Berkeley Lake Personal Injury Attorneys

Berkeley Lake Personal Injury Lawyers

Being injured by someone else’s negligence puts you in a very difficult position. Not only have you been physically harmed, but you’re also very likely facing considerable financial and emotional consequences. Because obtaining fair compensation is so important to your overall recovery, working closely with an experienced Berkeley Lake personal injury attorney is the best path forward. 

Common Personal Injury Claims

While no two personal injury claims are ever exactly alike, most fall into categories such as the following:

• Traffic crashes, including car, truck, motorcycle, and pedestrian crashes
• Rideshare accidents, including both Lyft and Uber
• Marta accidents
• Slip and fall accidents, dog bites, and other kinds of premises liability claims
• Boating accidents

Wrongful death claims are similar to personal injury claims but include the tragic consequence that the victim’s injuries ultimately prove fatal. 

The Necessary Elements

In order for your personal injury claim to prove successful, each of the following elements must be established:

• The other party had a responsibility for your safety, which is known as owing you a duty of care. For example, motorists owe everyone who shares the roads with them a significant duty of care. 
• The other party breached the duty of care owed. If the other driver, for example, engaged in dangerous driving practice, such as distraction, exhaustion, impairment, aggression, or excess speed behind the wheel.
• The other party’s negligence caused the accident that left you injured. If a speeding motorist who was flying through a red light, for example, T-boned your vehicle in the process. 
• As a result, you suffered losses that are recognized by the law.

The Losses Covered in Personal Injury Claims

In your personal injury claim, you can seek compensation for the following basic categories of loss:

• Property damage to your vehicle and its contents – in the case of a traffic accident
• Medical bills, which may need to address ongoing healthcare concerns
• Lost income, which may need to address lost earning potential
• Physical and emotional pain and suffering, which can make other forms of loss that much more challenging

Ensuring that your losses are well accounted for in your personal injury claim will play an important part in your ability to reach your fullest recovery.

Seeking Medical Attention

It’s important to note that, even if you don’t think you were seriously injured in the accident in question, it is in the best interest of your health and your claim to seek medical attention as soon after the accident as possible. Not only are some serious injuries slow to present with symptoms, but the rush of adrenaline and shock you experience as a result of a violent accident can mask the symptoms you do experience. The risk associated with delaying medical treatment is too great to ignore, and seeking medical care early on also sends a clear message to the insurance company that your injuries are as serious as you’ve indicated.  

Shared Fault

While the other party’s fault is a critical element of your personal injury claim, the State of Georgia does not bar you from seeking compensation, even if you share a portion of the fault in the matter. As long as you are determined to be less than 50 percent responsible for the accident that leaves you injured, you can seek compensation for the percentage of your losses that the other party is responsible for. 

For example, if you are determined to bear 20 percent of the responsibility for the accident that leaves you injured and you suffer $100,000 in total losses, you can seek the $80,000 in losses that the other party is responsible for in your personal injury claim.  

Having a Personal Injury Attorney on Your Side

Your personal injury attorney will take on all the following important tasks in the protection of your rights – and in pursuit of your rightful compensation:

• Gathering all the relevant evidence, including eyewitness testimony and any photos and videos from the scene of the accident
• Hiring expert witnesses and having accident models created in support of your position
• Communicating with the insurance company on your behalf – helping to ensure you don’t inadvertently provide information that harms your claim
• Skillfully negotiating for a settlement that fairly addresses your physical, financial, and emotional losses.
• Clearly identifying the other party’s fault in the matter and the full range of losses you incurred as a result.
• Helping you better understand and navigate the claims process 
• Preparing to proceed to court in the event that the insurance company is not interested in negotiating fairly

Many people think they can handle a claim on their own because they do not realize how much a lawyer will take off their shoulders. 

A Note about the Insurance Company

It is important to know that the insurance company handling your claim is fully invested in keeping your settlement as low as possible, which is the surest mechanism for keeping its profits high. Toward this end, it may engage in any of the following less-than-forthright practices that you should be aware of:

• Denying your claim without even considering it 
• Offering you an early, lowball settlement 
• Casting doubt on the extent of your losses
• Assigning undue fault to you
• Making the claims process prohibitively complicated or lengthy

If the insurance company is not interested in engaging in fair negotiations, your attorney will very likely advise you to allow the law to make the final determinations by filing a lawsuit against the insurance provider.

It’s Time to Consult with an Experienced Berkeley Lake Personal Injury Attorney 

If another party’s negligence causes you or someone you loved to be injured, the savvy Berkeley Lake personal injury attorneys at Spaulding Injury Law are well prepared to employ the full force of their legal skill and experience in pursuit of your claim’s most favorable resolution. Your claim and your recovery are important, and we are here to help, so please do not hesitate to reach out and contact or call us at 770-744-0890 for more information about what we can do for you today.