Georgia Personal Injury Attorney

“Accidents happen” is an accurate phrase, but not all accidents are created equal. Some could have been prevented with a little more care and caution. If you suspect that someone else caused or contributed to your accident, we can help you fight for damages.

A Georgia personal injury attorney from our firm would like to help you pursue the compensation you need and deserve. You could use any money we win for you to pay your medical bills and provide for your family until you can return to work.

Why You May Deserve Personal Injury Damages in Georgia

Personal injuries can have a catastrophic impact on your health, family life, and career. This impact could be temporary if your injuries eventually heal, or permanent if they do not. Either way, if someone else is responsible for inflicting those injuries, you should not have to pay the price alone.

At Poulin | Willey | Anastopoulo, LLC., we believe that anyone who engages in negligent or reckless behavior should be held accountable. This includes paying accident survivors damages like the following:

Medical Bills

No matter how “minor” your injuries may seem, it is best to see a doctor as soon as possible. They could detect injuries early and prevent problems down the line.

Unfortunately, medical expenses can pile up quickly, especially if you require long-term care or multiple treatments. The money you get from a lawsuit could cover:

Emergency medical care, such as ambulance rides
Diagnostic care, such as MRIs or x-rays
Any care you needed to stabilize your condition or correct the damage done, such as surgery
Assistive devices, such as crutches or a hearing aid
Long-term care, such as physical therapy or home nursing

Physical Distress

The most obvious effect the injury had was on your physical health. You may be experiencing:

Physical pain at or radiating from the injury site
Physical pain caused by necessary treatments
The temporary inability to use the injured area the way you usually do
A permanent disability that prevents you from regaining full use of your body
Brain damage that temporarily or permanently affects how you think, speak, move, or control emotion
Obvious scars that affect how you look and move your body

Each of these items is a compensable injury under Georgia law. In general, the more serious the injury, the more money you may receive.

Emotional Distress

In addition to physical injuries, both accidents and serious injuries often leave survivors with psychological wounds. The Mayo Clinic even lists “stressful experiences” as a potential cause of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

You could seek compensation for emotional distress if:

You developed a mental illness due to the crash
An existing mental illness worsened after the crash
You have had to make major lifestyle changes to accommodate your injuries
You can no longer perform everyday tasks or live independently
Your physical, emotional, or sexual connection to your spouse has declined or ended
Your relationships with friends and relatives have deteriorated

Loss of Income

Missing out on your usual salary can be devastating, especially if you were already living paycheck to paycheck and now have to pay for your medical care on top of your regular bills. The liable party’s insurance company could be made to pay for:

The income you lost by staying home from work, reducing working hours, or working light duty until you recovered
Lost benefits, such as healthcare or pension contributions
The loss of your job, if you are unable to return to your old position because of your injuries
The estimated income you would have earned over your career had you been able to stay in your prior position
Vocational rehabilitation training to help prepare you for a new career that can better accommodate your disability

Property Damage

Sometimes, accidents take away more than a person’s physical or mental health. They can also rob survivors of the items they need to live their everyday lives, such as:

A car or other vehicle they use to get to and from work
A cell phone they use to stay in touch with personal and professional acquaintances
Irreplaceable personal items that mean a lot, such as treasured family heirlooms
Other expensive items, such as a laptop

Where to Find Help After a Personal Injury in Georgia

Determining what to do after an accident is often confusing and overwhelming. This is especially true if:

Your pain or treatments (e.g., medication) make it difficult to think.
You are still understandably angry and sad about what has happened.
You do not know what your legal options are.
The insurance company is pressuring you to make a fast decision.

Poulin | Willey | Anastopoulo, LLC. would like to make things easier for you. A Georgia personal injury attorney from our office can sit down with you and discuss your legal options. With assistance from our Georgia legal team, you may recover enough compensation to meet your needs without putting yourself through undue stress.

Here are some examples of how our Georgia personal injury lawyers can help you:

We’ll Learn About Your Case

Our office provides free case reviews to anyone who wants them. All it takes is a risk-free phone call, and you will find out whether we can help you with your case.

If you decide to hire one of our Georgia personal injury lawyers, we can either meet with you in one of our offices or come to you if you are too badly injured to travel.

We can investigate your case by collecting evidence such as:

Statements from you, your employer, your doctor, and your friends and family
Statements from anyone who witnessed the accident
Statements from experts who can provide more detail about the accident, your injuries, or your (in)ability to earn a living
Paperwork that illuminates your financial situation, such as receipts, tax filings, or paystubs
Medical records to show you were injured and received treatment
Any police reports that were filed in response to the accident

Armed with this information, we can learn a great deal about your case. For example, we can tell you who may be liable, as well as how much money the liable party may owe you and the best way to pursue that money.

We’ll Represent Your Best Interests With the Insurance Company

In many cases, the liable party does not pay out of pocket for any damage they do; their insurance company pays out on their behalf. Our goal must therefore be to:

Convince the insurance company to pay you what you deserve and not undervalue your case
Negotiate with the insurer until they agree to pay what you need
Prevent the insurer from undermining your case by speaking to them on your behalf and presenting strong evidence of their policyholder’s liability

This last point is particularly important. Insurance companies may ask you to tell them about the accident so they can misinterpret your words and reduce their policyholder’s liability. They may also ask you to sign a settlement agreement before you have time to learn your case’s true worth and realize they are lowballing you.

