If you’ve been injured because of someone’s negligence in Mableton, GA, Jamie Ballard Law is here to help. Jamie Ballard is dedicated to fighting to obtain settlements and judgments for her clients for all pain and suffering experienced as a result of their injuries. She gives every case personal attention and is a member of the National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 Civil Plaintiff Trial Lawyers in Georgia.
Contact our Mableton personal injury law firm today to schedule a free initial case evaluation and consultation. There are no upfront fees. In fact, you pay nothing unless we win you compensation.
Nobody thinks it will happen to them but personal injuries are much more common than you think. It could be a slip and fall, a car accident, a dog bite, an injury in a nursing home, a motorcycle accident, or something else. You are always at risk of injury due to the negligent actions of others.
While many injuries are not serious, there are times when an accident can completely upend the victim’s life. Sometimes, a personal injury victim is unable to return to work for a significant period and has to bear the cost of medical expenses. This is when you need a Mableton personal injury lawyer.
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What Should I Do After an Injury?
If you have suffered an injury, the worst thing you could do is ignore it. Even if you feel that injuries are not substantial, you should visit your healthcare provider. In case you are in pain, drop everything and seek immediate medical attention. Never underestimate your injuries as things are only going to get worse in case you have suffered an internal injury.
Keep in mind that the actions you take after being in an accident are going to have a significant impact on financial compensation. Here is what you should do after suffering an injury:
Seek Immediate Medical Attention
The first thing you should do is visit your doctor. You must be examined properly. Keep a record of the visit and the treatment. You must follow the instructions given by your doctor. Start maintaining a record of your injuries as well as your treatment. Take photos of your injury.
Take Photos of the Accident Scene
If you have been involved in a car accident or any other kind of accident where you have suffered an injury, try to take photos/videos of the accident scene as well as the vehicles involved. Try to cover the accident scene from as many angles as possible. It is important to capture as much information as you can in the form of photos or videos. In case there are witnesses around, request them to give their contact details including names and numbers.
Report the Incident
In case you have been involved in a car accident, immediately call the police. They will file a police report containing all the details of the accident. This report is going to be extremely valuable when it comes to claiming financial compensation for injuries. In case you have been injured at the workplace, you must report the accident to your supervisor. In short, the goal is to create a record of your injury.
Don’t Admit Fault
Never make the mistake of admitting fault. You might not be in the right headspace to understand what has happened exactly. This is why you should wait for the police report to come out as it will have all the details of the accident. If you admit fault, it could be used against you even if you were not at fault.
Don’t Sign Anything
It has been observed that after an accident, the at-fault party or the insurance company representatives will try to get the victim to sign a settlement. More often than not, the settlement offer is going to be the minimum they have to make. They always try to capitalize on the victim not being aware of their legal options. Some people do want to accept the initial settlement offer made by the insurance company.
Keep in mind that the initial settlement offer is usually a lowball offer. It is unlikely that the initial settlement offer would be enough to cover all your expenses and losses. It is also unlikely to accurately reflect fair compensation for your injuries. This is why you should never sign anything or accept a settlement offer before speaking with an experienced personal injury attorney.
Call a Mableton Personal Injury Lawyer
An experienced personal injury lawyer will help you understand your legal options. Here at Jamie Bullard law, we regularly negotiate with insurance companies on behalf of our clients. We will go through the fine print of their settlement offer and help you understand the details. You must not sign anything or agree to a settlement without first talking to an experienced personal injury attorney in Mableton, GA.
Here at Jamie Ballard Law, we have helped many of our clients win fair compensation for their injuries. Give us a call at 404-301-1687 to discuss the details of your case for free.
Why Do I Need a Lawyer for My Injury Case?
The process of getting financial compensation for your injuries isn’t straightforward. To win compensation, you will need to file a civil claim against the at-fault party. You will also need to prove that the at-fault party was legally negligent. In legal terms, you will need to prove that the defendant had a legal duty to you and they breached that legal duty resulting in the accident and that accident caused your injuries and losses.
Collecting evidence and filing all the paperwork is a time-consuming process. Even a minor error in the paperwork can significantly delay the whole process and then there are the negotiations with the insurance company. You need an experienced lawyer by your side for:
Case Preparation – Evidence has to be collected and presented in the right manner and within the statute of limitations.
Settlement Negotiation – After presenting the evidence to the insurance company, the compensation has to be negotiated.
Trial Preparation & Representation – If the insurance company does not make a fair offer, you will need to file a lawsuit.
What Type of Damages Can I Recover in Mableton, GA?
In Georgia, personal injury victims may recover three primary types of damages: economic damages, non-economic damages, and punitive damages.
Economic Damages
These damages include compensation for losses with a tangible value. It typically includes medical expenses, lost wages, out-of-pocket expenses other than lost wages and medical expenses, and property damage. The medical expenses include hospitalization fees, medical devices, prescription medications, physician’s fees, ambulance, and rehabilitation or physical therapy, among others.
