Personal Injury Attorney in Macon, GA
Several kinds of accidents can result in personal injuries. When your injuries are due to negligence, you have the right to seek compensation to cover your losses.
Poulin | Willey | Anastopoulo, LLC specializes in personal injury cases. If you or someone you love suffered injuries in an accident in Macon, GA, our personal injury attorney in Macon, GA can take your case. We can pursue recoverable damages on your behalf while you focus on your recovery.
A Personal Injury Attorney in Macon, GA Can Recover Damages for You
Suffering a personal injury is not just about being physically hurt. You may have emotional or mental trauma, but you also likely have costly medical bills because of your injuries and lost income because you can’t work. You deserve compensation to cover these losses.
There are four key types of recoverable damages you can seek under Georgia law.
Economic Damages
Economic damages are monetary losses that are verifiable. This includes:
- Medical expenses
- Future medical costs
- Lost wages and benefits
- Childcare
- Household services
- Property damage
Non-economic Damages
Non-economic damages are non-monetary losses that are more challenging to verify. This includes:
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Emotional distress
- Loss of consortium (companionship with a spouse)
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Disfigurement
- Disability
Wrongful Death Damages
If you lost a loved one in an accident, we offer our sincerest condolences for your loss. We understand you are going through pain that no one should experience. That’s why we want to help you by handling your case while you take time to heal and grieve.
We can do that, in part, by pursuing wrongful death damages that will cover:
- Medical costs
- Funeral expenses
- Loss of future income
- Loss of services
Punitive Damages
Punitive damages in Georgia have a cap of $250,000, according to O.C.G.A. § 51-12-5.1. This type of damage is meant to deter future negligent conduct such as drunk driving. It also serves as a consequence a defendant could face as a result of their behavior.
Value of Your Case
The value of your compensation case depends on several factors.
- Your injuries: The severity of your injuries factors heavily into the value of your claim. You could have minor injuries, such as cuts and bruises, or more serious injuries, like a concussion, broken bones, or spinal injuries.
- Medical costs: The seriousness of your injuries could result in costly medical bills you need sufficient compensation to cover.
- Lost income and benefits: If your injuries result in you missing work or no longer being able to work, you need compensation to cover those losses as well.
- Fault: Georgia is a comparative fault state, which means you can recover damages if you were less than 50 percent at fault for your personal injury. We will calculate the value of your claim based on the above damages you suffered.
There is no cap on the amount of economic damage you can receive in Georgia. Non-economic damages and wrongful death damages also have no cap. Our firm gets results, and we have recovered million-dollar settlements for our clients.
Benefits of Hiring Our Firm Serving Bibb County
Navigating the legal and insurance systems on your own can be intimidating and confusing. By hiring our firm, your attorney can do all that on your behalf. Our law firm provides several benefits that will strengthen your case while taking unnecessary stress off your shoulders.
- Listen to you: We will listen to you as you tell us your side of the story because we believe your voice should be heard. We are an advocate for personal injury victims, and we will treat you with respect and dignity.
- We Come to You: If you are unable to sit down with us at our location, we will come to you at your home or the hospital. We believe you should be able to consult with us in person even if your injuries prevent physical travel.
- Investigate the accident: We will investigate the accident by obtaining photographs, videos, police reports, witness accounts, and medical records. The more evidence we gather, the stronger your case will be.
- Calculate your claim: We will calculate the value of your compensation case so you can get the compensation you rightfully deserve to cover your losses.
- Communicate and provide updates: We will handle your case for you, but we will also never keep you out of the loop. We will communicate openly with you and provide regular updates so you know the status of your case.
- Negotiate with insurance companies: Negotiating with insurance companies can be challenging. We will negotiate with them for you so you receive a fair settlement rather than an insufficient offer.
- File a lawsuit: We will prepare your case for court and represent you if necessary. We are a team of trial lawyers with over 25 years of experience who will aggressively pursue your case.
Having a personal injury attorney in Macon, GA on your side evens the playing field because insurance companies have their own lawyers to represent them. We strongly urge you to obtain representation so you have an advocate working for your best interests.
We Handle Many Types of Personal Injury Cases
Our team handles a wide variety of personal injury cases. If you or a loved one is injured in an accident, it’s likely we have taken on a similar case. Our practice areas include:
- Bicycle accidents
- Car accidents
- Medical malpractice
- Motorcycle accidents
- Truck accidents
- Birth injury
- Dog bite
- Slip and fall accidents
- Construction defects
- Defective drugs
- Nursing home abuse
- Product liability
- Cruise ship injuries
- Sinkhole injuries
- Burn injuries
- Workers’ compensation
Personal injury cases are our main focus. That experience makes us formidable in court if it becomes necessary to file a lawsuit to seek compensation for you and your family.
