If you’ve been injured in Georgia, you may be out of work and wondering how you’ll pay the bills. You shouldn’t have to pay out of pocket for an injury that someone else caused. A personal injury attorney in Acworth from John Foy & Associates can help you get the financial relief you need.
You may be able to recover damages related to your injuries, such as lost wages, pain and suffering, and medical bills. If you decide to hire legal representation, your attorney can manage your casework, deal with insurers, and pursue the money you deserve while you concentrate on healing from your injuries.
What Are the Most Important Things to Do If I’m Injured?
Even if your injuries seem minor, they may be life threatening and should be taken seriously. Any injury can lead to complications and may be much more expensive and frustrating than you initially thought. The best thing you can do for yourself is to proceed with caution and protect your rights. Two things all injury victims should do are:
- Never take money from an insurance company or sign paperwork right away. After an injury, insurance companies will often swoop in and offer money. They are hoping you’ll take the “quick cash” and sign away your right to recover more money before you find out that your injuries will cost far more than you expected.
- Consult with a personal injury lawyer in Acworth as soon as possible. The time you spent on a free consultation with an attorney could mean thousands of dollars in your pocket for your injuries. Personal injury lawyers work on cases similar to yours every week, and they know what it will take to get more money from the insurance company with your claim.
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What Counts As a Valid Personal Injury Claim?
A good rule of thumb is that if the injury happened through no fault of your own, your claim is valid. Many injured people blame themselves for what happened, or think they were just unlucky, but the law doesn’t work that way. Injuries are generally preventable, and they only happen because someone was careless, or negligent.
Negligence is at the root of many car wrecks, slip and fall accidents, and dog bites. A negligent person didn’t necessarily mean to hurt anyone, but your accident happened because of their carelessness, and their insurance company will need to pay the cost of your injuries.
Acworth Personal Injury Practice Areas
Because personal injury is an umbrella term, there are numerous types of accidents that can qualify for a personal injury claim. Most personal injury lawyers regularly work on these types of claims:
- Car accidents
- Dog bites
- Drunk driving accidents
- Rear-end collisions
- Slip and falls
- Social Security Disability
- Truck accidents
- Uninsured motorist accidents
- Workers’ compensation
But this list is not exhaustive, and many other types of injuries can also lead to valid personal injury claims. If you’re unsure if your case qualifies, speak to a personal injury attorney in Acworth for a free case evaluation.
Will You Have to Take Your Personal Injury Claim to Court?
Most personal injury cases never end up in court. When they do, it’s usually because an insurance company flatly refuses to compromise, leaving us with little choice. This may happen because the insurance company thinks it has a stronger case than you, either because of evidence or because the insurer thinks it can discredit your testimony in court.
If the insurance company in your case is stubborn, your attorney can tell you how strong we think your case is and help you figure out whether to take it to the local courts. Should you decide to go to court, a litigation lawyer can handle your case all the way through trial.
Most of the time, your lawyer is able to force the insurance company to the negotiating table. You and your legal representation will give the insurance company straight facts and hard evidence showing the injuries you suffered and the money you will need to recover as fully as possible. This alone often wins clients a substantial amount of money.
What Will a Personal Injury Lawyer Cost You in Acworth?
Clients are very rarely asked to pay out of pocket for personal injury claim legal services. It’s simply not fair when you’re already struggling with an injury. Instead, some experienced Acworth personal injury lawyers offer an easy and affordable payment system:
- Your first consultation is 100% free
- You’re not charged anything out of pocket while they handle your claim
- If your attorney wins you money, they’ll collect their fees as a percentage of what you get
This means the personal injury law firm takes the financial risk, and you don’t pay anything, ever, unless they are able to recover money for you.
Does Acworth Have a Deadline for Filing a Personal Injury Claim?
The City of Acworth must follow deadlines created by state and federal laws. Those deadlines aren’t one size fits all and they can vary depending on the exact circumstances of your injury. All legal deadlines have one thing in common. If you miss the deadline for filing a claim, it is unlikely that you will be able to recover any money for your injury.
Many personal injury cases must be filed within two years of the date of the accident, according to Georgia’s statute of limitations (Ga. Code § 9-3-33), but some claims have a much shorter time limit. To make sure you don’t suffer the harsh consequences of missing this deadline, it is important to consult with a personal injury lawyer right away.
Damages You Can Possibly Recover from a Personal Injury Claim
Your Acworth personal injury attorney at John Foy & Associates will try to prove negligence as well as recover compensation for your damages from the responsible party. Depending on the accident, your injuries, and when the incident took place, you may be able to get compensation for:
- Medical costs from your injuries
- The estimated future costs of all medical care
- Property damage, such as car repair or replacement costs
- Lost wages for the time you were not at work and recovering
- Reduced earning capacity if your ability to work has been permanently diminished
- Pain and suffering
If your family member passed away due to an injury sustained in an accident, it is also possible to receive compensation for funeral expenses, medical bills, and lost wages. In this situation, parents, a spouse, or children of legal age will need to file a wrongful death claim.
Proving Negligence Is Essential in a Personal Injury Case
All personal injury cases are focused on negligence. In order to prove the other party acted carelessly and directly caused your injuries and damages, you and your attorney will need to identify the following elements:
- The plaintiff was owed a duty of care to behave a certain way.
- This duty was not upheld.
- This failure directly harmed and injured the plaintiff.
- The plaintiff sustained financial losses as a result of this harm.
There are laws that may change this process, such as cases involving government entities or medical malpractice claims. Acworth personal injury lawyers can help you understand the specific Georgia laws that pertain to your case and guide you through the entire legal process.
Talk to an Acworth Personal Injury Lawyer for Free
At John Foy & Associates, we have a 20-plus year track record of helping injured people get the money they need. Our entire law practice is built on getting injured people the money they need to pay for treatment and move forward with their lives. Having an experienced lawyer on your side can make all the difference, and we’d like to show you what we can do for you.
We have grown into a large, successful firm that’s known as “the strong arm” for the way we deal with insurance companies. Our team would like to give you a free consultation to go over your case. Visit us for a free case review and we’ll explain your rights and help you begin your claim. Call us or fill out the form to your right to get started today.
404-400-4000 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form