Accidents happen every day in the Palmetto, Georgia area. Whether you are driving down Highway 29, going for a bike ride, or hopping on a MARTA bus, the risk of accidents and injuries is always there. Some accidents are relatively minor, and people affected come away with minor scrapes and bruises, but many others are serious enough for the victims to suffer concerning and sometimes life-changing injuries.
Personal injury law exists to provide a legal means for those who have been injured to seek and obtain compensation for their injuries from parties that were negligent in causing the accident that resulted in the injuries. Seeking and obtaining compensation requires going through a legal process, which starts with the victim filing a personal injury claim against the insurer of the person or entity that was to blame for the accident.
A key requirement that must be satisfied before one recovers any monetary compensation is a showing that the person or entity that was at fault in causing the accident was negligent and that the accident directly caused the injuries you suffered.
If you have been injured in an accident and someone else or an entity was at fault, our Palmetto injury lawyers are here and available to provide you with the legal help you need to successfully pursue your personal injury claim.
Our attorneys are experienced and have the skills necessary to handle a range of personal injury claims, including the following:
- Car Accidents
- Commercial and other Truck Accidents
- Motorcycle Accidents
- Boating Accidents
- Drunk Driving Accidents
- Pedestrian Accidents
- Slip and Falls
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Spinal Cord and Back Injury
- Neck Injury
- MARTA Accidents
- Product Liability
- Lyft and Uber Accidents
- Wrongful Death
Compensation for Personal Injury Claims
If you have been the victim of an accident caused by the negligent action or inaction of someone else or entity, and you have suffered injuries because of it, you may have a personal injury claim that can be successfully pursued to get you monetary compensation for your injuries. This compensation is known by the legal term “damages.” There are two types of damages you can obtain once all the other requirements are met, and these are economic damages and non-economic damages.
Economic Damages
Economic damages are a sum of money you can be awarded as compensation to cover money you have spent or will spend in the future because of the accident, and this includes:
- Medical Bills – If you were involved in an accident that you suffered serious enough injuries to require examination and medical treatment, then any amount of money you have spent or will spend for the treatment can be recovered as part of the economic damages. This includes all associated costs and expenses for the treatment, starting from costs of transportation to the hospital, evaluation, actual treatment received, any rehabilitative treatment you continue to receive, or even estimates of what is anticipated you will spend in the future for the same continued treatment. This compensation is paid by the individual or entity that was negligent and caused the accident in which you were injured.
- Lost Earnings – In some cases, an injured victim may not be able to return to work after a serious accident. If you are unable to return to work because of the accident, you can be compensated for lost income – meaning you can obtain compensation in the form of money you did not earn or continue to miss earning because you are not working due to the injuries you suffered from the accident.
- Lost Earning Capacity – Some accidents cause serious injuries such that a victim suffers temporary and sometimes permanent paralysis. This is often the case when a victim has suffered catastrophic injuries such as spinal cord injuries or traumatic brain injuries. Either of these injuries can often result in the victim having long-term or permanent disabilities. In that case, if the victim is unable to return to work for this reason, they may be able to obtain compensation for lost earning capacity, which is money they will no longer earn because of the accident. This is also true in the case where an accident victim can return to work but is forced to take a different position because of the impairment or disability caused by the accident.
- Property Damage – If you were involved in an auto accident and your vehicle was damaged or rendered not usable anymore owing to the accident, you can obtain compensation to repair or replace the vehicle. You can also have compensation for any other property you had in the vehicle that was lost or destroyed, such as a cellphone or laptop.
Non-economic Damages
Non-economic damages are compensation for anything that does not fall in the economic damages category. Non-economic damages are subjective, and the accident victim cannot prove with documentation what the loss is, but it is still a very real and compensable loss. In other words, there is no known method to ascertain whether what the victim says is true, but a judge or jury must decide whether the victim deserves compensation for the damage and, if so, how much.
Non-economic damages include the following:
- Emotional Distress
- Pain and Suffering
- Mental Anguish
- Loss of companionship or consortium
You always want an experienced Palmetto personal injury lawyer calculating your non-economic damages because they are often a source of dispute in an injury insurance claim. You do not want to leave any money you deserve on the table.
Speak with a Palmetto Personal Injury Attorney Right Away
At Spaulding Injury Law, we have seen firsthand how significantly an injury can change a person’s life. Our Palmetto personal injury lawyers understand the rights of injured accident victims, and we can stand up for you to the fullest extent under the law.
If you suffered injuries from an accident caused by someone or an entity that was negligent, contact our office today for a free consultation. We can assess your rights and start taking steps to seek the compensation you need and deserve.
