Personal Injury FAQ

If you have suffered injuries as a result of another party’s negligent inaction or actions, Georgia law permits you to sue for damages related to your injuries in civil court. Severe injuries cause physical pain, emotional stress, and financial burden for victims. Taking legal action cannot undo the pain you have suffered and continue to suffer, nor can it erase the emotional trauma of an injury-causing event.

Yet, compensation for injuries from a settlement or jury award can alleviate some or all of the financial burden associated with medical expenses, lost wages, and other costs of injuries.

A skilled personal injury lawyer can help you file the appropriate insurance claim for your injury and take legal action against those who have harmed you. Until you have the opportunity to meet for a free consultation with a Georgia personal injury attorney, read the following answers to frequently asked questions regarding personal injury lawyers and personal injury cases in Gwinnett County.

What cases do personal injury lawyers take?

The world contains many dangers that can lead to injury. Although we can represent injured clients in most situations, many of our most common cases fall into the following practice areas:

What injuries can personal injury attorneys help me with?

We represent clients who have suffered a wide array of serious injuries. Examples include:

Injuries vary among cases, but even broken bones can give rise to a personal injury lawsuit. Severe fractures sometimes require reconstruction and even after surgery, a victim can continue to struggle with discomfort and arthritis.

How severe do my injuries need to be to take legal action?

Not all injuries are fatal and not all events cause severe injuries. Yet, when you do suffer injuries because of another party, it is in your best interest to consult with an experienced personal injury lawyer. The nature and severity of an injury dictate the need for legal counsel.

However, the severity of an injury is often highly subjective. The extremes are obvious, and you know when you don’t need legal help and when you absolutely must contact an attorney. The injuries that lie in between, however, often cause victims to question their need for a lawyer.

Trust your instincts and listen to your body. If you think you need to take legal action, contact a personal injury lawyer who can evaluate your case and determine the viability of your claim. If you have mounting medical expenses as a result of an injury and you have spent weeks away from work because of your injuries, you likely have grounds for a claim.

You should take action before Georgia’s two-year statute of limitations on personal injury cases runs out.

How can a personal injury lawyer help?

A personal injury lawyer advocates for injured victims to hold those who have caused harm through their negligence accountable.

Some specific ways personal injury attorneys help their clients with injury claims include:

• Reviewing the event that led to injury to ensure a client has a viable case to present to a Georgia court and any insurance companies involved
• Investigating the circumstances of the injury to uncover facts that support the case
• Obtaining evidence to support the case including medical records, witness statements, and testimony from expert witnesses
• Assigning an economic value to injuries and associated losses based on Georgia’s laws and previous similar cases
• Consulting with specialists such as accident reconstructionists and life care planners who can help determine liability and place a value on an injury claim
• Guiding clients through insurance claims and handling communication with insurance carriers to protect clients from insurance adjusters looking for ways to devalue a claim
• Filing the necessary paperwork with Gwinnett County court to initiate a personal injury lawsuit
• Negotiating a settlement with the other side to secure full and fair compensation for injured clients
• Litigating a client’s case in the courtroom when settlement is not an option

How much will I have to pay for a lawyer?

Personal injury law firms typically provide a free consultation or case evaluation to potential new clients. These initial meetings provide victims the opportunity to share the details of the event that led to their injuries and how their injuries have affected them. Additionally, you need to use this meeting to learn about your potential lawyer, their firm, and the strategies he intends to use to prevail in your case.

Ask questions to learn about experience and availability to ensure you are a good fit. For example, Brauns Law Accident Injury Lawyers, PC understands the gravity of the aftermath of a severe injury, including the financial consequences of suffering an injury, and we therefore handle personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis. This means you do not pay attorney fees upfront. Instead, we deduct our fees from any compensation we secure for you in the form of a settlement or jury award from the court.

How much money will I receive in a settlement?

Predicting the financial outcome of a personal injury case is nearly impossible. Settlements and jury awards can range from zero to millions of dollars. Your lawyer, often with the help of experts, will review the facts of your case and the aspects that increase and decrease the value of your claim. Tangible economic losses such as the cost of medical treatment, lost income from missing work, and cost of travel to and from the doctor are simple to calculate.

Non-economic losses such as pain and suffering, loss of consortium with a spouse, mental anguish, and decreased quality of life, require more effort and experience to calculate.

In many cases, you can assume the more time a victim misses from the job is the result of a more severe injury, which means your attorney will ask for more compensation in your lawsuit. If your injuries were a result of gross negligence, fraud, or intentional physical harm, the court may award punitive damages as well.