If the insurance company tries (or has already tried) to talk to you, tell them that you would prefer all communication go through your Georgia personal injury attorney. Then:

Refer them to us, if you have already hired us
Tell them you are in the process of hiring an attorney and will give them their contact information soon, if you are still weighing your options
Say nothing else until you have had a chance to hire a Georgia injury lawyer

We’ll Go to Court if Necessary

Although most cases settle out of court, your case could go to trial in some situations, such as if the insurance company refuses to act in good faith. However, this process does not have to be strenuous for you; a Georgia personal injury attorney from our firm can do all the work, including:

Arranging trial dates
Submitting evidence to the court
Ensuring the defense follows all of the rules and raising objections if they do not
Representing you in court by questioning witnesses and delivering oral arguments
Doing everything possible to secure you a fair jury award

Trials can take a while, but you do not have to face this process alone. Our team can be there for you, supporting you at every step.

We’ll Do All We Can To Make Things Easier for You

When you are injured, the last thing you want to do is try to figure out how the law works or spend a lot of money upfront for someone else to tell you what to do.

At Poulin | Willey | Anastopoulo, LLC., our personal injury lawyers serving Georgia strive to make this difficult time easier for you and your entire family. This means:

Charging no attorney’s fees until after you get your money—and waiving those fees if we do not win your case
Contacting you with updates whenever something happens and/or you have to make a decision regarding your case
Helping you better understand the law and your legal options

To get started, a member of our team would be happy to listen to your story and let you know if we can help. This case review is completely free and places you under no obligation.

The Personal Injury Statute of Limitations in Georgia

You may have as little as six months or as much as two years to file a lawsuit after an injury. This time limit, called the statute of limitations, depends on:

The type of party you intend to sue (e.g., an individual versus a city, county, or state)
If you are suing due to your injuries or over a loved one’s death
Where the injury took place (e.g., nursing home injuries have different rules than other types of injuries)

The statute found in O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33, which gives plaintiffs two years from the date of the injury to file a lawsuit, applies to most cases. Building a solid case takes time, so if you want to ensure you get a chance to seek damages, starting your case as soon as possible is a good idea.

Who Is Liable After a Personal Injury in Georgia?

That depends on how your accident happened and how much evidence is available to prove your side of the story. In general, anyone who is careless enough to cause an accident that injures another person can be found liable for that accident.

Here are a few examples of the types of personal injury accidents our Georgia injury attorneys have dealt with and the potential liable parties in each case.

Motor Vehicle Accidents

This includes not just car accidents, but also collisions involving trucks, bicycles, motorcycles, pedestrians, and others. Liable parties in traffic accident cases could include:

A driver who was speeding, distracted, drunk, or engaged in aggressive behavior
A government agency that failed to keep the road in good condition
An employer who pressured their drivers to work long hours without taking proper breaks
An auto part manufacturer that did not recall a product despite knowing there was a problem with it

In some cases, you could sue more than one party if we can find evidence proving that multiple parties are guilty. For example, if you were run off the road by a drunk driver and your injuries were worsened by a faulty brake system that kept you from slowing down, you could sue both the drunk driver and the brake manufacturer.

Birth Injuries and Medical Malpractice

When you visit a medical professional, you put your health in their hands. If they fail to provide a reasonable standard of care, you could end up seriously hurt. Worse, if your doctor made a mistake while you were pregnant or giving birth, your child could pay the price.

Common medical mistakes that could lead to injuries include:

Failing to take patient concerns seriously
Misreading a test result
Misdiagnosing a patient’s condition
Prescribing a treatment or medication the patient does not really need
Failing to intervene when the patient or their unborn child is in clear distress

In such cases, you could sue either the individual practitioner who mistreated you or the healthcare facility they work for, depending on your case’s specifics.

Not every negative medical outcome results from malpractice, so it is important to understand the difference between malpractice and negative outcomes before you start your suit. Your Georgia personal injury attorney would be happy to review your case with you.

Workplace Accidents

Common workplace accidents vary from industry to industry. You could be at risk of:

Falling down stairs or from a height
Slipping on slick spots or tripping over objects
Being struck by a falling object
Exposure to toxic materials, germs and bacteria, or dangerous environments

You have two options for seeking compensation after a workplace accident. First, you could apply for workers’ compensation benefits, if your employer carries that kind of insurance. Second, you could sue anyone who contributed to the accident, such as:

An employer who did not comply with state or federal safety standards, as defined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
A coworker who deliberately attacked you or did not follow reasonable workplace rules
A property owner who failed to ensure the safety of their property and/or deliberately allowed unsafe practices or equipment to go unchecked
A company responsible for keeping your tools and equipment in good working order

When a Personal Injury Becomes a Wrongful Death

There are many reasons a personal injury could prove fatal, including:

If the victim was already vulnerable (e.g., they were older or had a preexisting medical condition)
If the injury becomes infected
If the injury is instantly fatal, giving the victim no chance to seek medical help

If your loved one passed away in or after an accident, you are not alone, and you have options. A Georgia wrongful death attorney at Poulin | Willey | Anastopoulo, LLC. can help you seek compensation on your deceased loved one’s behalf. You could put this money towards paying your bills, securing your children’s future, and more.

In a wrongful death case, you could seek compensation for both the injured party’s distress (if they did not already sue for their own injuries before they passed away) and the surviving family’s distress, as characterized by:

The income your loved one can no longer contribute to the household
The advice and affection your loved one can no longer provide to you, their children, and other relatives
The end-of-life expenses you covered to ensure your loved one was laid to rest respectfully and settle their estate
The sense of grief and loss your family has suffered

You can also convert a personal injury case to a wrongful death case if the injured party does not survive long enough to see their lawsuit through. This way, their family may still receive the compensation they need to rebuild their lives.

Have You Suffered a Personal Injury in Georgia? Our Attorneys Can Help

If you suffered an accident in Georgia, our personal injury attorneys at Poulin | Willey | Anastopoulo, LLC. want to help you get both justice and fair compensation.

Call (800) 313-2546 or fill out our contact form to request a free case review today. Our Georgia personal injury lawyers charge no fees unless and until we win for you.