Dalton, GA Personal Injury Lawyer - Geiger Legal Group, LLC

How Do I Know If I Have a Personal Injury Case?

A personal injury case is a special type of civil case where an injured person seeks financial compensation from someone whose negligence contributed to their injuries.

You may have grounds for a personal injury case in Georgia if each of the four following elements applies to your situation:

The other party had a responsibility to avoid injuring you – This is often the easiest element to prove since people are expected to avoid harming others in most situations. For example, motorists must follow traffic laws, property owners must keep their premises reasonably safe for visitors, and medical providers must meet certain standards of care when treating patients.

The other party neglected to uphold their responsibility – You must demonstrate that the other party didn’t uphold this responsibility somehow. This could involve proving that a driver didn’t obey the rules of the road or a property owner knew about a hazard on the premises but didn’t repair it.

The other party’s negligence contributed to your injuries – You must also show that the other party’s negligence contributed to your injuries somehow. It is not enough to simply show that the other party was negligent and you were injured. You must demonstrate a causal link, such as the fact that you would not have been injured in a car crash if the other party had been obeying the rules of the road.

Your injuries resulted in real, measurable losses – Finally, you must prove that the injuries you sustained resulted in real, measurable losses. These may include financial losses, such as medical expenses or lost income, and personal losses, such as pain and suffering. When you file a personal injury lawsuit or insurance claim, you must state the specific financial compensation you are seeking for each of your losses and provide evidence to back up your claim.

Types of Cases Our Dalton Personal Injury Attorneys Handle

Our lawyers are prepared to handle a wide range of personal injury claims on behalf of our clients. These aren’t the only cases we cover, though. If you were injured in another type of accident, don’t hesitate to contact us to talk about the circumstances and your options for pursuing personal injury compensation.

We have experience working on personal injury cases including, but not limited to:

Nursing home abuse or neglect
Premises liability/unsafe property accidents
Daycare accidents
Pool accidents
Dog bite injuries
Slip and fall accidents
Workplace accidents
Product liability
Medical malpractice

How Can I Prove Negligence in a Georgia Personal Injury Claim?

So how exactly do you prove the other party was negligent in your Georgia personal injury claim?

At Geiger Legal Group, LLC, our Dalton personal injury lawyers can help you collect the following types of evidence to support your case:

Physical evidence – Examples of physical evidence that could be useful include the clothing you were wearing when the incident occurred, any tools or weapons involved, your damaged vehicle, or any defective products or drugs you used.

Evidence from the accident scene – If you were injured in a single incident, evidence from the scene can be extremely important to your claim. This type of evidence may include photos of the scene, video footage of the incident occurring, and documentation of hazardous conditions.

Evidence of your injuries – Demonstrating the nature and extent of your injuries is one of the most critical elements in a personal injury claim. Your medical records are typically a vital source of evidence, so it’s important to seek medical attention as soon as possible after an accidental injury.

Evidence of your financial losses – You’ll also need documentation of any financial losses you suffered due to your injuries. This includes copies of your medical bills, receipts from travel to medical appointments, and pay stubs or bank statements to show reductions in income.

Other documentation – Depending on the circumstances, different types of documentation that could support your case include police traffic crash reports, workplace injury reports, and other types of official accident reports.

Eyewitness statements – If any eyewitnesses were present when your injuries occurred, their testimony can be a valuable addition to your claim. Statements from a third-party eyewitness with no interest in the outcome of your case are more likely to be considered unbiased and reliable.

Expert witness testimony – Expert witnesses, such as medical professionals and accident reconstruction specialists, can also provide useful evidence for a personal injury claim. These experts can examine the facts of a case to draw insightful conclusions about how and why your injuries occurred.

What Should I Do After Suffering an Injury from an Accident?

When you suffer an unexpected injury, it can feel like your whole world is upside-down. In the shock of the immediate aftermath, you may be unsure of what to do next. Fortunately, there are some simple steps you can take to protect your rights and get your recovery off to a good start:

Seek medical attention as soon as possible and follow your doctor’s recommended care plan
Attend all follow-up medical appointments as scheduled
Gather as much evidence as possible, including photos or video footage of the scene and statements from eyewitnesses
If necessary, report the accident to your employer, the property owner, or your local police
Document everything you can remember about the incident and record daily observations about your injuries in a “pain journal”
Watch what you say to others about the incident, and especially avoid apologizing or admitting fault for any aspect of your injuries
Keep your statements brief, truthful, and to the point when you speak to the insurance company
Never guess or estimate when answering questions from the insurance company and never agree to provide a recorded statement
Avoid sharing or posting any photos or comments on social media while your injury case is pending
Contact a knowledgeable personal injury lawyer as soon as possible for a free initial consultation

Compensation Available in Georgia Personal Injury Claims

With the help of an experienced Dalton personal injury lawyer, you could recover compensation for the following types of losses in a personal injury case:

Medical bills
Incidental costs
Lost wages
Lost earning potential
Pain and suffering
Lost quality of life

Statute of Limitations for Personal Injury Claims in Georgia

Like all states, Georgia imposes strict limits on the amount of time you have to take legal action after suffering an injury or other loss. These time limits are outlined in § 9-3-33 of the Georgia statute of limitations, which gives you up to two years to file for most types of personal injury cases.

This two-year period typically begins on the date when you originally sustained the injury. If you don’t file a personal injury lawsuit before the deadline, you will likely no longer be able to pursue legal action, no matter how strong your case may be.

Contact Our Experienced Personal Injury Attorneys in Dalton, GA Today

The dedicated legal team at Geiger Legal Group, LLC in Dalton, GA is eager to review your situation and how we can help you achieve the best outcome possible. Contact us today to discuss your legal options with a knowledgeable Dalton personal injury attorney in a free initial case review.

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Our Dalton, GA Personal Injury Office