If you’ve been hurt in Mableton, GA, you’re likely stressed about how you’ll pay for your medical bills, make up for lost wages at work, and more. However, under Georgia law, you are entitled to financial recovery if the accident wasn’t your fault.
You have rights, and a personal injury lawyer in Mableton can uphold those rights. The lawyers at our law firm have spent the last 20 years helping injured victims recover the money they need to pay for their expenses and move on with their lives. Call us to discuss your legal options.
Who Is Liable for My Mableton Personal Injury?
Georgia is an at-fault state, which means the person whose actions caused the accident is liable for all costs. In other words, they must pay for the victim’s medical bills, lost wages, property damage, and other expenses. These costs are known legally as your damages.
In most accidents, such as a car crash, the at-fault party’s insurance company will pay for the damages. Therefore, it’s often the insurance company that will put up a fight and try to pay less than what they are liable for. This is one area where a Mableton personal injury attorney is invaluable.
Get the strong arm
What Evidence do I Need to Win Money for My Mableton, GA, Accident Claim?
To make an insurance claim for your damages, you and your attorney must prove the other person caused your accident. You’ll need evidence of their fault and subsequent liability for your expenses to do this.
Your personal injury attorney will do a lot of research and digging to compile evidence of the other person’s fault, but you can also take some actions to help. Here are some steps to take after a personal injury accident.
Call the Police
When an accident in Georgia involves an injury or property damage, you are legally required to report it to local police in most cases. This is great for your personal injury claim because it creates a record of the accident.
When the police arrive at the scene, tell them exactly what happened and how you were hurt, including vehicle or other property damage which resulted from the accident.
This is also a good time to mention any suspicious behavior you might have noticed from the liable party. For example, if you were in a motorcycle accident and suspect drunk driving, inform officers about it.
Take Pictures
Photographic evidence can be helpful in personal injury lawsuits. This shows what the scene looked like immediately after the accident.
Use your phone to take photos of:
- The accident scene.
- Your injuries.
- Any property damage.
- Any other details you think might be pertinent to your case, for example, the other driver’s license plate.
If the person who caused the accident is acting aggressively or intoxicated, you could also get a video of their actions.
Exchange Information
No matter what type of personal injury you sustained, it’s always a good idea to exchange names, phone numbers, and addresses with the responsible person as you wait for the police to arrive.
See a Doctor
Get medical attention for any injuries as soon as possible, even if you feel okay or don’t think your condition is serious. There are two main reasons for seeing a doctor:
- It creates a record of your injuries from a medical professional, including any diagnoses and treatment plans you discussed.
- Injuries can worsen with time, and seeing a doctor can help you treat them before they get more painful or expensive.
Call a Mableton Personal Injury Attorney
If you haven’t done this already, contact a personal injury attorney in Mableton, GA, who has experience with your type of case. They will help you every step of the way, including gathering information and creating an insurance claim that accounts for all your damages.
We can help with cases involving defective products, falls, nursing home abuse, and other dangerous situations.
The Key to Winning Your Mableton Personal Injury Claim
With this evidence, our personal injury lawyers in Mableton can get to work proving the four keys to winning any personal injury claim:
- Who is responsible
- What they did wrong
- How their actions hurt you
- How much your injuries cost you
If we can show all four of these, the insurer will be forced to admit your valid compensation claim.
Naturally, the other side will do their best to show that we did not prove these things.
They may make allegations like:
- We sued the wrong party
- What looked like neglect was in the standards of reason or the duty of care
- Your injuries were caused by something else
- Your injury and other losses are not as expensive as we claim
What Type of Damages Am I Eligible to Recover in Mableton?
As an injured victim, you may qualify for various damages. Our attorneys will help you prove the full extent of the financial losses you suffered after the accident and fight to recover fair compensation.
The damages you could recover through a personal injury case include the following:
- Medical expenses
- Property damage
- Lost wages
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Loss of companionship
Our experienced attorneys can build a strong case by supporting your claim with a wide range of evidence. To prove the extent of your losses, we will rely on your medical records, the police report, witness statements, receipts, and any other document that shows the accident’s impact on your life.
An Insurance Company Has Already Offered Me Money. What Should I Do?
Never accept the first offer; always speak with a personal injury lawyer before taking any money or signing anything with the insurance company. Insurance companies are for-profit businesses that care about their bottom line and always look for ways to cut costs.
One of the ways they can do this is by offering the accident victim a lump sum of money upfront and hoping they take it. They know you are likely worried about paying your medical bills and other expenses.
What they offer you might seem like a lot at the moment. However, that amount is seldom close to what you need to cover all your damages. The insurer might also seem helpful and concerned about your well-being, but they are most worried about how much your claim will cost them.
Don’t Fall for Shady Insurer Tactics
What sounds like genuine concern, like asking questions about your feelings, is more likely a way to get evidence the insurance company can use against you.
For example, they might point to the fact that you said you were feeling fine on the phone (even though you were just being polite) and, therefore, your injuries aren’t as bad as your claim says.
We recommend never giving a recorded statement or speaking to them until you’ve contacted a personal injury lawyer in Mableton, GA. Then, you can direct any calls from the insurance provider to your attorney.
Plus, your attorney will calculate how much your insurance claim is worth, so no expenses fall through the cracks.
How Long do I Have to File a Personal Injury Claim in Georgia?
Under Ga. Code § 9-3-33, you have up to two years to sue for an injury claim before you hit the statute of limitations in Georgia. This is the deadline to bring a case forward. If you wait too long, you lose your right to make a claim or sue in court.
An insurance policy may have an even shorter deadline to bring forward a claim, and certain cases can accelerate the timeline to mere weeks. It’s never in your best interest to wait to file a claim. We encourage you to speak with a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible after your accident.
Talk to a Mableton Personal Injury Lawyer for Free
Don’t get left paying the bills for an accident you had no fault in. You need a personal injury lawyer in Mableton who can advocate for your rights to fair compensation. At John Foy & Associates, we’ve spent the last 20 years doing just that for our clients.
We want to help you get the money you deserve, and we don’t get paid unless we win your case. So call us for a FREE consultation with one of our attorneys, or fill out the short contact form on this page to get started. We’re available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
404-400-4000 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form