Personal Injury Attorney in Douglasville

One of the many reasons why victims of personal injury incidents refuse to hire legal representation is the costs associated with receiving legal support. However, Morgan and Morgan operates on a contingency fee basis, which means we do not charge any upfront legal fees to handle your case. Instead, we receive payment for our legal services when you receive compensation for your injuries.

Since money is not a factor when you hire a personal injury lawyer in Douglasville, GA from Morgan and Morgan, let’s learn more about how one of our attorneys can help you receive just compensation for the injuries sustained as the result of a personal injury incident.

Conducts a Thorough Investigation

Conducting a thorough investigation into your case starts during the free case evaluation, in which your personal injury lawyer in Douglasville, GA determines the cause of the incident that caused you to sustain one or more injuries. From reading the official incident report to examining preliminary physical evidence, the attorney that you meet with should be able to determine the factor or factors that caused you harm.

In addition to reviewing the official incident report and examining preliminary physical evidence, your personal injury lawyer in Douglasville, GA also collects more physical evidence to build the strongest case possible. Interviewing witnesses is a key component of an investigation, as it provides legal support for the physical evidence gathered at the scene of the personal injury incident.

Calculates a Fair Value for Compensation

Insurance companies and the judges that hear personal injury lawsuits deny claims of compensation for many reasons. One of the most common reasons for denied claims regards submitting an unreasonable value for compensation. Your personal injury lawyer in Douglasville, GA must calculate a fair value for compensation for you to have a chance of recovering financial losses.

Calculating a fair value for compensation begins with determining the value of economic damages, which represent the tangible costs that are associated with your case. Tangible costs include medical bills and repairs done on property damage. You also have the right to seek compensation for non-economic damages, which concerns the value of pain and suffering. Recovering from a personal injury incident can involve overcoming the emotional trauma triggered by the event.

Handles the Insurance Claim

Insurance companies prefer policyholders to file claims without the legal support provided by a state-licensed attorney. This is especially true for personal injury incidents that involve claims that run into tens of thousands of dollars. If you do not hire a personal injury lawyer in Douglasville, GA to handle your insurance claim, the insurance company might deny a valid claim or approve a claim for a value that is worth much less than what you deserve.

One of the most important reasons to hire a personal injury attorney from Morgan and Morgan is to gain considerable legal support for an insurance claim. The lawyer handling your claim can interact with the insurance adjuster, which frees up time for you to focus on other issues related to the personal injury incident, such as recovering from your injuries. Your personal injury lawyer in Douglasville, GA also closely monitors your claim to ensure it receives consideration in a timely manner.

Negotiate a Favorable Settlement

You have two opportunities to negotiate a favorable settlement: During the insurance claim process and a civil lawsuit that seeks monetary damages. Negotiating a settlement helps you avoid a costly and time-consuming civil trial, as well as having to deal with the frustration of going through the insurance claim appeals process.

Your personal injury lawyer in Douglasville, GA starts negotiations by submitting a reasonable value for compensation. The other party either accepts the initial offer for compensation or rejects it with two possible scenarios unfolding. First, the other party can submit a counteroffer to your initial offer. Second, you might receive a formal letter explaining that the other party is moving on to the next step in the process. Several rounds of counteroffers might follow the initial offer until both parties reach an agreement or decide to end negotiations without a resolution.

Prove the Four Elements of Negligence

Winning a legal judgment for a personal injury lawsuit requires your attorney to prove the presence of the four elements of negligence. First, your personal injury lawyer in Douglasville, GA must show the court that the other party had a duty of care to protect you against sustaining one or more injuries. Second, you must demonstrate that the other party breached the duty of care doctrine by committing one or more acts of negligence. The second element of proving negligence represents the heart of most personal injury lawsuits. 

Third, you must link your injuries directly with the personal injury incident in question. The other party’s attorney might claim you sustained your injuries as the result of another event. Fourth, you must submit physical evidence that proves you suffered financial losses caused by sustaining one or more injuries.

Georgia defines the meaning of negligence as it pertains to personal injury cases. Since a considerable number of personal injury cases involve some form of shared negligence, Georgia operates on the comparative negligence principle. Comparative negligence means each party involved in a personal injury incident assumes a percentage of the blame for causing the incident.

For example, let’s assume you got involved in a car accident in which the other driver failed to use a turn signal before making a turn. The result of neglecting to use a turn signal represents the primary cause of the car accident. However, you share responsibility for causing the crash because you were distracted at the time by sending a text message. The judge rules in your case that you must assume 20 percent of the legal liability for causing the motor vehicle collision. If the judge awards you $100,000 in monetary damages, your compensation decreases by 20 percent to $80,000.

One of the most important responsibilities for your personal injury lawyer in Douglasville, GA involves filing a personal injury lawsuit before the expiration of the statute of limitations. Each state establishes the deadline for filing a personal injury lawsuit, with most states setting the deadline between two and four years. However, you might one day move to a state that grants plaintiffs as long as six years or as short as one year to take legal action. Georgia grants plaintiffs two years to file a civil lawsuit that seeks monetary damages. The clock starts ticking on taking legal action for a personal injury case on the date of the incident. However, you might receive an extension if you sustained one or more injuries that developed delayed symptoms.

Although a time period of two years gives you more than enough time to build a strong case, you should act with a sense of urgency by filing a civil lawsuit that seeks monetary damages as soon as possible after a personal injury incident for two important reasons. First, you are responsible for taking care of every medical bill unless you and your healthcare providers agree to a medical lien arrangement. Second, your personal injury lawyer in Douglasville, GA needs to interview witnesses as quickly as possible after an incident to obtain the most accurate version of events.

What should you look for in a personal injury lawyer from Douglasville, Georgia? First, you should only consider attorneys who have compiled a proven record of getting just compensation for their clients. Next, the lawyer you hire should respond promptly to all forms of communication. Third, your attorney should represent you during every step of the insurance claim and civil lawsuit process.

Get the legal support that you deserve by scheduling a free case evaluation today and see how a personal injury lawyer in Douglasville, GA from Morgan and Morgan can help your case.