Cost of a Personal Injury Attorney in Macon, GA
We believe you should not have to worry about paying us while we work on your case. That’s why we work on a contingency-fee-basis, so you don’t pay us unless we win your case and you receive compensation.
A contingency fee is simply a reasonable percentage of the damages you recover. There are no upfront costs, and we also offer free consultations. Your attorney will explain how all this works in more detail.
You Have a Limited Time to Act
You have a limited time to act to file a lawsuit seeking compensation. The statute of limitations for personal injury in Georgia is two years, according to O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33. The same limit applies to medical malpractice, nursing home abuse, product liability, and wrongful death.
We will meet the statute of limitations so you don’t miss the deadline to pursue compensation in court if necessary. If you do not take action and the deadline passes, you lose the right to file a lawsuit in pursuit of the compensation you deserve.
Steps You Should Take After an Accident
For you to protect yourself after an accident and build your compensation case, you should take the following steps:
- Seek medical attention: Your health and safety are the top priority after any accident. Wait for paramedics and other first responders to arrive if it is safe to. Try not to move just in case you sustained major injuries that could worsen.
Even if the paramedics clear you, see your doctor as soon as possible for a full checkup to document potential internal injuries and other injuries. It can take days for some injury symptoms to become obvious. This also establishes a record of your injuries for your claim.
- Call the police: While someone else may have already called the police, you should try to do it yourself, just in case, if possible. Police officers will investigate and document the accident to establish the cause and determine fault.
The police will draft a report that can be useful to your compensation claim or lawsuit.
- Take pictures and gather witness information: The police will gather evidence and issue a report, but that doesn’t mean you must rely on it alone.
If it’s safe to do so, you can gather evidence yourself by taking photographs of the accident scene, visible injuries, and property damage. You can also obtain names and contact information from witnesses. This can help support your side of the story and strengthen your case.
- Notify your insurance company: As soon as you are able, you should contact your insurance company. Your policy may cover some types of personal injuries, such as those that result from bicycle accidents and car accidents.
Your insurance policy also likely covers property damage, so you can obtain repairs or replacements sooner.
- Contact an attorney: The responsible party’s insurance provider will likely make an offer to settle your personal injury claim. This offer may not be fair, so be careful about signing any agreement. Once you agree to settle, you won’t be able to seek additional compensation.
An attorney can generally tell you if an offer is fair or not during a free consultation. Your lawyer can also investigate your case, calculate your claim, and negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf.
Taking these steps after an accident aids law enforcement, insurance companies, and your lawyer in determining what happened and who is responsible. This helps support and strengthen your compensation case so you can receive a fair settlement to cover your losses.
Types of Injuries
With so many kinds of personal injury cases, it makes sense there is a wide range of injuries you could sustain, from minor to major injuries. Symptoms of some injuries may not appear immediately after an accident, so we strongly advise you to see your healthcare provider after an accident for a thorough examination.
The injuries you could suffer in an accident include:
- Whiplash
- Concussion
- Paralysis
- Broken bones
- Cuts and bruises
- Internal bleeding
- Puncture wounds
- Loss of sensory function (eyesight, hearing, etc.)
- Burns
- Amputation
- Coma
- Breathing problems
- Crush injuries
The severity of your injuries will impact the value of your compensation claim. Your injuries could result in you missing work and losing the income you need to pay your bills. Your injuries could also result in future medical costs that should be considered. That makes documenting the extent of your injuries more important.
Who Is Liable for Your Personal Injury?
An investigation of the accident will determine fault for your personal injury. Determining fault is crucial to answering the question of who is responsible for your injuries and who is paying damages. The liable party is the defendant, and you are the plaintiff. So, who can you file a lawsuit against? If you were in a car accident and the other driver is found negligent, they are liable for the damages.
It’s also possible that multiple parties are at fault, but you can seek damages as long as you are less than 50 percent at fault. Perhaps your accident is the result of faulty road maintenance. In this case, the government agency responsible for maintaining the road may be negligent and could be held liable under certain conditions, according to O.C.G.A § 32-4-93. This is known as municipal liability.
Another example would be if you were injured by a defective product, such as the seat belt of your vehicle, the manufacturer of the product could be held liable. Our law firm will pursue compensation for you from the liable party. Some cases are more complex than others, but personal injury cases are what we do.
Connect With a Personal Injury Law Firm That Cares
You are not alone in this fight. Our firm will proudly fight for your right to receive fair compensation for your losses and hold the responsible party accountable. You are entitled to justice. You are entitled to damages that will cover your losses. You are entitled to find closure.
It’s time to regain a sense of normalcy in your life again. Contact Poulin | Willey | Anastopoulo, LLC today at (800) 313-2546.