Personal Injury Attorneys in Georgia
Common Injuries We Help Clients Recover Compensation For
We at Spaulding Injury Law are a full-service personal injury firm, and represent clients who have suffered long-term and life-altering injuries from:
- Car accidents
- Truck accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Slip and fall accidents
- Rideshare accidents
- Workplace accidents
While this is not an exhaustive list of personal injury cases, they are some of the more common cases that we take. We are able to help you collect compensation for accidents or injuries that are long-term and have life-altering consequences. What this means is that if you experience an accident and your injuries heal in a week or two, there would be only minor short-term costs and symptoms, without long-term damages.
The kinds of injuries that we are able to help client collect damages for include:
- Traumatic brain injury – often referred to as a TBI, a bump, blow, or penetrating wound to your head can permanently change your brain chemistry, impacting your ability to work and enjoy personal life
- Spinal cord injury – often called SCI, a spinal cord injury can limit your brain’s ability to control your body, and can lead to long-term and life-altering consequences that change your ability to work and enjoy the same activities as before the injury
- Repetitive stress injury – a common workplace injury, repetitive stress injuries are caused by a repetitive motion in the workplace that can lead to debilitating pain and other injuries that impact your ability to work and enjoy life
- Neck and back injury – whether caused by a fall or whiplash, neck and back injuries can keep you out of work and out of recreational activities that you once enjoyed, entitling you to extensive compensation for your injuries
Whether or not we are able to help on your case will depend upon the unique facts and circumstances that led to your injuries. During your initial consultation we’ll take the time to review the facts, as well as record concerning your injuries, to determine how we can help and what your case might be worth.
How Our Injury Attorneys Can Help
Personal injury is a legal term for an injury to the body, mind or emotions, as opposed to an injury to property. Lawsuits are filed against the person that caused the harm through negligence, or misconduct, and in some cases on the basis of strict liability. Different jurisdictions describe the damages in different ways, but according to the Official Code of Georgia, damages typically include the injured person’s medical bills, pain and suffering, and diminished quality of life.
What is the process for a personal injury lawsuit?
1. AN INJURY HAS OCCURRED AND AN ATTORNEY IS SEARCHED FOR.
The first thing that has to happen is you or someone you know has suffered an injury as the result of another negligent party. The next thing to do is to contact us for a free consultation. We will meet and discuss the details of how the injury occurred. If, after the initial consultation, it appears that you might have a case, we would agree to conduct an exploratory investigation and determine if the other party has applicable insurance and/or sufficient assets to cover any settlement or judgment. If the consultation and investigation lead us to conclude that the case is viable, a fee agreement will be signed and the attorney-client relationship will be official.
2. A COMPLAINT IS FILED AND SERVED
After establishing that a legitimate case exists, the plaintiff’s attorney will file a personal injury complaint. After the complaint is filed, we will have a month or more to locate the defendant and “serve” the complaint on him or her. All this means is that we physically deliver the complaint to the defendant in a way that can be verified, ensuring the defendant cannot later claim to not know about the lawsuit.
3. PRE-TRIAL AND DISCOVERY
Discovery is a pre-trial procedure where we and the other party, through the law of civil procedure, can obtain evidence from the other party or parties by means of discovery devices such as interrogatories, requests for production of documents, requests for admissions, and depositions. The purpose of discovery is to encourage parties to reach a resolution of disputes on their own, without resort to a full trial by the court. The free flow of information between the parties to a lawsuit is intended to enable each side to better assess the case, including the strengths and weaknesses of both sides, thereby promoting a more realistic view of likely outcomes that will lead to settlement.
It’s possible for a case to go to trial but most personal injury cases will end in a settlement. At any point in the process described above, the parties can settle and end the case, even before the complaint is filed.
When Should You Hire A Personal Injury Lawyer?
If you have been injured because of another person’s negligence, get in touch with a Georgia personal injury lawyer as soon as possible.
If you wait to contact an attorney, you may make mistakes when talking to the insurance company, receiving medical treatment, or documenting evidence that could affect the outcome of your case. Consult with an attorney immediately after you sustain your injuries so you know exactly what to do to strengthen your case and improve your chances of recovering compensation.
How Much Does it Cost to Hire a Georgia Personal Injury Lawyer?
Many people are under the impression that paying for an attorney is something that they cannot afford, so they end up never hiring an attorney to represent them after they have been injured. We don’t ask for money upfront and only collect a fee if we successfully recover compensation. Not only does this mean that you won’t have to pay anything right away, but it also means we will be even more motivated to reach a favorable outcome in your case.
Your initial consultation is free, during which we’ll consider some basic information about your case, including the cause of the accident or incident, and the short- and long-term implications of your injuries. It is helpful to bring as much evidence as possible from your case to the initial consultation so we can determine if we can help.
When we take a case, we only get paid if we win, out of a portion of the earnings that we generate on your behalf. What this means is that you pay nothing up-front, and nothing out-of-pocket, ever. We’ll cover the costs along the way to gather evidence and draft your claim, including the expert opinions we need to fully measure your short- and long-term damages.
Should I accept an offer of settlement without consulting with a personal injury lawyer?
When you receive an offer of settlement after being injured from the insurance company of the liable party, it is generally not in your best interests to accept. The purpose of an offer of settlement is to get you to accept less than you deserve, and to get you to sign a contract in which you agree that you cannot pursue any further damages than those you receive in your offer of settlement. This can result in you and your family having to cover substantial medical costs or even lost earnings in the future if the settlement doesn’t fully cover your damages.
If you do not receive an offer of settlement, you need to pursue your damages within the time allowed by law, known as the statute of limitations.
What is the statute of limitations to file a claim for a personal injury case in Georgia?
The Georgia statute of limitations to bring a claim for a personal injury case arising out of negligence is 2 years. A statute of limitations is basically an expiration date for your right to bring a claim, and if you miss it you are unable to attempt to collect damages linked to the accident or incident. Generally the date begins on the date of the incident, however, it is different in some instances. For example, if a person develops cancer due to past exposure, the statute of limitations will generally begin when they discover that the injury was caused by the exposure.
Identifying when you are able to bring a claim, and if your right to do so has expired, requires careful analysis of your case, and a local Georgia personal lawyer can help.
We strive to respond within the hour. Expect a phone call from our staff within 24 hours to set up your initial consultation where we will discuss how we can help you.Theodore A. Spaulding, Esq.