing your report, you should never admit fault. As a matter of fact, it is best not to discuss who is at fault if possible. Determining who is at fault is a legal matter and one that we will handle with the utmost care and expertise. That job becomes much more difficult if you admit fault to any involved parties at any point during the process.
5. Call A Lawrenceville Personal Injury Lawyer!
Last, but certainly not least, it’s time to call a personal injury lawyer. This is actually the easiest step of them all because from this point forward you are no longer alone in the ordeal. The lawyer you contact will evaluate your case and provide you with a sound course of action. In some cases, that may not include filing a personal injury lawsuit. But if it does, then you can have confidence knowing you now have a legal team fighting with your best interest at heart.
Why Do I Need A Lawyer?
This is a question that we hear quite frequently. We would never recommend anyone attempt to fight for a settlement without sound legal representation. Even the best lawyers still turn to other lawyers when they are involved in a lawsuit. It greatly increases the odds of a favorable outcome. Here are the three key services we provide that you simply don’t want to handle on your own:
Lawsuit Filing & Preparation
Remember all of the important steps you took following your accident? This is where all of that information comes together, is organized, and is added to where necessary. Case preparation is an important stage that involves gathering evidence, witness statements, and official reports. And even if you didn’t manage to complete the above steps our lawyers will help to ensure the case and paperwork are still properly prepared. With all of the appropriate documents prepared we begin with filing the lawsuit. The complaint is served to the defendant where they can begin preparing any necessary legal defense.
Negotiating Settlements
The majority of personal injury lawsuits are settled without proceeding to trial. What tends to differ is the amount offered in the settlement. Without our legal assistance, you are likely to be offered a very minimal settlement amount. But we are here to ensure that settlement is evaluated properly according to the damages you suffered. Our attorneys have decades of experience negotiating with opposing legal teams and insurance companies.
Trial Representation
In some rare cases, the insurance company may continue to offer a sub-par settlement. We are prepared to take your case to the courtroom and fight for an adequate settlement before a jury. This is most definitely a battle that you do not want to undertake without a strong and experienced legal team supporting you.
What Types Of Damages Can I Recover In Georgia?
The compensation you receive will be a direct evaluation of the damages you have suffered because of the party at fault. These damages can fall into one of three categories:
- Non-economic damages, such as pain and suffering, and loss of reputation.
- Economic damages, such as surgery expenses, loss of wages, and ongoing physical therapy costs.
- Punitive damages, which are enforced by a judge as a form of punishment in severe cases.
How Is Liability Determined?
Georgia has very strict legal guidelines used to determined who is liable for an injury. In most cases, liability is determined based on negligence. In some cases, such as automobile accidents, comparative negligence may be applied. The state’s comparative negligence rule means that a person may file a lawsuit as long as the injured party was less than 50 percent responsible for the accident.
For traditional negligence cases, the following questions are examined:
- Was the injured party owed a legal care of duty by the defendant?
- Did the defendant breach that care of duty prior to the accident?
- Is that breach of duty responsible for the injury that was experienced?
- Is that injury responsible for the damages that are being covered in the lawsuit?
If the answer to all of these questions is “yes,” then you will have a strong legal case and a high likelihood of receiving the desired compensation.
How Much Time Do I Have To File A Personal Injury Claim In Georgia?
The Georgia statute of limitations for filing a personal injury claim is exactly 2 years. This applies to all personal injury claims, including car accidents, work accidents, wrongful death claims, and dog bites.
How Much Will A Lawrenceville Personal Injury Lawyer Cost?
There is absolutely no cost to working with our personal injury attorneys unless you win your case. This is known as operating on a contingency fee. We do not charge you to evaluate the case and we do not charge unless we win a settlement. We can discuss the contingency fee percentage during your evaluation.
Types Of Personal Injury Cases We Handle At Dr. Ted Injury Law
We handle a wide variety of cases throughout Lawrenceville and the surrounding area. A few common examples include:
- Car Accidents: This includes distracted driver accidents, DUI accidents, rear-end collisions, reckless driving, motorcycle accidents, hit & run accidents, head-on collisions, and truck accidents.
- Truck Accidents: Truck accidents often cause severe injuries or deaths. Our truck accident attorneys will fight for the compensation you deserve.
- Uber Accidents: Unfortunately, paying for a rideshare service is not a guarantee that you’ll reach your destination without an accident. We are here to fight for passengers, pedestrians, and Uber drivers who are not at fault.
- Workers’ Compensation: A vast majority of personal injury cases involve workplace accidents. Workers’ compensation is designed to protect workers and employers in these situations, but it is often insufficient. We can help fight for a proper coverage amount.
- Wrongful Death: If a spouse or parent has passed away due to the negligence of a third party, then that party should be responsible for compensation. Our job is to represent the financial value of their life in court and ensure the defendant provides compensation equivalent to that value.
- Medical Malpractice: All medical experts have a strict duty of care when performing their services. They can breach this duty when operating under the influence, when distracted, or without sufficient training. In those cases, they should be held responsible for the damage they have caused.
Call Our Lawrenceville Personal Injury Lawyers For a Free Case Review
The personal injury lawyers at Dr. Ted Injury Law operate with one goal in mind: to get their clients the compensation they deserve. That’s often a lot more than what insurance companies are willing to offer initially. But with nearly three decades of experience handling personal injury cases, they know how to negotiate with the toughest opponents until a fair settlement is reached. Call today at (800) 693-7833 if you want the best legal representation possible.
