Speak with a Druid Hills personal injury attorney from Spaulding Injury Law to take advantage of our experience with injury claims. We can determine whether you have a case, and if so, how to get the most compensation as soon as possible so you can get on with your life fully covered after your accident.
Our law firm helps injured clients following a variety of accidents, including:
- Car accidents
- Truck accidents
- Premises liability
- Product liability
- Dog bites
- Motorcycle accidents
- MARTA accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Wrongful Death
What Can You Recover in a Personal Injury Claim?
When you have been injured in an accident with an at-fault party, you may be entitled to damages. Damages refer to the compensation you receive for your losses, and they often include economic damages and non-economic damages, while some accident victims might also have punitive damages also available.
Economic Damages include Medical Bills and Lost Income
When you’ve been in an accident and suffered a personal injury, property damage, and lost income, it can cause serious financial stress. If someone else was negligent in causing your injuries, they should be responsible for all of these financial losses.
Your economic damages will include the cost of your immediate emergency medical care, in addition to any further medical treatment and/or follow-up care and ongoing treatment that you require. The same goes for damage to your property and vehicle, as repair or replacement costs should be covered.
Economic damages also cover any income you lose due to your injuries, both right after the injury and into the future. Lost wages and lost future earning ability are both damages that you can seek to ensure that you are put in a position as though the accident had not happened.
A personal injury attorney with extensive experience handling cases similar to yours will know how to calculate and prove your current and future economic damages. Hiring an experienced attorney from Spaulding Injury Law will ensure that you have someone on your team to work with you against the claim specialists of the insurance company who might challenge the value of your claim.
Non-Economic Damages Can Be Recoverable
Outside of the injury and damage to your person and your property, there can also be non-economic damages related to your accident that you can collect. Non-economic damages are for intangible losses, which include emotional distress, pain and suffering, mental anguish, and when you have lost a loved one in an accident, the loss of their companionship.
When you lose a loved one to an accident, you may have the potential of pursuing a wrongful death lawsuit, which compensates you for the loss of their financial support for your family, and also loss of companionship or consortium, which is the value of their emotional support for you and your family. Our firm helps families who suffered a tragic loss from many types of accidents and incidents.
Punitive Damages
Punitive damages are meant to punish or prevent a particularly dangerous activity, often one that is illegal. When someone engages in an illegal activity that is in the interests of society to prevent or decrease, then punitive damages might be available to victims. An experienced personal injury attorney who has worked on a number of similar cases can identify when the at-fault party engaged in such egregious actions that it might entitle you to punitive damages.
Proving Liability in Your Personal Injury Case
An attorney who has experience with personal injury claims knows that in order for you to collect damages, there must be an at-fault party. This is a person or company that had a duty to act in a certain way, did not act in that way, and their actions were the cause of your injury, which resulted in damages. This is a basic explanation of the concept of negligence, which can be more challenging to prove than you might think.
Some examples of negligence that might lead to an injury claim include:
- Distracted driving
- Aggressive driving
- Impaired driving
- Violating safety laws (including traffic laws)
- Not maintaining properties or premises
- Selling defective or dangerous products
Insurance companies regularly challenge liability claims, either by questioning the cause of the accident or claiming that an injured victim is partially to blame. By limiting liability, the insurance company can minimize payouts and protect its bottom line. Always know that the insurance adjuster will never simply take your word that a policyholder caused your injuries. Instead, you will need to submit evidence to support your liability claims.
An experienced lawyer knows what evidence is necessary to prove a claim, and common evidence that law firms gather on behalf of clients includes:
- Witness statements
- Criminal convictions or citations for other safety violations
- Video footage or photographic evidence
- Accident reports
Once you prove liability, you must then prove your losses. Past economic losses can usually be demonstrated through medical bills, receipts for expenses, and pay statements showing lost income. However, it can be significantly more difficult to prove future estimated losses or non-economic losses. You want a lawyer who knows how to prove the full value of your claim.
Insurance claims might seem straightforward, but always remember that the insurance company does not have your best interests in mind. The goal of adjusters is to limit payment and increase profits for the company, so claimants often face challenges every step of the way. This is the last thing you need to deal with while you are already facing the challenges of your unexpected injuries.
Having a legal advocate handling all insurance communications and negotiations is not only beneficial for your claim, but also for your life in general. You can focus on your medical treatment while we focus on protecting your rights.
Connect with a Druid Hills Personal Injury Lawyer Today
Our team at Spaulding Injury Law knows how to calculate your damages and negotiate the best possible outcome of your case. If you suffered an injury in any type of accident, please do not wait to schedule a consultation with us now to discuss your legal options.
