If someone else’s negligence caused your injuries, you can file an injury claim to recover compensation for your damages. However, dealing with an insurance company can seem like more trouble than it is worth. A personal injury lawyer in Hampton can handle your entire case from start to finish, allowing you to focus on recovering from your injuries.

Call S. Burke Law today at 404-842-7838 for your free claim evaluation and consultation.

Should You Get a Lawyer for Your Personal Injury Claim?

The law does not require you to have a lawyer handle your personal injury claim; however, going up against the big insurance company on your own can be a nightmare.

Insurance companies are large corporations that exist for one reason: to make a profit. The less money they pay out in claims, the more profit they make.

To do so, insurance adjusters often contact injured people right after accidents, when they may still be on pain medications or not prepared to speak about the accident. The adjuster might deny liability or offer you a quick settlement. When you are off work because of your injuries, and the medical bills and living expenses are piling up, it may be tempting to grab the check the adjuster waves under your nose.

However, you should never accept a settlement until you have determined your prognosis or reached maximum medical improvement. If you accept a settlement before you know what your long-term prognosis is and later discover you will need lifetime care, you cannot go back to the insurance company for more money.

When a lawyer handles your claim, she will deal directly with the insurance company on your behalf, so you do not have to face the high-pressure tactics of the adjuster. This stops you from saying anything that might jeopardize your claim or accepting a too-low settlement.

How Much Money Will I Get for My Personal Injury Claim?

Because every claim is different, we cannot answer that question until we meet with you and review the facts of your situation. We will estimate a settlement value, but your claim will likely include both economic and noneconomic damages.

Economic damages can include:

  • Medical expenses, such as the ambulance, emergency room, doctors, hospital, surgery, medical treatments, physical therapy, prescription medication, equipment and supplies
  • Residual impairment or disability
  • Lost wages and decreased earning potential
  • Home and vehicle modifications necessary to accommodate resulting impairment

Compensable noneconomic damages include:

  • Pain and suffering
  • Disfigurement
  • Psychological trauma
  • Depression
  • Loss of enjoyment of life
  • Loss of consortium
  • Loss of companionship

We work with experts to determine how your injuries have and will continue to affect you. We work with vocational experts to prove the impact on your career and earnings. We use medical experts to establish the extent of your residual impairment or disability. Psychological experts can testify about your emotional suffering.

What Will You Have to Prove in my Personal Injury Claim?

In personal injury claims, we must prove that the person against whom we are making the claim:

  • Had a duty to act a certain way toward you;
  • Breached that duty (acted negligently);
  • That breach caused the accident; and
  • The accident resulted in damages

For example: you were standing at a bus stop when a car came up on the sidewalk and struck you. The driver was distracted because he was texting. He did not realize he had left his lane until he hit you on the sidewalk.

The driver had a duty to drive carefully, with his full attention on the road. He breached this duty by texting while driving. This negligence caused the accident, and your injuries. Because of the accident, you have thousands in medical bills and had to take three months off work to recover (damages).

Can You Help Me If I Was Partly at Fault in The Accident?

It depends on the amount of your fault. Georgia follows a comparative fault rule, which means that you can still recover compensation for your losses, but only if you were less than 50 percent at-fault. Any percentage of fault will reduce the amount of your recovery.

For example, if you were 30 percent at-fault for your injuries, you would only be able to recover 70 percent of your damages. If your settlement demand was for $50,000, you would only recover $35,000.

Do You Handle My Type of Personal Injury Claim?

S. Burke Law handles all types of injury claims. Our main practice areas are:

  • Vehicle accidents: This includes car, truck, motorcycle, and pedestrian accidents
  • Premises liability, such as slip and fall or negligent security claims
  • Assault and battery
  • Workers compensation

How Much Will You Charge Me to Take on My Personal Injury Claim?

We are happy to sit down with you and talk about your claim at no charge to you. We will evaluate your damages and advise you about your options. Even if we decide to handle your claim, we do not receive payment until there is a recovery in your case.

Call S. Burke Law for Help Today

The personal injury team at S. Burke Law will treat you with respect and compassion. We care about the outcome of your claim. We will work hard to get you all the compensation you deserve. Call us today at 404-842-7838 so we can begin helping you.