Pursuing a personal injury claim in Atlanta, Georgia, can be a complicated, confusing, and stressful process. There is a lot of information that you need to be aware of to get started quickly and ensure that you don’t get taken advantage of by unscrupulous insurance companies. The first thing you’ll need to know is what kind of personal injury claim you have. This is usually the most obvious question to answer, though there may be cases where it is not as clear, especially to those who don’t have experience in pursuing compensation for personal injuries. If you were in an auto accident, then you know what kind of claim you’re going after, though you may not know the specific steps you need to take or how the insurance company may try to mislead you.
Then, there are the cases that aren’t as clear cut. Maybe you were in an auto accident that was caused by a defective auto part. Perhaps you were injured on someone else’s property, indicating a premises liability claim, but the injury was caused by an assault from someone who does not own the property. This is where questions about what kind of claim you may have will arise, and you’ll want to talk to an Atlanta, Georgia, personal injury lawyer from Ted A. Greve & Associates.
Identifying the Types of Compensation You May Be Owed
One thing that is the same between the various forms of personal injury claim in Atlanta, Georgia, is the three basic types of compensation that you may be owed:
- Economic Damages – All actual expenses and financial losses. This includes your lost wages, your medical expenses, your lost future earning potential, your rehabilitation costs, your property damage, your hospital and surgical expenses, etc.
- Non-Economic Damages – All damages that are not financial in nature. This includes your pain and suffering, your lost quality of life, your emotional trauma, etc.
- Punitive Damages – Any damages that are ordered as punishment to the negligent party. These are only awarded in cases where the negligence was extremely reckless or malicious.
Collecting the Evidence of Damages Involved in Your Personal Injury Claim
In order to receive compensation for your damages, you will need to gather evidence. This will include medical records and bills, property damage estimates, and evidence of your lost wages. It will also include the various forms of evidence that you were able to collect at the scene of the accident. For example, if you take photos of the scene of the incident, photos of the injuries, and photos of any relevant property damages and hazards, then these pictures can go a long ways towards proving the value of your claim. You can also get the contact information of witnesses at the scene of the incident. What you don’t want to do is to walk away from the scene of the incident without getting any evidence or information. This is because it is very likely that the evidence will be damaged or removed by the time you get around to attempting to collect it. The more evidence you get at the scene and the better organized you keep your personal injury relevant documents, the stronger your case will be.
Filing Your Claim Before the Statute of Limitations Runs Out
Every personal injury claim is subject to a statute of limitations. This lets you know exactly how much time you have to file a lawsuit in your personal injury case. If you don’t file your lawsuit within the statute of limitations, then you won’t be able to. Even if you never end up having to file a lawsuit, because the claim is settled without doing so, you still need to act quickly to ensure that you still have a right to file a lawsuit. Once the statute of limitations runs out, you no longer have any leverage with any relevant insurance companies, and you will not be able to pursue compensation via litigation.
The statute of limitations on most Atlanta, Georgia, personal injury claims is going to be two years from the date of the injury or from the date that you discovered the injury. There are some exceptions to this rule, as with medical malpractice claims, and you’ll want to talk to an Atlanta, Georgia, personal injury attorney to ensure that you are acting quickly and are aware of the laws related to your claim.
When to Contact an Atlanta, Georgia, Personal Injury Attorney
It is possible to pursue an Atlanta, Georgia, personal injury claim without a lawyer. The trouble is that you are not likely to be taken as seriously if you don’t have an attorney. If your claim is worth a significant amount of compensation, then you will want an attorney to help you recover the maximum amount of compensation that you are owed. Insurance companies frequently mislead injured persons into believing that their claim is worth less or is not valid. They may try to get you to say something to indicate that your injury is not that severe or that you were responsible for the accident that caused it. When you talk to an insurance company claims adjuster, it is wise to tell them that you are not prepared to give a statement. You can explain that you wish to speak to an attorney before going any further. If it turns out that your claim is not worth enough to warrant hiring an attorney, then you can always return to negotiate for a settlement on your own. Still, it doesn’t hurt to get some legal advice in a free consultation from an experienced Atlanta, Georgia, personal injury attorney.
The Atlanta, Georgia, Personal Injury Attorneys at Ted A. Greve & Associates are Here for You
If you’ve been injured in any kind of accident or intentional misconduct, then you may benefit from the advice and guidance of Ted A. Greve & Associates. We’ll provide a free consultation to get you started. Then, we’ll work on a contingency fee basis, so that you don’t pay us anything unless we can recover compensation for your damages. Call today to schedule an appointment with a skilled Atlanta GA personal injury law attorney.