The cost of ongoing medications and therapy, as well as follow-up appointments, is also covered in medical expenses. If the accident victim is unable to get back to work immediately and needs time to fully recover which means they are unable to earn a living wage, they are entitled to compensation equivalent to their loss of wages.
Non-Economic Damages
This category includes compensation for losses where it’s difficult to calculate a tangible value. Common damages in this category are compensation for pain and suffering, anxiety, depression, physical impairment, diminished quality of life, disfigurement, loss of a loved one, and others.
In a typical personal injury case, the non-economic damages are around 1.5 times the economic damages in case of minor injuries. In case of severe injuries, noneconomic damages may go up to five times the amount of economic damages.
Punitive Damages
Punitive damages in Georgia are awarded in case it is proven that someone acted with malice towards the victim. In most cases, the punitive damages are capped at $250,000 but there are exceptions such as product liability claims and in drunk driving accident cases. Also, all the punitive damages do not go to the victim.
How Is Liability Determined in Georgia?
In Georgia, there is a four-step process for determining liability. To prove negligence, the onus is on the injured party to demonstrate:
Duty of care — The defendant owed a duty of care to the injured party.
Breach of duty of care — The defendant breached that duty of care.
Causation — It needs to be proven that there is a causal connection between the actions of the at-fault party and the injured person. It needs to be shown that the injury resulted from the actions of the defendant.
Damages — It needs to be proven that the injury of the victim has resulted in damages.
Georgia is an at-fault state which means the party determined to be at fault is financially responsible for all the damages.
Georgia follows the modified comparative negligence doctrine. It simply means that the damages are recoverable only if the victim is less than 50% at fault. Also, the amount will be proportionately reduced to the degree of their fault. In case the injured party is found to be 20% at fault, they’ll be able to recover only 80% of the final damage award determined by the court.
How Much Time Do I Have to File a Personal Injury Claim in Georgia?
The statute of limitations in Georgia gives the injury victims up to two years from the date of the accident to bring the claim. If you try to file a claim after the stipulated deadline, you may not be allowed.
Do not lose the opportunity to get fair compensation for your injuries only because you didn’t file the claim within the stipulated timeline.
Call the experienced personal injury attorney at Jamie Ballard Law to schedule a free consultation now.
What Is the Personal Injury Claims Process?
The personal injury claims process is detailed and involves several steps. This is why you should have an experienced Mableton personal injury attorney by your side to understand all legal alternatives and how you should go about filing a claim.
Investigation
The first step in the process is to investigate the accident to determine the at-fault party. No case can be won without collecting and presenting the evidence. Collecting evidence is a time-consuming process.
Filing the Claim
Once all the evidence has been collected, a calculation is required to determine the numerical value of your losses and the amount of fair compensation you deserve. After collection of the evidence and calculation of the damages, you know the value of your claim and that is when you file the claim paperwork.
Settlement Negotiation
After filing the paperwork, you will often be negotiating with the insurance company of the at-fault party. You will have to present all the evidence you have collected and make a demand for compensation. The insurance company should present a settlement offer, and if you are happy and accept the offer, this is where the claims process ends.
Court
In case the insurance company feels that you are also at fault and they have evidence against you, they may not make a settlement offer and go to court. Presenting a case in court is a long process and a lot of evidence needs to be prepared and presented to win fair compensation for your injuries.
In short, a lot of paperwork is involved in legally proving the fault of the defendant. This is why you need an experienced lawyer by your to help with case preparation, settlement negotiation, and trial preparation & representation in case you need to file a lawsuit.
How Much Will a Mableton Personal Injury Lawyer Cost?
It doesn’t cost you anything. Don’t sign away your rights without first discussing the details of your case with an experienced personal injury attorney at Jamie Ballard Law.
We know it is a challenging time for you. Pursuing justice while dealing with your injuries is never easy.
We work on a contingency fee arrangement. It simply means that you do not pay us anything out of your pocket. We get paid only if we win your case and help you get fair compensation for your injuries.
Types of Personal Injury Cases We Handle at Jamie Ballard Law
Here at Jamie Ballard Law, we take pride in helping people who have suffered serious injuries or losses due to the negligent actions of others. We have extensive experience representing clients in cases arising from:
Contact a Dependable Mableton Personal Injury Lawyer Today!
Pursuing a case for a personal injury claim involves a lot of paperwork and often requires the careful examination of an experienced attorney. In such cases, it needs to be legally proven that the at-fault party is responsible for the injuries and the victim has suffered damages due to those injuries. A lot of evidence needs to be collected and presented in the right manner.
Insurance companies don’t like to pay. They often try to settle the case by offering the lowest possible settlement amount and many injury victims often agree as they are often not aware of their legal rights.
Here at Jamie Ballard Law, we work on a contingency fee basis. You don’t need to pay anything unless we win the case for you. We will go through the details of your case and help you understand your legal options. We will negotiate with the insurance companies on your behalf and if you do not get a fair settlement offer, we are also prepared to take the case to trial.
Give us a call at 404-301-1687 to schedule a completely free consultation with a Mableton personal injury lawyer.
