After suffering a personal injury or seeing a loved one suffer a wrongful death, many people are too shocked to know what to do next. Above all, it is important to keep in mind that if someone else is responsible for the injury, you may be able to recover compensation for medical bills, pain and suffering, lost wages, and other expenses.
What is Personal Injury?
Personal injury is physical or mental harm to a person caused by harmful actions and/or negligence by another person, company or entity.
What is negligence?
Negligence is the failure to exercise reasonable care. It is conduct that falls below the standards of care established by law for the protection of others against unreasonable risk of harm. It is also the unintentional cause of harm. Auto and truck accidents, and premises slip and fall accidents, typically fall under negligence.
What is a Tort?
A tort is a civil wrong. Tort law requires people to reasonably avoid causing injuries and damage to others. A tort occurs when someone’s actions or inaction causes harm to another person or another person’s property. Personal injury claims fall under tort law.
What are some examples of torts?
- Auto and truck accidents
- Medical malpractice
- Surgical errors
- Misdiagnosis
- Burn injuries
Smoke inhalation injuries - Slip, trip and fall
- Lead poisoning
- Defective medications
- Negligent security
- Drowning accidents
- Assault
- Police brutality
What is Civil Law?
We do not practice Family Law or Criminal Law. Our practice is devoted to civil State or Federal Court cases. Civil actions deal with private matters. If you prevail in a civil action, you are entitled to recover monetary damages. We do not seek criminal charges against defendants and insurance companies. We only seek monetary damages to compensate your damages and losses.
What are compensatory damages?
Compensatory damages are to compensate victims of personal injury. These damages are designed to place a victim in the position he or she would be in if the injury had not occurred. A monetary value is assigned to the victim’s losses a result of the injuries. These losses include actual costs such as medical bills, lost wages or earned sick leave or vacation time. Other damages can’t be accurately measured. Their value is estimated. The most typical of these losses is your pain and suffering.
What is a Statute of Limitations?
What is a Statute of Limitations? A statute of limitations is a time period within which legal action must be brought. Different cases have different time frames. If legal action is not initiated within the specified time period, you lose the right to make any claims. Time is of the essence. If you have been injured, you should contact an experienced personal injury attorney, as soon as possible, to determine the time period applicable for your case.
How do I know if I have a Personal Injury case?
You have a valid personal injury case if you have been injured and your injury was caused by another’s harmful conduct or negligence.
What if the other party’s insurance company contacts me and wants my statement?
Even though they will sound sympathetic, the insurance company is hoping to persuade you to give a statement without the benefit of counsel. There are legal consequences to giving such a statement. First, consult with your own personal injury attorney. Do not provide a statement, sign any papers or accept a settlement from an insurance company without consulting your attorney.
The personal injury lawyers of Brown & Scoccimaro, P.C. handle all personal injury cases on contingency, meaning that we are only paid once our clients get financial compensation. We have worked for more than 28 years helping thousands of clients with a wide variety of cases, including those involving:
- Child Injuries, including injuries from dangerous toys, child seat injuries, dog bites, drowning, playground injuries, day care negligence, and more
- Catastrophic Injuries, including back injury, neck injury, spinal cord injury, brain injury, paralysis, amputation and more
- Wrongful Death, including any case in which someone’s death is due to the negligence of another person or organization
- Truck Accidents, including crashes with tractor trailers due to truck driver fatigue, weight violations, sleep apnea, negligent hiring, and more
- Auto Accidents, including car wrecks, boat accidents, pedestrian accidents, drunk driver accidents, and more
- Motorcycle Accidents, including bike collisions with cars and trucks, single-bike accidents, and more
- Common Carrier Accidents, including bus accidents, train crashes, plane crashes, elevator accidents, subway accidents, and more
- Product Liability, including injuries due to dangerously constructed or designed products
- Medical Malpractice, including birth injuries, misdiagnosis, surgical errors, emergency room errors, prescription drug errors, and more
- Nursing Home Abuse, including injuries to seniors involving bedsores, dehydration, malnutrition, failure to monitor, medication errors, sexual abuse, verbal abuse, and more
- Premises Liability, including slips and falls, inadequate security, falling objects, mantraps, dog bites, and more
- Workers’ Compensation, including on-the-job injuries or occupational diseases, regardless of who was at fault
Please contact our Georgia personal injury lawyers or fill out our personal injury intake form as soon as you can for a free initial consultation. Our attorneys must begin work immediately to protect evidence that our opponents might want to destroy.
We help people throughout South Georgia, including Albany, Leesburg, Dawson, Americus, Cordele, Tifton, Thomasville, Blakely, Donaldsonville, Camilla, Pelham, Moultrie, Cairo, Bainbridge, Valdosta, Ashburn, Adel, and Sylvester. Our office serves all of Georgia for catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases including, Atlanta, Marietta, Columbus, Macon, Athens, Savannah, Augusta, Vidalia, and Rome.
For those who want more information on the legal issues involved in personal injury, call our lawyers!