For many personal injury victims, dealing with the financial impact of a personal injury is overwhelming. Fortunately, you don’t have to fight your legal battle alone. Our Decatur personal injury lawyer represents people who have been injured because of other individual’s negligence in car accidents, truck crashes, wrongful death incidents, and workplace accidents.
We have decades of experience in personal injury law and we will help you through the legal process. Also, we will help you determine your legal options, and determine the compensation you’re entitled to.
According to O.C.G.A. 9-3-33, you have two years following an accident to file a civil claim for certain personal injury accidents. At Marks Law Group, we can help you establish your injury lawsuit within the statute of limitations to make sure your claim gets the consideration it deserves. We will not charge you for our legal services unless you receive compensation for your injuries.
To schedule a free initial consultation, call us today at (678) 251-9309, or chat with us online to learn how we can help.
What Does a Personal Injury Lawyer Handle?
Personal injury lawyers are civil lawyers who handle negligence and intentional tort cases. Typically, these attorneys recover money from one person on behalf of another person. The injured party hires a personal injury attorney when a conflict involves reimbursement or payment of medical bills for an injury.
Personal injury attorneys handle several types of negligence cases that involve car accidents, bicycle accidents, bus accidents, motorcycle accidents, pedestrian accidents, truck collisions, brain injury claims, wrongful death lawsuits, and slip and fall lawsuits. Negligence happens when a person can’t exercise reasonable care to avoid causing injuries or death of another person. Thus, negligence occurs when someone carelessly injuries another person. Read more about the different types of personal injury cases.
For instance, in a Georgia auto accident or trucking collision, negligence occurs when one person recklessly operates a vehicle and causes damage or injury to another person. An intentional tort occurs when a person intentionally injures another person. For instance, a car accident is just that--an accident. In an auto accident, there’s no intention to harm you, only negligence on the driver’s part. However, an intentional tort occurs when someone intentionally rams another car.
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What Does A Personal Injury Lawyer Do?
If you’re a victim of negligence or intentional tort, call Marks Law Group today at (678) 251-9309 for a free case review.
Is It Worth Getting a Personal Injury Lawyer?
Knowing whether to hire a personal injury attorney in Decatur after an accident can be daunting. If you have suffered severe injuries and significant property damage, this makes your decision a little easier. However, if you were involved in a minor car accident, you may be unsure whether it’s worth it.
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Sometimes, in minor accidents, you may not need to hire an attorney. However, there are many circumstances where even a minor collision will need legal expertise. It all depends on the accident circumstances, such as the severity of your injuries, the damage to your car, and who was negligent.
Hiring an experienced Atlanta personal injury lawyer, while unnecessary, can help you prove the cause of your accident, its impact on your physical and social life, the accident’s financial impact, and how much compensation you may be entitled to.
Proving the Cause of the Crash That Caused Your Injuries
If you or a loved one suffered physical injuries in an accident caused by another person’s negligence, you may hold the at-fault party financially responsible for your injuries and related damages. However, first, you must prove the other party caused the accident. An experienced Decatur injury attorney can help you prove the cause of the accident by:
- Analyzing the police reports;
- Interviewing witnesses;
- Reconstructing how the accident happened.
These are only a few ways that can help determine fault in an accident. Also, there are other steps an attorney can take to prove the other party is at fault for the incident, and should therefore compensate you for your injuries and other damages.
Proving the Physical Effect of a Personal Injury Claim
Sustaining bodily injuries in an accident caused by another party’s negligence can have serious long-lasting effects on your life. The severity of your injuries may vary, depending on the point of impact and your role in something like a car crash. If you were the driver, pedestrian, motorcyclist, or bicyclist, your injuries will range from minor cuts and scrapes to severe brain and spinal cord injuries. The severity of your injuries might:
- Prevent you from going back to work;
- Temporarily or permanently reduce your physical abilities;
- Cause long-term emotional and mental trauma and anxiety; and
- Prevent you from enjoying leisure activities you enjoyed in the past.
