There is no way to tell when an accident will impact your life or the life of a family member. Accidents happen all the time and there is little that can be done to prevent that, but the law allows you to seek compensation for damages sustained and this can go a long way to making a recovery. You may be in need of an Athens personal injury lawyer.
Accidents don’t “just happen”, accidents are typically caused by someone’s negligence. Other times the reckless actions or malicious intent of another person can cause accidents and injury or property damage. This is where personal injury law seeks to ensure that victims of negligence, carelessness, or malice are properly compensated by the liable parties.
Even though seeking compensation is a right granted to all, exercising this right can be a different story and things are never as they seem on the legal scene. Having a knowledgeable personal injury lawyer from Athens at your side to provide support in your pursuit of compensation can be a considerable advantage.
If you or someone in your family has been injured by the actions or inactions of another person, this is the time to preserve your future and take action. Call (770) 329-1868 and arrange a consultation with an Athens Personal Injury Lawyer from H Groves Law.
What Should I Do After an Injury?
Suffering an accident or an injury can be an especially upsetting situation. But it is not the time to lose your cool. Whether it is a car accident or a slip and fall, it is essential to act fast if you hope to preserve the integrity of your imminent case.
Here are a few things to remember in the aftermath of an Athens Personal Injury:
Get Medical Attention
Minor injuries can sometimes appear very severe, and severe injuries may seem minor. The only way to determine the extent of your injuries is to seek medical attention. Qualified medical professionals can provide you with a full description of your medical condition and connect any injuries to the accident. Even if you feel the injury is small, it is always best to get a professional opinion
Collect Evidence If You Can
A strong case is built on a wealth of solid evidence and there is no better time to begin collecting this than the immediate aftermath of the accident. Take as many pictures and even videos of the scene of the accident as well as all relevant details. Collect all receipts, parking stubs, and other bits of evidence that can place you at the location at the time in question.
Eyewitnesses
Look around to see if any eyewitnesses can provide insights into what happened. The testimony of an eyewitness could be crucial to fully understand what happened. Be sure to get the contact information of anyone that could have seen the accident occur.
Report the Incident
Making an official report is another part of building a strong case. Depending on where the injury occurs, this report can be made to the police, security detail, manager, or property owner. In case of dog bites, the situation should be reported to the animal control center.
Do Not Admit Fault!
It is only natural to feel emotional and bewildered in the wake of an accident, but you mustn’t do or say anything that could affect the integrity of your case. Even a seemingly harmless comment like “sorry”, could be taken as an admission of guilt.
Call a Personal Injury Lawyer
You have a right to compensation for the damages you have sustained in the accident. But exercising this right can be a complex matter that takes extensive knowledge of personal injury law. Having an experienced personal injury represent you in negotiations and the court of law can increase the value of your case and improve your chances for success.
Why do I Need a Lawyer?
No matter how the situation appears, there is nothing simple and easy about personal injury law. Most often, it is the insurance providers for the at-fault party that will be required to make a payout. The insurance adjusters will work desperately to protect their interests and stop at nothing to deny payments.
Here are some of the ways that a seasoned personal injury lawyer from H Groves Law can increase your chances of success when making your personal injury claim.
Case Preparation / Filing a Lawsuit
Filing a lawsuit and preparing a case for negotiations and possibly a court trial involves addressing many details. But we have the experience and attention to detail to craft a built-proof case that will carry heft in negotiations and stand strong on the court floor.
Settlement Negotiation
Because court cases are very expensive, it is in the interests of both sides of the case to seek a resolution out of the courts through negotiations. In these negotiations, the insurance adjusters for the opposition will try their hardest to minimize their payouts. They are not ashamed to exploit any legal loophole to accomplish this purpose. But your seasoned premises liability lawyer from H Groves Law has dealt with these situations before. We will fight tenaciously for the settlement you need to make your recovery.
Trial Preparation
If no settlement can be reached in negotiations, the matter will be taken to the courts. We prepare all of our cases as if they will be taken to court and our injury lawyers are courtroom veterans who will have no trouble swaying the favor of the court and achieving the best possible outcome.
What Type of Damages Can I Recover?
Of course, all cases are different and it will be necessary to examine the details of your situation before we can determine which damages will apply. Nevertheless, the state of Georgia has set three categories of damages that can be applied in a personal injury case.
Economic Damages
Economic damages are those that can be easily calculated into a financial figure by reviewing various financial records. Economic damages are intended to reimburse the victim for the economic implications involved in the accident. This can include loss of wages, costs of medical treatment, medicine, therapy, loss of earning capacity, and so on. Economic damages cover these financial losses in the past, present, and future.
Non-Economic Damages
Many other damages can’t be placed into a financial figure so easily. Special tables, algorithms, and expert advice has been used to determine the economic value of things like pain and suffering, mental anguish, loss of consortium, etc.
Punitive Damages
There are certain situations where the actions or inactions of the at-fault party are especially reckless, life-threatening, malicious, or otherwise inexcusable. In such cases, the courts may choose to apply punitive damages for the sole purpose of punishing the at-fault party.
How is Liability Determined?
In the state of Georgia, the concept of “modified comparative fault” is applied in assigning liability in these cases. This means that anyone injured in an accident can claim damages so long as their involvement in the events leading up to the accident doesn’t exceed 49%.
The important point to consider is that the case hinges on the capacity to prove that the damages were caused by the liable parties’ “negligence”. To prove that a person or entity was acting negligently, the following points must be established.
Duty of Care
It is the “duty of care” that allows human beings to live more or less harmoniously alongside each other. Motorists have a duty of care to follow traffic laws and property managers and owners have a duty of care to the people they allow on their property. If the at-fault party had a duty of care to the victim, the case can continue to establish the next point.
Breach of Duty of Care
The next step is determining if the defendant breached their duty of care. For example, if they were aware of a potential risk, and did nothing to prevent harm from befalling the victim, to whom they had a duty of care, they will be found in breach of this duty.
Causation
It is not enough to prove that the defendant had breached their duty of care to the defendant. The negligent actions of the defendant must then be directly connected to the damages suffered by the victim.
Damages
Finally, there can be no claim for compensation if no damages were sustained. To make the case a personal injury case, the negligence of the defendant must have resulted in the damages suffered by the plaintiff.
H Groves Law — How Much does an Athens Personal Injury Lawyer cost?
At H Groves Law, we fully understand that the immediate aftermath of an accident can be a time of considerable mental strain and anxiety. We are here to help you by addressing the legal aspects of your personal injury case while you can focus on the task of making a recovery.
Furthermore, we will not charge you a thing for our expert guidance, through investigation, nor the extensive time and resources we will invest in the case. We will not charge you a thing at all because we will collect our payment from the settlement when we win. If we don’t obtain your compensation, we shoulder the loss and you lose nothing.
As you can see you have nothing to lose! So, call H Groves Law at (770) 329-1868 and arrange a FREE consultation Today!
