Suffering an injury because of another person’s negligence or recklessness can be devastating. Unfortunately, these accidents can happen when you least expect them.

Hiring a personal injury attorney is recommended if you find yourself in this situation. A qualified Marietta personal injury attorney from the Law Offices of Matthew C. Hines will help you file a personal injury claim and recover the compensation you are entitled to.

We are well-versed in Georgia accident law and can help you better understand your rights.

Knowing When You Need an Attorney

If you are injured, it may put many other things in your life on hold. Many people have to take time off of work and be unable to dedicate time to their families because of the pain caused by the injuries they suffered.

For those living in Marietta and trying to decide if they should hire a personal injury attorney, you should consider a few questions. These include the following:

  • Are you concerned your health insurance is not covering the bills it should?
  • Did you have to take time off work unpaid because of the personal injury?
  • Are you struggling to pay your injury-related medical costs?
  • Is there uncertainty regarding who is at fault for the injury (this is often the case in medical malpractice or premise liability claims)?
  • Do you need help fighting a nursing home abuse or wrongful death case for a family member?
  • Do you feel you are being taken advantage of by the other party or their insurance company?

If you answered “yes” to one or more of these questions, you must hire a Marietta personal injury lawyer. These cases can be stressful and frustrating. Getting a fair settlement offer from the insurance company can be difficult without help from an experienced attorney.

Signs You Need a Marietta Personal Injury Attorney

After reading this and considering the questions above, you may still be unsure if an attorney is needed for your case. Here you can learn more specific reasons to hire a Marietta personal injury attorney.

You Suffered Serious Injuries

Cases that involve serious injuries are more complex for a few reasons. If you experience a severe injury, the financial damages are also higher.

Make sure you maintain records of all the damages you sustain to ensure you receive a fair amount of compensation for the medical bills, lost income, and other costs related to the accident and injury you sustain.

A severe injury can cause permanent disabilities like brain damage, amputations, and spinal cord injuries.

The attorney you hire to help with your personal injury claim will help you recover compensation for permanent disabilities and impairments, including future issues resulting from these conditions. In some situations, expert witnesses are needed to prove the accident resulted in permanent disabilities or impairments and to help calculate the value of future damages.

The Insurance Company Is Not Acting in Good Faith

It is essential that the insurance company working for the at-fault party act in good faith when resolving a personal injury claim. Unfortunately, many insurance companies engage in bad faith practices to avoid having to pay out a claim.

If you are unsure if an insurance company is acting in bad faith, it is important to contact an attorney. Some of the signs of this include the following:

  • Not investigating a claim
  • Requiring cumbersome and unnecessary documentation
  • Causing unneeded delays
  • Failing or denying payment to a valid claim
  • Providing inaccurate or misleading information
  • Changing the terms in the policy
  • Attempting to use aggressive methods to pressure a victim to accept an unfair settlement amount

If you believe the insurance company for the at-fault party in your case is acting in bad faith, it may be possible to file another claim against the insurance company. This would be separate from the personal injury claim being filed. Usually, it is in your best interest to discuss this with an attorney before you discuss the injury or accident with the insurance company.

The Other Party or Insurance Company Alleges You Contributed to the Cause of the Accident and Injury

Insurance companies may also try to blame a victim for their injuries. One example would be an insurance company claiming that you were texting and walking and that this contributed to your pedestrian accident.

Since you were not paying attention, some of the blame is put on you for your injuries.

It is worth noting that if your actions contributed to your injury, the compensation you receive might be reduced. This is based on the comparative fault laws used in Marietta and throughout Georgia.

What this means is that if the jury, in your case, finds you 35% at fault for the accident, then the insurance company only has to pay 65% of the compensation you are awarded.

If you are in a situation where the insurance company or the other party attempts to claim your actions contributed to your injury, you need a Marietta personal injury attorney. Never discuss your claim with anyone else until you have spoken to an experienced attorney. The comments and statements you make may be used during the trial to convince the judge or jury that you were partly or fully at fault for the incident.

You Are Unsure of the Value of Your Personal Injury Claim

If you are injured due to someone else’s negligence or wrongdoing, you may receive compensation for the damages you sustain. Some of the damages you can recover include financial losses, emotional trauma, pain and suffering, and more.

The challenge is determining the value of your personal injury claim. This is complicated if you are not familiar with personal injury laws.

You can receive economic damages, which are the tangible financial losses resulting from your accident. Common examples of economic damages include the following:

  • Lost wages
  • Medical costs
  • Travel expenses
  • Personal care
  • Assistance with household chores
  • In-home health care

The total value of your economic damages is the equivalent of all financial losses and bills related to the accident. However, sometimes the insurance company will argue that some costs are unreasonable or unnecessary. It may also deny some costs, stating they are not accident related.

Determining the value of pain and suffering is more challenging. Putting a price on your mental, emotional, and physical suffering is complex. The same is true for valuing the loss of quality of life or the impact of permanent impairment.

Several factors go into determining the value of your accident-inflicted pain and suffering. There are also multiple methods of determining what damages will be awarded. Our Marietta personal injury attorneys understand how to use the facts of your case to ensure you receive maximum value for your pain and suffering.

Contact the Law Offices of Matthew C. Hines for Help with Your Claim

As you can see, there are several factors to consider when it comes to filing a personal injury claim. If you find yourself in this situation, our legal team at the Law Offices of Matthew C. Hines is here to help.

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