The physical damage of a personal injury can take a financial toll on you and your family. Fortunately, an experienced personal injury lawyer can help you assess the financial impact of an injury and help you fight for the maximum compensation you deserve to cover the full extent of your medical bills and other expenses.
Assessing the Economic Impact of a Personal Injury Incident
A personal injury can affect you socially, financially, mentally, and physically. For instance, considering a car accident, data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that:
- About 37,000 people die in road accidents every year.
- 2 million drivers experience permanent injuries each year.
- 2.35 million people are injured or disabled by road accidents every year.
- Road accidents cost the United States $230.6 billion every year.
If you or a loved one has sustained personal injuries, a lawyer can help you calculate your expenses and losses, which may include:
- Current and future medical expenses;
- Current and future lost income;
- Disability and physical disfigurement;
- Pain and suffering and mental distress; and
- Repairing or replacing personal property.
Every accident is unique and produces different results. Thus, an attorney can help you uncover the specific expenses of the accident you were involved in.
What Percentage Do Personal Injury Attorneys Get?
Often, personal injury attorneys offer their legal services on a “contingency fee” basis, which means the attorney’s fees for representing a client will be deducted from the final personal injury settlement in the client’s lawsuit or from the damages awarded following a favorable verdict if the case goes all the way to trial. Thus, if the client doesn’t get a favorable outcome, then the attorney collects no fees.
In most contingency agreements, a personal injury attorney gets a percentage between 33 and 40 percent. However, you can always negotiate for a reduced percentage or alternative arrangement. Often, a personal injury lawyer receives 33 percent or one-third of any settlement or award. For example, if you receive a settlement offer of $90,000 from the at-fault party’s insurance company, then you’ll receive $60,000, and your attorney will get $30,000.
Learn More: What is Personal Injury Mediation?
How Much Should I Ask for a Personal Injury Settlement?
Your personal injury attorney will research your case and look at past verdicts and settlements in similar lawsuits. The following factors will help determine a potential settlement:
- Past and future medical costs
- Rehabilitation expenses
- Pain and suffering
- Therapy
- Lost wages and future income.
Also, your personal injury lawyer may use a damage formula to establish how much to ask in your personal injury settlement. Your attorney will add up all the incurred medical expenses and then multiply the total by a number between 1.5 and 5. Then he or she will add the amount of lost income to the total and the resulting figure is the amount you should ask for during negotiations. However, this only provides a basic starting point, and there are other factors you should consider. These include:
- Insurance policy limits. Often, your settlement can’t exceed a predetermined figure set by the insurance company.
- The extent of your injuries and/or treatment. If the injuries are severe or if rehabilitation will last for an extended period, then you must seek a higher settlement amount.
- Going to trial. Often, it’s hard to predict juries, so whether you settle out of court or go to trial, this can affect your settlement amount.
- Legal representation. Whether you have a personal injury attorney can affect your settlement. An attorney has the experience and knowledge to guide you through the legal process and navigate the legal language. Often, personal injury victims with an attorney receive more settlement.
Finally, it’s crucial to note that every personal injury lawsuit has a unique set of facts and circumstances, and past outcomes aren’t a guarantee of future settlements.
Contact Our Experienced Decatur Personal Injury Lawyers Today for Legal Advice!
If you have been injured in an accident caused by another party’s negligence, you may seek compensation for your injuries and damages by filing a personal injury lawsuit. While you can pursue compensation on your own, working with an experienced personal injury attorney will give you a better chance to recover compensation because an attorney has the knowledge and expertise to build a solid claim and negotiate with the at-fault party and their insurance company on your behalf.
At Marks Law Group, our Georgia personal injury lawyers are committed to helping you pursue the compensation you’re entitled to. With the help of our experienced attorneys, Decatur residents injured in car accidents, bicycle accidents, motorcycle accidents, and slip and falls can pursue compensation for their injuries and protect themselves and their families from further harm. Call us today at (678) 251-9309, or chat with us online to learn how we can help.